Breast reconstruction – you decide
Breast cancer hurts a woman twice. The first blow comes with the diagnosis which to many patients sounds like a sentence. Another one hits after mastectomy, when the joy of victory over the disease is overshadowed by the scar in the place of the removed breast. Since mid-1990s, breast cancer mortality rate in Poland has been falling, with the average mortality rate being lower than the average for EU countries. However, the situation with breast reconstruction is much worse. I cannot understand why in the United States 45% of post-mastectomy patients decide to undergo breast reconstruction, while the corresponding percentage in Poland is only approximately … 5%!
What do you need to know? Breast reconstruction is a multi-stage process.
It starts with reconstruction of the lost breast. The next stage involves symmetrisation of the unaffected breast to achieve maximum similarity. The entire process ends with reconstruction of the areola and nipple. Reconstruction of breasts lost to mastectomy is always a challenge for me. My duty as a plastic surgeon is not only to perfectly perform the surgery but also to be the patient's guide during subsequent stages of the treatment. Building of trust is an important process.