Know everything about Breast reconstruction surgery and get the best treatment with Dr Rica Farah Muhammad Abdullah Ichihashi

Plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Rica Farah Muhammad Abdullah Ichihashi is well-known. She is an expert in her area with 22 years of experience. Breast reconstruction surgery for breast cancer, female vaginal reconstruction, Reconstructive microvascular surgery, Burns, and hand surgery are some of her specific interests. She is presently associated with ParkCity Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur which is one of the leading hospitals in Malaysia

List of some of the treatments provided by Dr Rica

In 1998, she completed her MBBS from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, and in 2004, she received her MS in General Surgery from Universiti Kebangsaan in Malaysia.

Know about breast reconstruction surgery

Breast reconstruction is a procedure that reconstructs the breasts following a mastectomy or lumpectomy. Reconstruction may need many operations. Breast reconstruction can be done in a variety of ways. Breast implants made of silicone or saline are used by certain women. A flap of tissue from your body is used in other methods (such as tissue from the lower belly).

Breast reconstruction can take place immediately following breast cancer surgery (immediate reconstruction). It might happen weeks, months, or even years later (delayed reconstruction). You may need surgery to rebuild both breasts. Alternatively, your doctor may replace one breast and reshape the other. Your doctor may suggest numerous operations spread out across several phases.

After a mastectomy, some patients opt for breast reconstruction, although the majority do not. Breast reconstruction is a highly personal decision.

How do you prepare for the procedure?

Your doctor may suggest that you consult with a plastic surgeon before undergoing a mastectomy. Consult a board-certified plastic surgeon who specialises in breast reconstruction after mastectomy. Your breast surgeon and plastic surgeon should, ideally, collaborate to come up with the optimal surgical therapy and breast reconstruction approach for you.

Your plastic surgeon will go through your surgery choices with you and maybe show you images of women who have undergone various types of breast restoration. Which form of reconstruction will offer you the greatest outcome depends on your body type, health state, and cancer therapy. Follow your doctor's instructions for preparing for surgery before the operation. This might include advice on what to eat and drink, how to alter existing medicines and to quit smoking.

What Are the Different Types of Reconstruction options?

Implants

A surgeon will place silicone or saline implants beneath the skin or muscle in the place of the old breast tissue while rebuilding a breast with implants. This is a two-stage technique for the majority of people. A tissue expander is placed beneath the residual breast skin, or pectoralis muscles, in the first step. The expander acts as a temporary saline implant, stretching the remaining tissue over time. After the patient has fully recovered from surgery, a surgeon will inject sterile saline or salt water into the tissue expander every week via the skin. This balloon expands over time, stretching the surrounding skin and muscle until the breast reaches a size that is comfortable for the user.

The second operation to install the implants will be performed when the chest tissues have healed and the surgeon has injected enough saline into the tissue expander in preparation for the implants. The tissue expanders are removed and replaced with a silicone or saline implant by the surgeon. Usually, they will reopen the old scar. This usually indicates that no new scars on the chest will result from the operation.

In rare circumstances, a surgeon may opt to utilise permanent saline or silicone implant instead of a tissue expander after the mastectomy.

Skin flap surgery

The surgeon removes tissue from another area of the body and transfers it to the chest to reconstruct the breast via skin flap surgery. This tissue is generally removed from the abdomen by the surgeon. It can, however, originate in other parts of the body, such as the buttock, back, or thigh.

Because it entails transplanting tissue from one part of the body to another, skin flap surgery is extremely difficult. This operation can be performed in one of two ways:

• free flap surgery
• pedicle flap surgery

In free flap surgery, the tissue and the blood arteries that supply it with circulation are entirely removed before being implanted in the breast.

The blood vessels are stitched into other blood vessels in the chest at the chosen insertion position. Because these blood arteries are so small, the surgeon will stitch them together using a microscope in a technique known as microsurgery. A surgeon will not completely separate the transplanted tissue from its blood arteries during pedicle flap surgery. Instead, the tissue stays connected to the body and is rotated into the chest to form the breast by the surgeon. Pedicle flap surgery generally involves using tissue from the belly or back.

Can a nipple be reconstructed?

If you had a mastectomy and one or both of your nipples were removed, you may usually have surgery, tattooing, or both to reconstruct the nipple and the areola (the dark area around the nipple). Having their nipples rebuilt or tattooed is a common last step in the breast reconstruction procedure for some women. Others, however, do not. It is entirely up to you to make your decision, and you may do it at your convenience.

Nipple reconstruction or nipple tattoos should be done at least 4 months following breast reconstruction surgery, according to most plastic surgeons. This will allow your breasts to recover and settle into a permanent position. It's also a good idea to hold off until you're completely pleased with the remainder of your renovation.

Types of nipple reconstruction

• Skin flap

The nipple is created by folding and suturing small flaps of skin from your rebuilt breast together. When contrasted to the breast mound, the skin is adjusted to raise the nipple. To make the nipple more erect, more skin, fat, or synthetic fillers are occasionally utilised.

• Skin graft

Your surgeon may use a skin graft if there isn't enough tissue to produce a nipple from the new breast. Grafts are often obtained from the belly, thigh, buttock crease, or groyne (where the legs and torso connect).

• Autologous graft/nipple sharing

A piece of your unaffected breast's nipple may be grafted onto your new breast if it is large enough. An autologous graft or nipple sharing is the term for this procedure.

• Medical tattooing

Areola and nipple tattoos are commonly used to replicate a natural-looking areola and nipple. In addition to the tattoo technique, skin grafts may be employed. Women who don't want to undergo any more operations can choose only a tattoo. It's crucial to remember that the nipple will not be raised in this circumstance. Medical tattooing is done by plastic surgeons and their clinical personnel, however many people recognise that expert tattoo artists employ three-dimensional methods to create a far more lifelike nipple and areola. Colours are chosen to complement your other nipple. After nipple reconstruction, tattooing is frequently done. Pigments may fade or alter over time. It may be essential for you to have a tattoo as a result of this.

Recovery

Reconstruction of the breasts is a major procedure. After both implant and flap repair, a patient should anticipate spending several days in the hospital. A person may require more than one surgery to properly rebuild their breasts (s). The recovery period for skin flap surgery is longer than for implant-based reconstruction. For up to two months after either type of surgery, a person will be unable to do most daily tasks. The psychological effects of losing one or both breasts, on the other hand, may last much longer.

People recovering from breast reconstruction surgery may suffer the following symptoms within the first two months: limits on mobility, such as moving the arms above, tiredness, bruising, swelling, or discomfort in the breasts and at the place from where the surgeon took tissue during skin flap surgery, such as the belly, back, or buttocks

Following surgery, a person will most likely require sutures and drainage tubes. A doctor may give pain relief medicine to make the patient comfortable throughout the first healing phase. They may also recommend that you wear an elastic support bra to help with swelling.

Follow-Up Care

For the next 2 to 3 weeks after you return home, you should expect some discomfort, swelling, and bruising. You may be instructed to apply medicines to the suture area or change bandages at home. Showering, bathing, and wound care will be discussed with your plastic surgeon. Within 6 to 8 weeks of surgery, most women are back to their normal routine. You may need to wait several weeks before engaging in intense activity. The mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery will result in numbness in the regions where the operation was performed. You may have numbness and tightness instead of pain where the tissue was removed. Some sensations in your breasts may return over time. The majority of scars will disappear with time.

Dr Rica Farah Muhammad Abdullah Ichihashi is best cosmetic surgeon in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In her 22 years in the profession, she has treated hundreds of patients and assisted them in making the best decisions possible. She is presently associated with ParkCity Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur, one of Malaysia's top hospitals.