Breast reconstruction after masectomy?

I've been looking up some information on this topic and came across this line on an oncology website "Any patient contemplating reconstruction should recognize that the goal of reconstruction is for a good body image while fully clothed."

Does this mean that when not clothed, the reconstructed breast looks deformed, abnormal, unappealing? What about scarring. The website said they disappear, but would like to hear personal experiences.

Thank you

It isn't always pleasing to the eye of some people. I had the Tram flap reconstruction where they get the tissue from the stomach and the scarring was minimal because I had a lot of skin left over from the mastectomy for them to work with to reduce scar lines. That left a long scar that is from hip to hip on my waist line. For whatever reasons the tram failed so I had the dorsi flap reconstruction (back tissue). I now have a long scar that reaches from my armpit to the middle of my back and the breast has what looks like a football shaped scar. Any way they do it should look great under clothing, assuming that the surgery is a sucess. The scaring should fade from pink to normal skin color after several years, much like stretch marks do but they will always be noticable, just like stretch marks. As far as unappealing goes, I guess it is all in the eye of the beholder. It will look like a breast, just a breast with scars on it. It shouldn't looked deformed so much. If you get a nipple reconstruction, don't expect that to look exactly like the other nipple though. It will come close though. If you are having a mastectomy you will be looking at a large scar even without reconstruction so I guess it's all up to what you feel most comfortable with. I had my first reconstruction a year and a half ago and then the second one in July. The scar is still a little pink but I can tell where it is starting to fade some now. Next step is implants which should perfectly round out my new breast. If you don't get the breasts that you want, insurance has to continue to pay for your reconstructions until both breasts reach symmetry, so have faith. Eventually, you will have a great looking chest again even with all the battle scars. Good Luck!

Take a look a the link below of photos with and without breast reconstruction. Then you can decide.
The biggest problem is that it takes more than one surgery to correct the defect.

My wife's breast cancer returned in that breast, so a masectomy was the only choice. They went in through the area of the lumpectomy scar and removed the breast tissue. The nipple is also breast tissue, so it was removed as well.
There are several methods of reconstruction surgery, my wife's blood vessels were really shriveled up by the radiation, so the surgeon elected to use the abdominal muscles with their blood supply.
Recovery from the surgery was pretty tough since the abdominals kept trying to pull her over into a hunched over position. She received a bikini incision for the access to the abs. Since the nipples were removed, that tissue was replaced with some tissue from the tummy tuck incision. It is a different color and though the Dr. tattooed the nipple color onto the skin, he didn't put the new nipple shape in exactly the same place as the original, but rather tried to make the two more symmetrical. So my wife looks perfectly normal except for the lumpectomy scar on the side and the lighter color skin by the nipple. I understand that they could have tattooed this skin as well to match the color of the surrounding tissue, but since she and I (plus a Dr. or radiologist) are the only ones likely to see the breast she opted for less tattooing. A bikini would cover up ALL the scars and different colored tissue.

A mastectomy is the best and safest choice to make sure the cancer is gone and doesn't spread.
As far as reconstructive surgery goes, it makes the patient feel much better, having breasts.
After surgery, most doctors will use some extra skin to make the nipple and when it comes to an areola, most often, that will be missing. Scarring shouldn't be too bad. A lot of patients choose to have an areola tattooed onto the breast(s) to make them appear as normal as possible. The tattooing actually isn't uncommon among breast cancer patients.
I really hoped tha tI answered your question! :-)

Yikes, that link, without good explanation can be a little scary. It shows lots of "in the process" pictures, which can be a little daunting. The finished product looks like augmented breasts, with some scars that fade over time. (3 yrs out, barely visible)

That disclaimer is a little blunt, isn't it?? They won't look like your natural breasts in the nude, and I guess that's what they want you to understand. They will however, look like you had a "boob job", especially at first. They will soften up and "sit" better in time and the scars will come to look similar to stretch marks. When you are clothed, your surgery will not be detectable to anyone, unless you choose to be a different size than you were before the surgery...and even then, most people will think you either lost weight or changed your hair!!! (no kidding!)

Ask your surgeon to show you their "brag" book. They all have one of their work. Most of them have "process" pictures, so you can see and understand what to expect at each stage of the reconstruction, how your doctor's finished work looks and what the expectations are for you specifically. When it's all finished, you can probably wear a bikini...if you want to!

Good Luck.

http://www.breasthealthonline.com is a good site to go to to talk to women who have had a breast reconstruction.

Scars eventually fade, women use products like ScarGuard or Mederma or Palmers CocoaButter to help scars fade.

I had a reduction in Feb '06, and over 90% of my scars are so faded you have to look closely to see where the incisions were.

The reconstructed breast looks like skin over an implant, some doctors will tattoo a nipple. I am a mammography tech and no I do not think the reconstructed breast looks hideous.

I personally would not even have reconstruction and live with the scar, but everyone is different.

The decision is yours but the implant or the transflap looks better then the scar.