COPING KITS
There are resources available for survivors, caregivers and children of all ages at no costs. We are currently our of stock, but please come back to select the components to make up a kit that is right for you.
PROVIDER EDUCATION SERIES
This four-week healthcare provider education series will address concerns of young women facing breast cancer. Topics include policy, family communication, health literacy, survivorship care plans, and fertility preservation.
TALKING TO CHILDREN ABOUT BREAST CANCER
A certified Child Life Specialist can guide you through how to talk to your kids about breast cancer. They can also include testimonials from families facing breast cancer.
Since 1993
The Best Reconstructive Surgeons and Centers in the Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona Area Checklist
How to Find the Best Breast Cancer Reconstruction Surgeons
Choosing surgeons to perform your DIEP, TRAM, PAP, or Implant flap reconstruction can be a bit of a task. Many surgeons in Arizona are not able to perform the all the reconstruction surgeries that they claim on their website. While a plastic surgeon may be the best breast augmentation surgeon, it may not mean they're the best breast reconstruction surgeon. Know the facts.
We're here to help you make the best informed decision for your health and safety to help you get the best breast reconstruction after mastectomy surgery.
Questions to Ask Breast Reconstruction Surgeons before Choosing One:
- Make sure your actual surgeon performs the procedure.
- Make sure they do not hire a plastic surgeon to fly in from another state. This leaves a reconstructive breast patient vulnerable after the surgeon returns to his state.
- Make sure you feel comfortable with them
- Ask them where they trained in microsurgery and which procedures they are certified to perform themselves.
- Make sure they perform muscle sparing flap surgeries in order to preserve abdominal muscles during your surgery or surgeries.
- Once again, make sure both surgeons are local, for safety
- Make sure 2 certified reconstructive microsurgeons perform on you and not one, for less procedural time, safety, and faster recovery
Many surgeons are jumping on the bandwagon to perform flap reconstruction surgeries, but are not certified to do so. A lot of them fly plastic surgeons in from out of town who specialize in DIEP flap breast reconstructions and other autologous flaps, but the surgeon leaves the next day. This is not right, and it's not safe for the you, the patient, if complications arise when the only certified microsurgeon has already left town. This could be the difference between a 2 stage procedure and a multi-stage recon procedure.
If you're in the process of finding the top breast reconstruction surgeons in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Glendale, Mesa or anywhere in the the AZ Area, this can be a task searching the internet for these surgeons, because many of them are hiring in from out of state, and they make it hard to tell on their websites. We've heard of some getting the patient into a consultation simply to tell the patient that they are not a candidate for the patient's desired procedure, simply because the surgeons skill and certifications are not up to the http://www.microsurg.org/ standard for muscle sparing autologous tissue flaps. Vulnerable Breast Cancer Patients will trust the surgeon and end up getting subpar treatment instead of the latest strides in microsurgery that yield the optimal results for breast cancer survivors.
We will soon provide a list of all the questions to e-mail your prospective surgeons so you can make the best decision and decide who is the best reconstruction surgeon in the Arizona area.
In our search, we have found 2 surgeons in AZ that specialize only in muscle sparing flaps, breast reconstruction after a mastectomy, breast reconstruction during the mastectomy, AND they're both local board certified microsurgeons. This is a great leap forward and stride for the state of Arizona!
When we talked with the surgeons as well as the staff, they were very friendly and knowledgeable. They spoke with us to show us how important is it that women see the correct surgeon for their procedure. Being that reconstruction is covered by insurance, they may as well get the best possible procedure available to produce the best shape, look, feel, and not sacrifice their core strength muscles from more dated approaches.
Since 1993
The Basics of Modern Breast Reconstruction Plastic Surgery
Thanks to the Phoenix plastic surgery facility – many women who have had mastectomy have an option to get their breast rebuilt in AZ. Breast reconstruction surgery – which may be done at the same time as the mastectomy or much later – aims to restore the shape, volume, and look of the breast. Reconstructive surgery can help women restore their self-confidence after the devastation of a cancer diagnosis.
How does breast reconstruction surgery work?
During breast reconstruction operation, qualified plastic surgeons work to reform or restore the breast.
The restoration may be done at the same time as the mastectomy in what is known as an immediate reconstruction. This one-off approach has psychological benefits for the patient, but immediate reconstruction may not always be possible.
In cases where the patient needs further radiation therapy or chemotherapy, the surgeon may choose to get the reconstruction done once the targeted therapies are given. This is known as delayed reconstruction.
Plastic surgeons may also do some of the reconstructive work during the mastectomy, and more reconstruction after the cancer treatment. A temporary tissue expander or normal implant will be inserted under the breast skin after mastectomy. This preserves the breast shape and elasticity of the breast skin during radiation treatments. It allows for the final benefits of a skin sparing mastectomy. Once treatment is complete, the temporary expander is replaced with a tissue flap to form the permanent breast shape. This staged approach is known as a delayed-immediate reconstruction.
Timing: the best timing for breast reconstruction is determined on a case-by-case basis. Plastic surgeons will put into consideration your desires, health status, and the kind of cancer treatment you are receiving. Working with this information, it’s possible to find a compromise that works for both the doctor and the patient.
Facing Breast Reconstruction
No matter your age, orientation or relationship status, you can’t predict the emotional rollercoaster of losing a breast to cancer. Many women experience feelings of sadness, uncertainty, anxiety, and often depression. Losing such a significant part of one’s femininity is devastating, but women can choose what happens next.
The center near Scottsdale Arizona says that women should ask the following questions about the kind of reconstruction they want.
- Will breast reconstruction help me feel better and whole again?
- How important is it for me to rebuild my breast shape?
- Am I willing to face additional surgery after mastectomy?
Working through these questions with a board-certified plastic surgeon that you can confidence in will yield the answers needed for your construction. It’ll also
Options for Reconstruction
During the reconstruction procedure, a plastic surgeon creates the new breast shape either using artificial implants (implant reconstruction) or tissue flaps extracted from another part of the body (autologous reconstructions). In some unique situations, both methods may be combined.
- Implant breast reconstruction – implant reconstruction entails the use of silicon artificial implants that are inserted under the skin where the breast tissue used to be. Implant reconstruction is typically a two-stage procedure. In the first stage, a temporary tissue expander will be inserted under the remaining skin. This expander is gradually filled with saline solution to create room for a permanent implant. Once the patient has recovered from mastectomy, and the expander is large enough, the second stage kicks in. Plastic surgeons remove the temporary expander and in its place put a silicone/saline implant. How long this process takes will depend on the duration of cancer treatment. Since implants are a foreign body, there’s a small risk they could cause infection. They may also rupture and cause pain. If this happens, further surgery will be needed to replace them.
- Tissue flap breast reconstruction – in this kind of reconstruction, a tissue flap is extracted from another area of the patient’s body (abdomen, bottom, thighs, etc.) and used to create the new breast shape. In modern flap reconstruction techniques, plastic surgeons remove a flap of skin, fat and associated blood supply, and attach it to the recipient site using microsurgery. No muscle is removed from the donor site, and this means less morbidity and faster recovery time. Women need to have enough tissue at the donor sites in order to be good candidates for tissue-based reconstruction.
If you’re facing breast reconstruction after mastectomy or lumpectomy, it’s important to learn as much as you can about the procedure. Finding an experienced plastic surgeon that you have confidence in also helps. Most reputable cosmetic surgery clinics offer a free first-time consultation for breast reconstruction candidates. You can use this visit to ask individualized questions about breast reconstruction.