More like you, because it is you. 

Without question, the diagnosis of breast cancer is distressing. Besides being confronted with a potentially life-threatening disease, the prospect of losing all or part of a breast can be emotionally devastating. Fortunately, advanced microsurgical procedures that transplant one’s own natural living tissue or “flap”—what is known as autologous reconstruction—to recreate a natural, warm and soft breast. The result looks and feels natural because it is natural. 

The first step in breast reconstruction is to establish a breast mound that emulates your natural breast. In autologous breast reconstruction, this is accomplished by transplanting fat and other tissue from another part of your body, such as your abdomen or back (what’s referred to as a “flap”). 

To create that mound, the autologous breast reconstruction process utilizes fat grafting and advanced microsurgical techniques, including: 

• Deep Inferior Epigastric Artery Perforator (DIEP) Flap. This is the gold standard for autologous reconstruction, using the patient’s lower abdominal skin and fat to reconstruct the new breast, while preserving abdominal wall muscle and function. As a benefit, this procedure also improves the contour of the abdomen, similar to a tummy tuck. 
• Superficial Inferior Epigastric Artery (SIEA) Flap, similar to DIEP Flap, uses abdominal tissue, but includes the blood vessels in the fatty tissue just beneath the skin surface. 
• Superior Gluteal Artery Perforator (SGAP). Uses tissue from the upper buttock and hip area. 
• Transverse Upper Gracilis/Profunda Artery Perforator (TUG/PAP) Flap, which is a state-of-the-art technique using tissue from the inner and posterior thigh.   
• Vascular Lymph Node Transfer Surgery (VLNT). Often, cancer patients experience lymph node damage caused by the disease or its associated treatments. Crystal Clinic Plastic Surgeons offers a groundbreaking microsurgical procedure that transplants one’s own healthy lymph nodes to replace damaged ones.  

Autologous breast reconstruction can begin immediately in cooperation with your oncology care team as part of the mastectomy or lumpectomy procedure, or can be delayed by weeks or months until all cancer treatment is complete. 

A few weeks after the initial surgery, the new breast mound will be shaped to match the other breast for balance and symmetry. In a separate outpatient procedure, your breast reconstruction surgeon will artfully fold and rearrange a portion of the breast mound skin to recreate the nipple, and the areola is typically fashioned using a tattooing procedure. 

The best way to know if autologous breast reconstruction is right for you—and to determine your best options—is to sit down with your Crystal Clinic Plastic Surgeons breast reconstruction specialist for a personal consultation. Together, you will discuss your condition, your cancer treatment plan, your desired results, timing options, recommended procedure details, and any concerns or questions you may have.  

The first step is to schedule an appointment. Please be assured that scheduling an initial consultation with your Crystal Clinic Plastic Surgeons breast reconstruction expert will not obligate you to move forward with any procedure.

Look and feel your best again.

In general, most women who have had breast implant surgery are happy with the results of their breast reconstruction for many years. However, breast implants are medical devices that will eventually need replacing. Those who are unhappy with their original breast augmentation procedure may need a second surgery—what’s known as a breast implant revision—to achieve the desired results. Breast implant revision is a reconstructive surgery procedure performed by Crystal Clinic Plastic Surgeons to correct issues with a previous breast augmentation surgery.

Capsular Contracture
A revision may be called for if a patient has experienced capsular contracture, a condition whereby the scar tissue that naturally forms around the implant becomes unusually hard and tight and may be round, misshapen or painful. 

The formation of a capsule of scar tissue around a breast implant is a normal part of the healing process; it actually helps to hold the implants in place. However, for some, that capsule of scar tissue hardens and contracts around the implants, negatively affecting the result of the breast implant and even causing pain.  

Fortunately, capsular contracture is highly treatable and Crystal Clinic Plastic Surgeons offer both surgical and non-surgical treatment options. The traditional method involves surgery to remove both the implant and scar tissue, followed by insertion of a new implant. 

Correction of Unsatisfactory Prior Implant Procedures
Breast implant revision is also performed by our world-class breast reconstruction surgeons to correct a prior breast reconstruction surgery that may not have met expectations or was otherwise unsatisfactory. Working closely with the patient to establish the desired results, our specialists perform corrective surgery and insert new breast implants to restore the breasts to a natural look and feel. 

The best way to know if a breast implant revision is right for you is to sit down with your Crystal Clinic Plastic Surgeons specialist for a personal consultation. Together, you will discuss your condition, your desired results, the details of the procedure and post-procedure expectations, and any concerns or questions you may have.  

The first step is to schedule an appointment. Please be assured that scheduling an initial consultation with your Crystal Clinic Plastic Surgeons expert will not obligate you to move forward with any procedure. 

Enjoy life in balance.

Many women live with congenital conditions that resulted in one of their breasts being underdeveloped. This condition establishes an unbalanced appearance of the breasts. The good news is that these irregularities, whether subtle or obvious, can be corrected through expert breast reconstruction.

