Houston Mastectomy Breast Reconstruction

The Benefits of Undergoing Breast Reconstruction after Breast Cancer Treatment

Fortunately, as plastic surgery has evolved over recent years, women facing post-mastectomy breast reconstruction in Houston now have more options to choose from than they did in the past. As advances in screening and treatments have made great leaps throughout the course of the past few decades, significantly more U.S. women are surviving breast cancer than the generation before them. As survivorship increased, more women were having to face the aftermath of breast cancer surgery and living with the surgical absence of one or both breasts. It quickly became evident to the healthcare industry that more attention and resources needed to be paid to the development of more sophisticated and safer methods for mastectomy breast reconstruction. This new awareness eventually brought about the passing of the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA) of 1998, which is a federal law that mandates coverage of reconstructive surgery after mastectomy for all health plans that offer medical and surgical benefits.

Statistics show that one in nine women develop breast cancer, with many requiring mastectomy surgery in the treatment process. In the past, the most commonly performed Houston mastectomy breast reconstruction procedure involved the placement of implants to rebuild the removed breast. However, today Autologous Flap Breast Reconstruction procedures, such as the DIEP Flap, have taken precedence over the use of tissue expanders and implants. While mastectomy breast reconstruction using implants may seem like a simple process, it actually carries the highest incidence of complications. The risks associated with implant reconstruction led experts in the field of breast reconstruction to develop safer, more advanced techniques that utilize the patient’s own skin and fat tissue taken from the abdominal, buttocks and back region. These new muscle-preserving techniques are more optimal than earlier Flap procedures that required removal of part of the abdominal muscle. However, due to the complex nature of procedures like DIEP surgery and SIEA flap reconstruction, few surgeons in the country possess the necessary microsurgery expertise to perform them. Fortunately, for those seeking Houston mastectomy breast reconstruction, Dr. Spiegel is one of those surgeons. Committed to helping her patients return to a normal, active life as soon as possible, Dr. Spiegel continues to work on improving upon these techniques to help minimize the aftereffects of breast cancer on a woman’s body.

Mastectomy breast reconstruction is more than just about reconstructing a lost breast for aesthetic purposes. The psychological impact that breast reconstruction can have for a woman who has had mastectomy is quite profound. Many of Dr. Spiegel’s mastectomy breast reconstruction patients express feelings of restored femininity and a sense of feeling whole again after undergoing reconstructive surgery. Women who once saw themselves as permanently damaged after an arduous battle with breast cancer, now feel a sense of relief, normalcy and most importantly, a feeling of empowerment.

At the Center for Breast Restoration, we believe that emotional healing from breast cancer is just as important as the physical rehabilitation. We strive to eliminate the anxiety and trepidation many breast cancer survivors experience at the thought of undergoing another surgical procedure. We aim to create a caring and supportive environment for all women at our clinic, and treat each patient as an individual as they complete successful rehabilitation from breast cancer and other breast related problems.