Permanently Beautiful

New techniques in breast reconstruction offer breast cancer patients who have lost one or both breasts from mastectomy options they didn’t have before. Unfortunately, many doctors fail to share these new procedures with their patients. Reasons vary. Sometimes the doctor is not trained in these state-of-the-art procedures and so is not able to perform them. Sometimes these procedures, which are often more complex than standard surgical options, are not offered because they are less profitable for doctors and hospitals. Often doctors don’t even discuss reconstruction options with their patients; they offer only one surgical option.

“It is clear that many reconstruction patients are not being given the full picture of their options,” Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Research Center for Women and Families recently told Natasha Singer of The New York Times.

Women who have experienced problems with traditional breast reconstruction procedures have been sharing information about new options at breastcancer.org, a patient-information website.  One of the procedures discussed in the site’s chat room is the construction of new breasts from a wedge of fat and blood vessels transplanted from the abdomen or buttocks. While more surgically complex than traditional reconstruction with implants, the new procedure offers a viable option for the many women who experience difficulties with saline and silicon breast implants. 

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is promoting new techniques in breast reconstruction to raise awareness of new procedures by emphasizing a woman’s power to choose whether and how to reconstruct her breasts. Visit our website for information on Melany Whitney’s revolutionary new micropigmentation technique that creates a natural looking areola and three-dimensional nipple for breast reconstruction patients.