The primary part of the a breast reconstruction procedure can often be carried out immediately following a mastectomy. As with many other surgeries, patients with significant medical problmes, like high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and also smokers are higher-risk candidates. Breast reconstruction surgeons may choose to perform delayed reconstruction to decrease this risk. Patients expected to receive external beam radiation as part of their adjuvant treatment are also commonly considered for delayed autologous reconstruction due to significantly higher complication rates with tissue expander-implant techniques in those patients.
Breast reconstruction usually takes multiple operations. Sometimes these follow-up surgeries can be spread out over weeks or months. If an implant is used, the individual runs the same risks and complications as those who use them for breast augmentation but has higher rates of tightening or hardening of the scar tissue around the implant and revisional surgeries.
In 1998, the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act was passed mandating insurance coverage for breast reconstruction in the United States. Prior to this, many insurance carriers did not cover breast reconstructive surgery as they considered it cosmetic in nature. The law is also known as "Janet's Law", named for Janet Franquet, a breast cancer patient who fought her insurance carrier. The act mandates insurance coverage for the surgery of the affected breast and also the contralateral side for purposes of symmetry. Find your local breast reconstruction surgeon here.
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