The surgeon may decide to create flap tissue from the abdomen, thigh, or buttocks and relocate it to the chest area. Breast reconstruction generally involves multiple procedures, and is almost always performed under general anesthesia. The initial surgery is performed in a hospital, while follow up procedures are often outpatient based. After Surgery Following the surgery, patients experience some fatigue and soreness for several weeks. Postoperative conditions such as bruising, swelling, and discomfort are typically reduced through medication.
Patients can expect to return home in two to five days.
As with any cosmetic surgical procedure, complications are rare, but include implant leaks, infection, fluid loss or gain, bleeding, and a reaction to the anesthesia. Fortunately, new advances in technology have minimized the impact of these potential post-surgical complications. For example, new implants are filled with saline water solution, so in the rare instance of a leak, only water is escaping from the implant. If this should occur, the surgeon will either remove the scar tissue, or remove and replace the implant. If you smoke, your surgeon will probably ask that you quit two weeks prior to and following the treatment.