Each year more than 254,000 American women face breast cancer. Breast reconstruction is a type of surgery for women who have had a breast removed (mastectomy). The surgery rebuilds the breast so that it is about the same size and shape as it was before. The nipple and the darker area around the nipple (areola) can also be added. Most women who have had a mastectomy can have reconstruction. Women who have had only the part of the breast around the cancer removed (lumpectomy) may not need reconstruction. Breast reconstruction is done by a plastic surgeon.
Without nipple reconstruction surgery, a reconstructed breast has the skin of a normal breast, but the nipple and areola are not present. Patients who opt to have nipple reconstruction surgery typically do so at a later date than the reconstruction surgery.
A nipple reconstruction is performed by taking tissue from another part of the body and grafting it to the breast, suturing it into place in such a way that a nipple is formed. At this point, the nipple graft is skin colored unless the graft was taken from the other nipple, and there is no areola surrounding the nipple. If an areola or a skin color matching the original nipple color is desired the color is applied permanently by tattooing the color onto the skin.
Breast cancer survivors who have reconstruction have a new option. It is the only advanced nipple prosthesis on the market today and I was very impressed.
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