Our team of reconstruction specialists use advanced techniques to establish the desired size and symmetry of the breasts, creating a natural, balanced appearance. Reconstruction can be accomplished using breast implants (saline or silicone), or by transplanting your own natural tissue to create a breast that tends to look, feel and age more like a normal breast.

Women who have had this procedure performed typically experience greater self-confidence and enjoy being able to wear a wider variety of fashions—including swimwear—without being self-conscious. 

The best way to know if a procedure to correct a breast deformity is right for you is to sit down with your Crystal Clinic Plastic Surgeons breast reconstruction specialist for a personal consultation. Together, you will discuss your condition, your desired results, the details of the procedure and post-procedure expectations, and any concerns or questions you may have. 

The first step is to schedule an appointment. Please be assured that scheduling an initial consultation with your Crystal Clinic Plastic Surgeons expert will not obligate you to move forward with any procedure. 

Restore your figure, and your confidence. 

Coping with breast cancer is compounded when the removal of a breast is required through mastectomy. Thankfully, the recreation of that breast or breasts can be accomplished through implant breast reconstruction surgery and the expertise of Crystal Clinic Plastic Surgeons. The results are a return to a normal appearance and a significantly boosted self-image. 

Implant breast reconstruction places a saline or silicone breast implant—the same as those approved for breast augmentation procedures—to create the volume and shape of natural breasts. The size and placement of the implant are carefully determined to match the other breast and assure body symmetry.

The first step in any breast reconstruction process is to build a breast mound. In implant breast reconstruction, this is accomplished with the insertion of the appropriate breast implant over the chest muscle. 

The implant breast reconstruction process may be able to begin immediately in cooperation with your oncology care team, even as part of the mastectomy procedure. As an option, it can wait until all cancer treatment is complete. Successful implant breast reconstruction surgery has been performed months or even years after mastectomy. Patients prescribed radiation therapy should discuss options with our breast reconstruction specialists, as natural-tissue (autologous) reconstruction may be a more appropriate approach. 

A few weeks after the initial implant surgery, the breast mound may be sculpted and shaped to further match the other breast to assure balance and symmetry. In a separate outpatient procedure, your breast reconstruction surgeon will artfully fold and rearrange a portion of the breast mound skin to recreate the nipple, and the areola will typically be simulated by tattooing. 

The best way to know if implant breast reconstruction is right for you is to sit with your Crystal Clinic Plastic Surgeons breast reconstruction specialist for a personal consultation. Together, you will discuss your condition, your cancer treatment plan, your desired results, timing options, procedure details, and any concerns or questions you may have.  

The first step is to schedule an appointment.

Preserving more of you.

Traditionally, women facing breast cancer surgery undergo a mastectomy followed by total breast reconstruction, or they may have a lumpectomy with radiation treatment, also known as “breast conservative therapy.” With a mastectomy, all of the breast tissue is removed, where as a lumpectomy conserves as much of the natural breast as possible, removing only the cancerous tumor. For lumpectomy, reconstruction is limited to restoring the natural shape of the breast through an approach called oncoplastic breast reconstruction, or oncoplasty.

What is Oncoplasty?
Oncoplasty is an advanced, multi-disciplinary approach that combines cancer surgery with plastic surgery. As a team, the surgical oncologist and Crystal Clinic plastic surgeons work together to design an operative plan tailored to the patient. Once the lump and some surrounding tissue is removed, the shape of the breast is then restored by Crystal Clinic’s breast reconstruction specialists through either a volume reducing or a volume enhancing approach.

Oncoplasty for Women with Large Breasts
For women having very large breasts, a reductive oncoplasty procedure removes the cancer and then reconstructs both breasts for symmetry, lifting them higher on the chest and creating a smaller, improved shaped. For some women, this approach not only improves their physical profile, but can also reduce neck, upper back, and shoulder pain associated with large breasts. Additionally, the new shape can make post-operative radiation therapy easier and more effective.  

Oncoplasty for Women with Smaller Breasts
Oncoplasty also makes breast conservative therapy available for some women with smaller breasts. If a tumor is removed from an area of a smaller breast where there is less tissue, volume must be restored. This can be accomplished through rearrangement of existing breast tissue via flaps, or the void in the breast can be filled through autologous fat grafting. With fat grafting, liposuction is performed, and the collected fat cells are then transferred to the breast to correct any deformity. The result is a natural appearance and feel. This surgery may be performed at the time of the lumpectomy surgery or following radiation treatment. 

Insurance Coverage
It’s important to note that oncoplasty is covered by insurance. This includes the breast reconstruction, oncoplastic procedures, and management of the opposite breast for the purpose of symmetry.  

Next Steps
The best way to know if oncoplastic breast reconstruction is right for you—and to determine your best options—is to sit down with your Crystal Clinic Plastic Surgeons breast reconstruction specialist for a personal consultation. Together, you will discuss your condition, your cancer treatment plan, your desired results, timing options, recommended procedure details, and any concerns or questions you may have. 

The first step is to schedule an appointment. Please be assured that scheduling an initial consultation with your Crystal Clinic Plastic Surgeons breast reconstruction expert will not obligate you to move forward with any procedure.