Breast Cancer

Aesthetic solution for the breast cancer : Breast cancer is the nightmare of every woman. Even though the developments in medicine enables to detect and treat the disease in the early stage, many women feel herselves ugly or missing when this organ is to be extracted.

The disease may also effect the young women. This cancer may be detected and treated in a very early stage thanks to the modern medicine; however it is still one of the biggest traumas a woman may experience in her lifetime. Since the breasts are the symbols of womanhood, extraction of the same causes deep wounds in the psychology of the woman. The “breast reconstruction” enables to form a replacing breast instead of the extracted one and removes such worries.

During the operation : This method may be performed in two different times as “primary” and “secondary”. The primary method brings the reconstruction simultaneously with the operation.

Sometimes only the surgical method may be enough for the treatment of the cancer that has been detected in the early stage. The simultaneous reconstruction (with the operation) places a replacing breast instead of the extracted one once the cancer tissue is taken. Just after the surgical operation, the plastic surgery team starts to work and forms the replacing breast instead of the extracted one. The advantages of this operation is that it saves the women from a second operation and, most importantly, since the lost breast is substituted at once the women become subject to lesser psychological damage.

If the treatment continues : The second option in the breast reconstruction is the secondary reconstruction. If an additional therapy, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy, is required after the extraction of the breast, then the reconstruction may not be performed at once. Controlling of the cancer including area or the completion of the additional therapy is waited for to reconstruct the new breast.

After the removal of such risks, the aesthetic and plastis surgery specialists start to work and reconstruct a new breast instead of the lost one.

Breast prosthesis The same methods may be applied regardless of the time of the reconstruction (simultaneously or post-operative). Reconstruction can be performed with breast prosthesis or with own tissues of the patient.

If sufficient tissue is left after the extraction of tumor including tissues, in other words if only the cancer including masses are extracted, it is enough only to place a prosthesis under the muscle layer. The surgeons prefer sometimes ready made prosthesis and sometimes prosthesis that are injected serum physiologic after the placement for volume increase.

Own tissues : The breast reconstruction may be performed with the own tissues of the patient as well as prosthesis. The most frequent method favors to use the skin and under skin tissues in the abdominal area. This method is applied especially for the patients with hang downs in the abdominal area due to birth or weight. This method at the same time brings a flat and strain abdominal shape. But what if when there is no sufficient tissues in the abdominal area? For the patients with insufficient tissues in the abdominal area or whose abdominal tissues may not be used due to the previous operations, the dorsal side tissues are used for the breast reconstruction. The recovery period after the operation is about 2-3 weeks. The patients may start their daily activities within 4-6 weeks.

If the nipple and surrounding area is taken during the operation, first the breast volume is provided for the patient. Afterwards, the nipple and areola is reconstructed with an operation. If the tissues around the breasts are not sufficient, then patches are taken from different zones (such as inner leg, genital zone) under the “flep” technique for to reconstruct the nipple and areola. Another technique is “tattoo” method. This method requires painting of the nipple and areola zones with special paints till have their original colors.