Breast Reconstruction Chicago
At Plastic Surgery Clinic of Chicago, breast reconstruction is a very common procedure. Breast reconstruction is a broad term used to describe surgical procedures developed by plastic surgeons to reconstruct the female breast after breast cancer treatment. During breast cancer treatment, patients will have a surgery that removes all or a portion of the breast. The nipple and areola may also be removed during the cancer treatment. Immediately after the breast cancer surgery, the plastic surgeon may reconstruct the breast using implants, expanders, or the patient’s own abdominal tissue to rebuild the breast. The goal of breast reconstruction surgery is to recreate a breast and restore the female breast in form, to achieve symmetry of the bilateral breasts. Additionally, the goal of breast reconstruction surgery is to improve a patient’s self-image and self-confidence after breast cancer treatment.
Breast reconstruction surgery encompasses a wide range of procedures. The procedures range from fat transfer to the breast, direct implant placement, tissue expander, and implant placement, and flap reconstruction with the patient’s own tissue. during your consultation appointment, your Chicago breast reconstruction surgeon will discuss the different techniques and options available.
AM I A CANDIDATE FOR BREAST RECONSTRUCTION?
If you have had breast cancer treatment and have asymmetries of the breast, you may be a good candidate for breast reconstruction surgery. Patients should be in overall good health and not be actively smoking.
A breast reconstruction can also help to correct:
- Breast asymmetries after breast cancer treatment
- Absent breast after mastectomy surgery
- Absent nipple and areola after breast cancer treatment
If any of these factors apply to you, you may be a good candidate for a Chicago breast reconstruction. Ideal candidates should be in generally favorable health and non-smokers.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A CONSULTATION
At the Plastic Surgery Clinic of Chicago, we understand that decreased self-image and confidence can affect more than just the perception of oneself, but the quality of life as well. The motivations for breast reconstruction can be varied, but our goal is to help each patient both look and feel like the best version of themselves.
During a consultation at our practice, a board-certified plastic surgeon, certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, will discuss your reconstructive goals and review your medical history to ensure that you are a good candidate for a breast reconstruction. Be prepared to discuss any past surgeries and other medical issues related to your breasts.
The plastic surgeon will examine your upper body and take measurements of your breasts for size, shape, skin quality, and nipple position. Photographs are usually taken at this stage so that your plastic surgeon can perform a full evaluation and work with you to determine the best course of treatment to reach your ideal reconstructive goals.
If you have any questions about results, recovery, potential risks, or any other factors, the consultation is the best time to discuss these with your plastic surgeon.
HOW BREAST RECONSTRUCTION IS PERFORMED
There are many techniques available for breast reconstruction. For patients with small asymmetries of the breast, for example from a lumpectomy procedure, fat grafting is an option. In this procedure, fat is taken from one site and transferred to the deficient area of the breast to restore volume and symmetry. For patients who have had a mastectomy, the breast can be reconstructed with an implant or the patient’s own tissue. When an implant based reconstruction is chosen, in certain situations, the implant is placed immediately to reconstruct the breast. In other situations, a balloon-like device or tissue expander has to be placed to expand the breast skin to accommodate an implant. An alternative option is using the patient’s abdominal tissue to rebuild and reconstruct the breast without the use of an implant. This option is the most complex and requires a longer hospital stay.
After the mastectomy procedure is performed by the breast surgeon, your plastic surgeon will then reconstruct the breast with an expander or implant. Sometimes, a biologic tissue substitute is placed to help support the implant and breast skin during the reconstruction. If the patient has opted for a reconstruction using one’s own tissue, then abdominal tissue is used to rebuild or reconstruct the breast (DIEP flap). During this procedure, the abdominal tissue is transplanted to the chest with its own artery and vein. A microscope and suture smaller than a human hair is used to put the artery and vein back together. Once the reconstruction is performed, drains may be placed and the incisions are closed. For implant-based reconstructions, the patient may stay in the hospital for a few days. For the flap based reconstruction, the patient may stay in the hospital for 5-7 days.
RECOVERY AFTER BREAST RECONSTRUCTION
Swelling and bruising of the breasts and incision sites are normal in the weeks following the procedure. Usually an elastic bandage or support bra is necessary to maintain support while the breasts heal. A drain may be placed at the incision sites after surgery to remove any excess fluid.
Your plastic surgeon will prescribe pain medication and issue post-surgical care instructions to ensure a safe recovery. You should avoid any rigorous exercise or exertion until your doctor clears you to return to your normal level of activity.
POTENTIAL RISKS OF BREAST RECONSTRUCTION
There are known risks and potential complications associated with breast reconstruction surgery. Risks commonly associated with breast reconstruction may include:
- Infection
- Hematoma (blood clot)
- Implant related infection
- Loss of flap
- Fluid accumulation
- Scarring
- Breast asymmetry
The Plastic Surgery Clinic of Chicago takes every measure to minimize risk by using only the safest, most innovative techniques in aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery. You can also reduce potential complications by carefully following all instructions from your plastic surgeon, both before and after the procedure.
