Breast reconstruction often requires a number of surgeries and therefore takes a long time overall.
The first part of the surgery involves expanding the tissue to make room for an implant. This is done by placing a tissue expander under the pectoralis major muscle. The surgery is performed under general anesthesia with hospitalization until the next day. The expander is filled with saline once a week as an outpatient. The expander needs to be refilled 4-6 times in total. In some cases, symmetry-improving surgery will be performed on the opposite breast, for example by performing a breast augmentation, lift or reduction of the other breast. After 3-6 months, the expander will be replaced with a permanent breast implant. The surgery is performed under general anesthesia and you are often hospitalized for ½-1 day.
This is followed by nipple reconstruction, which is done on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia 3 months after the above surgery, and finally, a tattoo of the nipple area will be done, also on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia.
With a thorough preliminary examination, we can assess your options for surgery and discuss the expected results.