The protocol for breast cancer treatment is changing. According to the University of Utah, breast cancer treatment once placed its emphasis on curing the cancer itself. But now, breast surgery following mastectomy is increasingly becoming part of many women’s treatment plans. Breast restoration surgery offers women the opportunity to restore their bodies to near pre-cancer appearance. It lets them feel whole again following a devastating diagnosis. Losing a body part due to cancer can be difficult, but reconstructive surgery can help restore what was lost.
According to the chief of plastic surgery at the University of Utah Health Care Center, approximately 50% of women who have had a mastectomy elect to undergo reconstructive breast surgery. It is estimated that more patients would choose to have breast surgery if they were more informed about the success of these operations.
With genetic testing becoming more commonplace and with reconstructive surgery being so much more advanced, more women are choosing to have a bilateral mastectomy to treat or prevent breast cancer. According to the Journal of Oncology and Hematology, bilateral mastectomy increased from 3% to 18% between 1998 and 2007. 75% of patients who had bilateral mastectomy elected to have reconstructive breast surgery.
Now, more than ever, women have many options when considering breast reconstruction surgery. Women can choose to have saline or silicone implants, or they can choose to undergo breast augmentation with their own fat. While fewer women choose to have breast augmentation with fat than breast augmentation using silicone or saline implants, each kind of surgery has its benefits. According to the Journal of Oncology and Hematology, more women chose breast augmentation with implants rather than breast augmentation with own tissue. The researchers speculated that this was due to cost issues, insurance reimbursement concerns, and concerns patients had about harvesting tissue. Yet, breast augmentation with fat can be beneficial, more natural looking, and more natural feeling—and can even give patients the opportunity to trim their waistlines in the process.
Dr. Leonard Grossman, M.D. has always been at the cutting edge of breast augmentation procedures. In 1995, Dr. Leonard Grossman, pioneered fat grafting and fat transfer procedures. Dr. Grossman was one of the first surgeons in the country to successfully perform fat grafting plastic surgery procedure at Scott and White Hospital in 1993.
Today, according to the University of Utah, more and more women are choosing to use their own fat during breast reconstructive surgery. Women who elect to use their own tissue often report better sensation, a more natural feel, and have the peace of mind of knowing that their own tissue is used in the reconstructed breast.
With advancements in medical procedures, breast augmentation is more frequently being chosen by women who have won their battles against cancer. If you are considering breast augmentation, finding a surgeon who has performed countless procedures, and who stays on the cutting edge of surgical developments is important.
Dr. Leonard Grossman, M.D. is a plastic surgeon in New York City who has helped countless patients receive beautiful results. His extensive work with both silicone and saline breast implants as well as breast augmentation with fat means that when you visit Dr. Grossman’s office, you’re working with one of the few doctors in New York City who has been performing these surgeries since their inception and has by far the most experience.
