Reconstruction using your own tissue
This method uses skin, fat and in some instances, muscle from another part of your body to create a new breast, which feels and looks like a normal breast. These tissues can be moved either as a pedicled flap to the breast or, as a free flap.
What is the advantage of this technique?
Using your own tissue side-steps any foreign-body reaction, like a capsular contracture, as can happen with an implant-based reconstruction. Usually, it produces a more natural result, especially as a closer match to your unaffected side. Autologus tissue follows the normal evolution of ageing in comparision to an implant-based reconstruction, which does not. Lastly, radiation has no major adverse effect on the outcome of this reconstruction.
What are the disadvantages?
Using tissue from another body part will lead to additional scars, which would not be necessary in an implant-only reconstruction. As the surgery is more complex, there's a higher risk of additional postoperative complications, plus, a longer stay in hospital.
Which areas of the body can be used?
Today, there are a number of options available with regards to donor areas for an autologous breast reconstrcution. These range from the lower abdomen (tummy), buttock and inner thigh. Depending on your body habitus, the volume needed and your own preference, the donor site is then chosen.
What is the difference between a pedicled and a free flap?
With pedicled flaps, skin, muscle and fat are moved from the back or abdomen to the chest by tunnelling it under the skin, meaning that the blood supply to the muscle doesn't need to be cut.
In a free flap, skin, fat and sometimes muscle from the donor region, is transferred to the chest by cutting the blood supply completely and reconnecting to new blood supply on the chest using microsurgical techniques.
Reconstruction using your own tissue
This method uses skin, fat and in some instances, muscle from another part of your body to create a new breast, which feels and looks like a normal breast. These tissues can be moved either as a pedicled flap to the breast or, as a free flap.
What is the advantage of this technique?
Using your own tissue side-steps any foreign-body reaction, like a capsular contracture, as can happen with an implant-based reconstruction. Usually, it produces a more natural result, especially as a closer match to your unaffected side. Autologus tissue follows the normal evolution of ageing in comparision to an implant-based reconstruction, which does not. Lastly, radiation has no major adverse effect on the outcome of this reconstruction.
What are the disadvantages?
Using tissue from another body part will lead to additional scars, which would not be necessary in an implant-only reconstruction. As the surgery is more complex, there's a higher risk of additional postoperative complications, plus, a longer stay in hospital.
Which areas of the body can be used?
Today, there are a number of options available with regards to donor areas for an autologous breast reconstrcution. These range from the lower abdomen (tummy), buttock and inner thigh. Depending on your body habitus, the volume needed and your own preference, the donor site is then chosen.
What is the difference between a pedicled and a free flap?
With pedicled flaps, skin, muscle and fat are moved from the back or abdomen to the chest by tunnelling it under the skin, meaning that the blood supply to the muscle doesn't need to be cut.
In a free flap, skin, fat and sometimes muscle from the donor region, is transferred to the chest by cutting the blood supply completely and reconnecting to new blood supply on the chest using microsurgical techniques.
