In the past, it was often said that the goal of breast reconstruction was to create a breast shape that looked natural under clothing, implying that was the best result patients could hope to accomplish. Today, however, standards are held much higher for reconstructive breast surgery, and the emphasis is on creating results that are as natural-looking as possible. That said, it is still important to have realistic expectations about your procedure. The reconstructed breast may always look slightly different from your natural breast, and the appearance of mastectomy or lumpectomy scars, while they should fade and improve considerably over time, do not fully disappear.