Talking to your surgeon

Breast reconstruction is done by a breast reconstructive surgeon or a plastic surgeon. 

Breast reconstructive surgeons are sometimes called oncoplastic breast surgeons. They are trained in breast cancer surgery and some types of breast reconstruction.

Plastic surgeons usually do more complex breast reconstructions. You may need to travel to a plastic surgery unit.

In some hospitals, 2 surgeons may work together. A breast surgeon removes the breast (mastectomy). Then a reconstructive surgeon or plastic surgeon makes the new breast shape.

A new breast shape can be made:

• with a using breast implant
• by tissue taken from another part of your body
• with a combination of an implant and tissue taken from another part of your body.

Your surgeon will advise you on the types of reconstruction that are most suitable for you. They will show you photos of breast reconstruction to give you an idea of how the result may look.

We have some photos of different types of breast reconstruction.

You can bring a relative or friend to your appointments for support. They can help you remember what was discussed.

It usually helps to have a list of questions to ask. Your breast surgeons will be sensitive to your thoughts and feelings about breast reconstruction. It is okay to ask about anything you are concerned about.

Your surgeon or specialist nurse may help you contact others who have already had breast reconstruction so you can talk to them about it. You may also want to discuss breast reconstruction with people on our Online Community. You might want to contact an organisation such as Breast Cancer Now.

Here are some questions you might like to ask about having reconstructive surgery:

• What types of reconstruction would be suitable for me?
• What are the risks or complications of the different types of surgery? What are the chances of them happening?
• How long will the operation take?
• How long will I have to wait before I can have the surgery?
• Should I see a plastic surgeon?
• Can I talk to someone who has had this type of operation?

There are also questions you might want to ask your surgeon about their experience. These could include the following:

• What experience do you have in reconstructive surgery?
• How many of these operations do you do each year?
• Will you be doing the operation yourself?
• Are there any ‘before and after’ pictures I can see of your previous work?

You may also have questions about the immediate and longer-term effects of breast reconstruction. These questions might include the following:

• How long will I be in hospital?
• Where will my scars be and what will they look like?
• After surgery, how long will it take before I can go back to everyday activities?
• What can I expect my reconstructed breast to look and feel like immediately after surgery? How about 6 months or 1 year after surgery?
• Will I need any further surgery in the future after having a reconstruction?

You may find the answers to some of these questions in our information. But you should still check them with your surgeon, as there may be slight differences.

We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.

We want our information to be as clear as possible. To do this, we try to:

• use plain English
• explain medical words
• use short sentences
• use illustrations to explain text
• structure the information clearly
• make sure important points are clear.

We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.

You can read more about how we produce our information here.