WHAT DOES BREAST RECONSTRUCTION COST IN CHICAGO?
Health insurance carriers will cover the cost of breast reconstruction surgery and therefore the out of pocket cost to you the patient depends on the individual health plan. Be sure to speak with your health insurance carrier about all associated costs prior to your consultation and surgery.
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION
If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer and are interested in breast reconstruction surgery, call the Plastic Surgery Clinic of Chicago to schedule a consultation. A board-certified plastic surgeon will speak with you about your reconstructive and aesthetic goals and discuss all treatment options available.
All surgical procedures by the Plastic Surgery Clinic of Chicago are performed at top hospitals in Chicago and CMS or AAAASF-certified surgical centers for safety.
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This is a great case to highlight the complexities associated with creating an aesthetic tip and how small changes can yield significant aesthetic improvement. In this case, the patient had a droopy tip, hanging columella, and too much nostril show. In the post-operative views you can visualize a tip that is lifted, more projected, and the presence of a more aesthetic alar-columellar relationship. Happy for this patient and her beautiful and natural result. Posted with permission.
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Proud of our research team for getting this published. In this article, we developed a unique risk assessment tool to predict major complications in facial aesthetic surgery. Thank you to the Aesthetic Surgery Journal for publishing our work.
#plasticsurgery #plasticsurgeon #cosmeticsurgery #asj #chicago #chicagoplasticsurgery
The hardest type of rhinoplasties for plastic surgeons to perform are cleft rhinoplasties. A major reason is that the anatomy of the nose and midface are asymmetric, therefore, you have an asymmetric nose sitting on top of an asymmetric midface. In this case, I used rib cartilage to rebuild the cartilage of the nose and fat transfer to improve asymmetries of the midface and lips. In the post-operative frontal views, you can see a straighter nose, the tip has been lifted, and the right nostril has been brought down and inwards. On profile view, you can see the dorsal hump was lowered, the tip of the nose has been lifted, rotated, and refined. The fat was placed in the cheeks and upper lip to improve the midface deficiency that is common in cleft lip patients. Posted with permission.
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Plastic surgery can be dramatic or understated. This is a before and after with subtle changes to improve the proportions and aesthetics of the nose in a natural way. This patient wanted only small changes of the dorsum and tip. In the post-operative photos, you can visualize the dorsal hump has been removed and the tip has been refined, slightly rotated and projected. Posted with permission.
#plasticsurgery #plasticsurgeon #cosmeticsurgery #nosejob #rhinoplasty #chicago #chicagoplasticsurgery
Couldn’t be happier for this beautiful patient and her natural before and after results. This patient is 3 months out from a deep plane or sub-SMAS facelift, neck lift, and facial fat transfer. Pay close attention to the neck, jawline, and midface or cheeks. In the post-operative views you can see a well-defined neck and jawline. The face appears less bottom heavy, there is restoration of the midface volume, and the overall facial configuration is more heart-shaped and youthful. Posted with permission.
#plasticsurgery #plasticsurgeon #cosmeticsurgery #deeplanefacelift #facelift #necklift #fattransfer #chicago #chicagoplasticsurgery
It’s been a minute but this is a great before and after of a facial feminization case and this patient is only 6 weeks out from surgery. Pay close attention to the hairline, the forehead, orbital rims, eyebrows, nose, chin and jawline. Does this patient look like they had major surgery 6 weeks ago? Posted with permission.
#plasticsurgery #plasticsurgeon #cosmeticsurgery #FFS #rhinoplasty #genioplasty #chicago #chicagoplasticsurgery #craniofacialsurgery
Check out this interesting rhinoplasty case where I performed a combined primary rhinoplasty and sliding genioplasty. Fixing the crooked or deviated nose is very challenging for all rhinoplasty surgeons and the goal is to achieve a straighter nose because a perfectly straight nose does not exist. On the frontal view, you can see a nose that is midline and with beautiful dorsal aesthetic lines. On the profile view, you can visual a nice nasal profile with a slight break at the tip. The sliding genioplasty complements the nose and improves the overall proportions and balance of the face. A chin implant would not be able to achieve this amount of chin augmentation or chin length. Posted with permission.
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It’s never too early to starting thinking about that summer body. This patient underwent a mommy makeover or a breast reduction/lift and tummy tuck. Pay close attention to the belly button, this patient had an umbilical hernia, which made the reconstruction of her belly button even harder. Most plastic surgeons take their time trying to make the belly button look as natural as possible since the appearance of the belly button can be an obvious sign that the patient had a tummy tuck. Posted with permission.
#plasticsurgery #plasticsurgeon #cosmeticsurgery #mommymakeover #tummytuck #breastlift #breastreduction #chicago #chicagoplasticsurgery
