Restoration of your femininity
If you are a breast cancer survivor, you know the joy and relief of defeating this terrible disease. As you move forward with your life, you may be facing significant damage to your breasts caused by the cancer treatments you received. You may have lost one or both breasts to mastectomy, or a breast may have been severely altered in a lumpectomy.
Mastectomy, double mastectomy, and lumpectomy are breast cancer surgeries that can save lives. When the treatment is over, breast reconstruction surgery can restore the appearance of your breasts and help raise your self-esteem, so you can look and feel like yourself again.
Dr. Alexander Sinclair is a board certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience in all types of plastic surgery. In his practice at Sinclair Plastic Surgery, he currently specializes in aesthetic plastic surgery, with a particular focus on breast surgery.
Dr. Sinclair has successfully operated on thousands of patients in the greater Los Angeles area. No matter what breast cancer treatment you have undergone, he can devise a breast reconstruction procedure to improve your appearance so you can move ahead with your life.
Breast Reconstruction Procedures
Breast reconstruction can be performed with various surgical techniques, depending on your unique anatomy and the cancer treatment you have undergone. Dr. Sinclair will perform a careful evaluation, discuss the available options, and recommend the most appropriate procedure for your breast reconstruction.
Nipple reconstruction surgery can be performed in conjunction with breast reconstruction or as a separate procedure. Surgical techniques for breast reconstruction include:
Flap technique
This procedure involves a small incision running along the edge of the areola in the top half of the breast. The crescent lift is often performed when a breast lift is combined with implants. This technique is not generally appropriate when breast sagging is more than minimal.
Tissue expansion
This is a lengthy process that requires a number of office visits and may take weeks or months to complete. However, recovery is quicker with this process than with a flap procedure. A tissue expander is placed under the skin and gradually filled with saline solution. This gradually stretches the skin, creating enough room to insert a breast implant.
Breast implants
Saline or silicone gel-filled implants can be used in combination with a flap technique or tissue expansion to create a breast mound.
Breast reconstruction on one breast alone after a mastectomy will produce a reconstructed breast with a different shape and feel than the untreated natural breast. Some women may choose to have surgery on the natural breast to achieve greater symmetry and balance.
