Breast Reconstruction Surgery

Losing a breast to cancer or trauma can have a profound effect on a woman's self image. Women often desire reconstruction of their breasts as part of the healing process. Dr. Jones approaches each case uniquely to offer a reconstruction option best suited to the patient's individual needs. In addition to offering reconstruction following a mastectomy, Dr. Jones also offers reconstruction following lumpectomy to restore balance between the appearance of both breasts. Now that Dr. Jones is on staff at Hendersonville Medical Center and Sumner Regional Medical Center (in Gallatin)  women in the surrounding communities can undergo surgical treatment of their breast cancer and immediate reconstruction in one operation while staying close to home.

Generally, the reconstruction process begins during the same surgery as the mastectomy.  When the general surgeon has completed the mastectomy, Dr. Jones will insert a tissue expander under the Pectoralis muscle and fill it with some saline solution and then close the wound.  This way the patient wakes up with a small breast mound, rather than completely flat.  After a couple weeks of healing from the original surgery, Dr. Jones will begin expanding the tissue expander every week or every other week depending on how well the procedure is tolerated and what kind of chemotherapy treatment protocol the oncologist has the patient on, if any.  We usually try to fill between rounds of chemotherapy so that the patient is not feeling terrible.  The timing of this process is entirely dependent on the patient.  At a certain point, the tissue expanders are filled enough that another surgery is scheduled to remove the tissue expanders and place permanent implants.  If it is a unilateral mastectomy, it is usually at the time of the permanent implant that Dr. Jones will work on the other breast to try to achieve symmetry between the two breasts.  Sometimes this involves a breast reduction, mastopexy or breast implant.  Once the implant has an opportunity to settle down, the next step is Dr. Jones making a nipple (or nipples if it's a double mastectomy).  At this time, Dr. Jones is able to make any fine adjustments to the reconstruction.  Once the nipples are made it takes about 3 months for them to heal and settle.  Then, the final step is having the areola and nipple tattooed.  In the end, the result can be quite satisfactory.  Our patients generally finish the process feeling more whole than they ever anticipated.