You Have Options

There are different types of breast reconstruction surgeries available. Although the options your plastic surgeon can offer you will not look or feel exactly like your natural breasts, the field of breast reconstruction has made great strides in recent years to create a more aesthetic breast shape that looks and feels more like real breasts. Your plastic surgeon may offer the following breast reconstruction procedures:

Two-Stage Reconstruction with Breast Implants

Two-stage breast reconstruction procedure use tissue expanders to create pockets for the placement of breast implants. This process creates a new breast shaped pocket in preparation for your next stage of reconstruction: placement of the implant.

Stage One - A tissue expander is a silicone shell that is filled slowly over time with saltwater to stretch the skin and make room for your implant. The expander is placed under your chest skin at the site of your planned reconstructed breast. A small needle is used to fill the expander with sterile saline. The needle is inserted through the skin to a "fill port" located inside the expander. Gradually over time, the overlying tissues expand, much like a woman's abdomen during pregnancy.

Natrelle Expander Natrelle Reconstruction

Stage Two - The placement of your breast implant is the second part of the two-stage breast reconstruction process. After your tissue expander has reached an ideal pocket size, your plastic surgeon will perform surgery to remove the tissue expander and place your saline or gel-filled breast implant. This is a routine procedure that usually takes 1 to 2 hours and should require no hospital stay. You should fully recover from the procedure in 2 to 3 days, completely able to resume your normal activities.

Breast Reconstruction Choices with Breast Implants

Silicone - Gel Breast Implants

Natrelle Reconstruction

Natrelle^®silicone gel-filled breast implants have experienced worldwide acceptance for more than 25 years in over 60 countries.
They were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the US in November 2006.
A gel-filled breast implant has an elastic silicone rubber shell and is filled with cohesive silicone gel.
The safety of Natrelle® silicone gel-filled breast implants meet one of the most rigorous standards of all medical devices.

Saline Breast Implants

Saline Implant

Saline-filled breast implants were approved by the FDA in May 2000.
A saline-filled breast implant has an elastic silicone rubber shell and is filled with sterile saline (saltwater).
During the breast implant stage of your reconstruction, empty implants are placed in the newly formed pockets under your breast tissue and then filled with saline fluid to the size you and your plastic surgeon agreed upon.

These topics are presented for education purposes only. The ASPS does not endorse the procedures or technologies in this section.

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