Breast Reconstruction
in Bucks County, PA, and Hunterdon County, NJ
Dr. Buinewicz, Emeritus Chief of Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Surgery at Abington Hospital and staff member at Hunterdon Medical Center, as well as a triple board-certified surgeon, is dedicated to breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery. He has over 23 years of experience in breast reconstruction after lumpectomy and mastectomy surgery. Buinewicz Plastic Surgery is located in Doylestown, PA and Flemington, NJ, and serves the men and women who live in Hunterdon County, NJ and Bucks County, PA.
Using state-of-the-art medical techniques, Dr. Buinewicz can create a breast that very closely resembles an individual’s natural breasts. The reconstruction surgery is provided by a team approach. Dr. Buinewicz works closely with your breast surgeon and oncologist to create a plan of short term and long term reconstruction. Dr. Buinewicz provides recommendations with regard to counseling not only for the patient but also family members. You will be guided throughout your reconstruction by Dr. Buinewicz and his office team of nurses and medical assistants. From the time of your consultation through to the reconstructive result, office members will be there to assist you with any questions or concerns.
What is Breast Reconstruction?
Breast reconstruction is the procedure in which a surgeon reconstructs a women’s breast after she has had a mastectomy due to breast cancer. Breast reconstruction was first developed to recreate the look of a woman’s natural breast, restoring and giving her confidence in her body image, in order to complete her recovery from breast cancer. Breast reconstruction does improve the way a mastectomy survivor’s body looks and as a result it often improves her emotional state, but it does have limitations. Before she undergoes breast reconstruction, a woman should understand that the final results may not be a perfect replication of the breasts she lost to cancer. The surgery will leave scars on the breast and on the donor site, and her new breasts will look and feel different than her natural breasts. They will also experience different sensations than her pre-cancerous breasts.
Benefits of Breast Reconstruction
Breast reconstruction surgery is a very personal decision that every cancer survivor must make for herself. It is just as hard a choice for women who have lost a breast due to non-cancerous illnesses or a traumatic accident. For many women, losing a breast makes them feel like less of a woman, and the empty space can act as a traumatic reminder of the fight against cancer.
Breast reconstruction offers woman a chance to once again have a full bust line and for some women this makes them feel more feminine as if they were a whole woman once more. With each major advancement in breast cancer research, surgeons gain advances in reconstruction techniques. The latest advances in the field allow plastic surgeons to create much more natural looking breasts, enabling women to enjoy the confidence that comes with getting her body back. Breast reconstruction can be performed at the time of a mastectomy or afterwards depending on the patient’s medical status, and possible need for adjuvant treatment for breast cancer such as chemotherapy or radiation. Breast reconstruction can be performed using a person’s own tissues, implants or a combination of both.
When to Consider Breast Reconstruction
- If you think breast reconstruction will enhance your psychological well-being or give you a feeling of “wholeness”
- If you think, it will restore your feelings of femininity and restore your self-confidence
- If you want to restore symmetry if only one of your breasts was removed
- If you want to wear low-cut necklines and normal swimwear again
The Breast Reconstruction Procedure
There are many different options when it comes to breast reconstruction surgery. The best option for you will be dependent on your body shape, Dr. Buinewicz’s suggestions and the outcome you desire. When you get a breast implant after mastectomy, it may require skin expansion. This requires a saline filled tissue expander to be inserted after the mastectomy, preparing the area for reconstruction at a later date. The mound of the breast will be restored after surgery. This does leave permanent scars, but they do fade over time. Sometimes you are able to place a permanent implant immediately at the time of mastectomy, either above or below the muscle.
Another option is flap reconstruction which uses your own tissue to reconstrcut the breast mound. It differs from the tissue expander method in that the mound of the breast is finished during the first surgery. There is no need to continue expansion using tissue from the abdomen (TRAM Flap, perforator flap, DIEP flap), the back (Latissimus Dorsi Flap) and/or buttocks (Gluteal Flap). Common follow-up procedures include nipple reconstruction, shaping of the new breasts to improve symmetry and breast lift/reduction surgery of the contralateral breast.
What Are Advantages of Flap Reconstruction?
The latest and most state-of-the-art form of breast reconstruction is flap reconstruction. This procedure lowers the possibility of complications because your new breast will actually be created from living tissue that has been harvested from your own body. The results feel completely natural, and they last for the rest of your life. And you do not have an implant or foreing body that will require additional procedures.
Breast Reconstruction Recovery
When you have had breast reconstruction surgery, the dressings remain in place for three days. Drains are usually left in for one or two weeks. With each passing day, the soreness you are experiencing at the site of the surgery will lessen, and you will notice your energy levels start to rise. You need to wait several weeks before you return to normal activities and exercise. During this time, you will notice your scars will start to fade.
Why Are Stretching Exercises Important After Breast Reconstruction?
A mastectomy and the ensuing breast reconstruction procedure can cause weakness, pain, and even stiffness to settle into the arm and shoulder of the side where your breast was removed. We will show you some stretching exercises you can do to keep your strength and ensure you don’t lose your range of motion. These exercises are also great at keeping scar tissue from forming in your armpit or shoulder.
How Much Does a Breast Reconstruction Cost in Bucks County, PA?
Buinewicz Plastic Surgery will work with you regarding a financing plan that will fit your budget. We also accept cash, checks and credit cards.
Receiving a diagnosis of breast cancer is devastating, and when you have faced a long uphill battle that includes a mastectomy, it is important not to ignore the healing of your inner-self as well. You can refresh your self-esteem and recreate your pre-cancer body with breast reconstruction surgery. With two convenient locations in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and Flemington, New Jersey, Buinewicz Plastic Surgery, led by board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Brian R. Buinewicz, proudly provides breast reconstruction surgery for the women of Hunterdon County, New Jersey, and Bucks County, Pennsylvania.