One of the reasons that cancer patients opt for DIEP flap breast reconstruction after a mastectomy is the slimmer belly result. Here are some things to think about.
DIEP flap breast reconstruction has become a popular method following mastectomies due to its ability to slim a patient's midsection. Breast cancer is diagnosed in more than 200,000 women in America each and every year. Thanks to early screening techniques such as MRIs,
mammography, ultrasounds and various types of biopsies, there are fewer fatalities from the disease than ever before.
Each of these screening techniques gives the physicians a view into the internal workings of a patient's body in order to make an earlier diagnosis. The earlier the diagnosis is made, the more likely that the growth of abnormal cells hasn't expanded into other systems within a patient's body. Here are some things to think about regarding the DIEP flap method as well as others.
- The team of doctors: When a woman is diagnosed with this disease, she will have more than one doctor tending to her healing journey. She will have an oncologist, radiologist and plastic surgeon.
- Oncologist: This doctor is one who is an expert in treating cancer. He or she would be the one to discover the disease through screening tests and prescribe treatment regimes.
- Radiologist: This physician is an expert in treating a patient with radioactive waves that are designed to target and eradicate cancerous cells.
- Plastic surgeon: A plastic surgeon is the doctor who would be performing reconstructive operations such as the DIEP flap and other methods.
- Surgeries: There are various types of operations that may be performed depending on the unique case. Some of them include:
- Lumpectomy: This is an operation designed to remove a section or lump rather than an entire mound.
- Skin sparing mastectomy: This procedure is done by removing the nipple and areola and scooping diseased tissue from the opening. This allows the external skin to be untouched which allows for an easier reconstruction.
- Mastectomy: Mastectomies, in general, are surgeries to remove one or both diseased breasts.
- Reconstruction techniques: There are some reconstructive procedures that can be performed simultaneously to the mastectomy and others that will be done at a later date.
- DIEP flap breast reconstruction: The DIEP stands for deep inferior epigastric perforator. This method takes skin from another region, usually the abdomen, and creates a new chest mound using the patient's own tissue, blood vessels and fat. This is a popular method because it not only creates a curvy chest area but slims the abdomen in much the same way a tummy tuck does.
- Implants: Saline or silicone implants may be used to give a fuller chest region to a patient. With this technique, expanders are often used to expand tissue in order to allow enough space for an implant. If a saline implant is chosen, it can be initially inserted without fluids and be filled over time as the internal envelope expands.
When a patient chooses the DIEP flap breast reconstruction method, she is often very happy with her results. Not only will her bosom be returned to an attractive and feminine appearance, her midsection will be thinner and tauter, as well.
