In one type of flap surgery, the tissue remains attached to its original blood supply. The flap, consisting of skin, muscle and fat, is tunneled beneath the skin to the chest, creating a pocket for an implant, or in some cases, creating the breast mound itself. Another flap technique uses tissue that is surgically removed and then transplanted to the chest by reconnecting the blood vessels to new ones in that region. Flap reconstruction is more complex than skin expansion. Scars will be left at both the tissue donor site and the reconstructed breast, and recovery will take longer than with an implant.
Most breast reconstruction involves a series of procedures over time.
The initial reconstruction is usually the most complex. Follow-up surgery may be required to reconstruct the nipple and areola and to contour the new breast to the approximate size and shape of the natural breast. Depending on the extent of your surgery, you can expect to spend approximately two to five days in the hospital. Many reconstruction options require a surgical drain to remove excess fluids from surgical sites immediately following the operation. These are typically removed a week or two after surgery.