Surgeons 'look for reconstruction options'

25 April 2008

Plastic surgeons are now using new approaches to breast reconstruction procedures, it was reported this week.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) said that while lumpectomies and breast conservation procedures only remove part of the breast, they can leave an uneven or dented result.

Because of this, some women are concerned about how they will look after such surgery, so professionals are now using remaining breast tissue or tissue from elsewhere on the body to immediately remodel the bust.

According to the ASPS, this gives a more natural shape and one that has more symmetry with the other breast.

"Many women don't know the full scope of their reconstructive options or are intimidated to ask," said Dr Sumner Slavin, ASPS member and co-author of a recent report discussing this issue. It appears in the April instalment of the Plastic and Reconstructive journal.

"For breast cancer patients, even though they are living through the anguish of cancer, there are reconstructive procedures that will improve their quality of life and reduce the negative long-term impact of the disease and its treatment," Dr Slavin added.

Last year saw the ASPS conduct a study into the effect of breastfeeding on a woman's breast shape.

It concluded that although pregnancy may increase sagging, breastfeeding does not exacerbate this tendency.