Breast Reconstruction at Atlanta Plastic Surgery
Thanks to modern technology, a woman who must undergo a mastectomy (or the removal of one or both breasts in the treatment of breast cancer) can opt for reconstructive surgery to construct a natural looking breast that mirrors the form and appearance of their original breast.
Candidates for breast reconstruction include women who have had a mastectomy or who will be having a mastectomy in the future. The reconstruction procedure is commonly undergone immediately after the mastectomy and thus is appropriately named an immediate breast reconstruction. Alternatively, a woman may opt for reconstruction months or years after mastectomy, especially if radiation of the chest is needed as part of the cancer treatment.
There are many different procedures in order to build a new breast mound, but mainly two classes. One technique is breast reconstruction through the insertion of a saline or silicone implant. Depending on the laxity of the skin and muscle, your surgeon may be able to insert the implant between the layers of chest muscle and under breast skin saved from breast cancer surgery. In other cases, skin expansion through expandable implants or a tissue expander may be needed to safely insert the implant. Other cases require the use of living tissue taken from other parts of the body, such as the abdomen, back, hips, thighs, and buttocks.
Another type of reconstruction is the rebuilding of the breast with a natural tissue flap. The two most common types of tissue flap reconstruction are the TRAM flap (transverse rectus abdominis muscle flap), which uses tissue from the stomach area, and the latissimus dorsi flap, which uses tissue from the back.
Our Atlanta Plastic Surgery founder, Dr. Carl Hartrampf, Jr., is the surgeon who developed the TRAM flap operation, now the preferred technique for natural tissue breast reconstruction in Atlanta and around the world.
After the breast mound has been created either through use of implant or tissue flap, your surgeon reconstructs the nipple area (also known as areolar reconstruction). The tissue used to reconstruct the nipple and areola is usually taken from your own body; from the newly created breast, your other nipple, ear, eyelid, groin, upper inner thigh, or even buttocks. Tattooing may also be recommended to match the color of the original nipple and to create the areola.
We understand that breast cancer or other debilitating diseases can be the fight of a lifetime. That is why we are committed to advancement of the latest and safest technology in breast reconstruction surgery. In fact, every year Atlanta Plastic Surgery surgeons give a symposium for Plastic Surgeons across the globe, during which the latest innovations in reconstruction and cosmetic breast procedures are presented. Click here to learn more about the Atlanta Breast Surgery Symposium.
View Breast Reconstruction photos and learn more about this procedure such as costs, risks, advanced techniques and frequently asked questions.
Breast Reconstruction can be scheduled at our Atlanta, Newnan, Alpharetta, and Sandy Springs Buckhead locations in Georgia.
The following doctors perform Breast Reconstruction at Atlanta Plastic Surgery. Click on a doctor to learn more about their practice and to view Before & After plastic surgery photographs.
| Philip H. Beegle Jr., M.D. |
| L Franklyn Elliott, M.D. |
| James D. Namnoum, M.D. |
| Wilbur L. Baird, M.D. |
| Allyson B. Maske, M.D. |