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Breast Reconstruction Timing -
Delayed Reconstruction
Delayed (secondary) breast reconstruction
This is when breast reconstruction is performed after all cancer treatment is finished and may be months or years later. There is no time or specific age limit. Some patients choose to have delayed reconstruction, others are recommended it and others are patients who did not initially want or get reconstruction who now wish to have it.
Advantages of Secondary Reconstruction
- Avoids possible complications of reconstruction around time of cancer treatment. We offer many patients immediate reconstruction. Although straightforward for the majority some do get complications. If you are requiring other treatment like radiotherapy or chemotherapy it is important not to delay this for extended periods. Therefore, when complications do occur they must be treated quickly adding an extra burden onto you.
- Avoids the possible effects of radiotherapy (firmness, shrinking and deformity) on the reconstruction, if you need this for your cancer treatment. The cosmetic result of immediate reconstruction can be superior to delayed reconstruction. However, if you add radiotherapy to an immediate reconstruction the opposite is often true.
- You do not have to deal with the surgery or make the decisions about reconstruction at the time of cancer diagnosis and treatment.
- Has a slightly lower complication rate than primary reconstruction.
Disadvantages of delayed (secondary) reconstruction
- You will need to live with the mastectomy until reconstruction is performed. This is often a year or more.
- The cosmetic result is potentially not as good. This is because in immediate reconstruction the skin of the breast is often kept and used to cover the reconstruction giving a more natural result. If a delayed reconstruction is performed using your own body tissue then skin needs to be added to the breast from the back or tummy. This skin does have slightly different appearance and the scars on the reconstructed breast are longer.
- This difference is less obvious in delayed implant based reconstruction as the skin is stretched with the inflatable balloon device first just as with immediate reconstruction.
If you have had radiotherapy it is unlikely you will be offered implant type reconstruction, as the complications are too high. You will need some tissue from the back or tummy moved to help reconstruct the breast.
