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For some women, the weeks and months following a mastectomy or lumpectomy can be filled with sadness, periods of low self-esteem or embarrassment regarding the look and feel of their breasts.

Many women express a desire to use surgical options to reconstruct and enhance their post-mastectomy figure; however, they are leery of the “fake” look and feel that typical breast implants have to offer.

Admittedly, breast implants are a traditional and widely used method in reconstructive breast procedures; however, new technology exists to avoid the use of implants all together for those that desire a more “natural” approach.

Instead of implants, a woman’s own tissue is isolated and transferred from various locations in the body to the chest area, in which it is then shaped and formed into a natural breast.

DIEP Flap Reconstructive Surgery

One such approach to reconstructive surgery using your own tissue is called DIEP Flap Reconstructive Surgery. During a DIEP Flap procedure, excess skin and fat from the lower abdomen are transferred to the chest in lieu of implants or other foreign bodies.

The skin is then isolated down to the “deep inferior epigastric perforators” (DIEP), or blood vessels that feed the skin, and subsequently transferred to the chest wall. The transferred tissue is then reconnected to vessels in the chest, thus sparing the abdominal wall muscle for minimal pain and weakness.

TRAM Flap Surgery

Another approach to using your own skin tissue in breast reconstruction is called TRAM Flap surgery. This procedure is essentially the same as the DIEP procedure, except that the TRAM Flap surgery uses the abdominal wall muscle in addition to excess skin and fat.

During this procedure, the muscle and skin are isolated from the abdomen and tunneled up to the chest. The tissue is then reconstructed into a natural breast while keeping the blood supply that feeds the tissue intact.

Latissimus Dorsi Myocutaneous Flap Surgery (LDMF)

A final approach, known as the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap surgery (LDMF), uses a combination of your own muscle, skin and fat tissue, in addition to breast implants to achieve a more natural, yet larger size than possible in the other two procedures.

During this procedure, tissue from the latissimus dorsi (the long muscle that runs beneath the armpit and diagonally across the back) is transferred to the chest while leaving the natural blood supply intact.

And although the LDMF procedure is generally the less invasive of the three, women looking for a more complete makeover tend to choose one of the first two options, as the patient is left with naturally enhanced breasts in addition to a tummy tuck following the removal of excess skin and fat in the lower abdomen.

But regardless of what a woman chooses, reconstructive surgery following a mastectomy or lumpectomy is covered under insurance and requires little, if any out of pocket cost from the patient. Therefore, a woman can achieve a natural, yet shapely look, without worrying about financing options.

Ultimately, the best option for reconstructive surgery will vary from woman to woman and should be decided with the help of a trusted plastic surgeon. However, a woman can feel confident knowing that natural alternatives exist to shape and enhance her breasts to meet any desired look following a mastectomy or lumpectomy.

Don’t want implants after mastectomy? No problem. Surgeons can now transfer excess skin and fat from your lower abdomen during DIEP flap breast reconstruction Kingwood cosmetic surgeon uses advanced techniques in breast reconstruction. Find out more at http://www.drkimplasticsurgery.com.

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