The breast is considered one of the most important parts of a woman’s body. For some, it serves as a universal symbol of their womanhood, femininity, and sexuality. Having more prominent and proportionate breasts can boost a woman’s confidence and make her feel beautiful. However, women are at risk of developing breast cancer due to various factors.
In a study, approximately 27.2 thousand new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in the Philippines in 2020 alone. This number is expected to increase in the coming years, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Several factors contribute to the development of breast cancer in women, including age, family history, and an unhealthy lifestyle. Medical experts have also identified the sudden abnormality in female hormones as one of the primary causes of the disease. These hormones influence the growth of mammary glands, increasing the risk of breast cancer.
Having breast cancer is not a death sentence, as modern treatments, such as mastectomy, offer hope. Mastectomy is a surgical procedure that removes breast tissue to prevent the spread of cancer. Women who undergo mastectomy experience a significant change in their appearance, which can have a profound impact on their emotions and confidence, as they may feel like they have lost a part of their womanhood.
Advancements and innovations in the medical industry now allow women to restore their breast profile to its natural appearance through breast reconstruction surgery. Here are five fascinating things you should know about breast reconstruction:
What Is Breast Reconstruction Surgery?
Although mastectomy has gained successful operations and saved the lives of many breast cancer patients, other women feel unhappy with the look of their chest after the operation because there would be cases that they’ve lost all of their breast tissue making their chest looks flat. They deem it necessary to somehow regain their breasts’ natural look for them to bring back the confidence they’ve lost.
The advancement in medical procedures paved the way for them to finally have an option to regain their breasts’ natural look and feel. In the Philippines, breast reconstruction helps in doing so by rebuilding the shape of the breast, usually, through the use of implants.
Breast Reconstruction Using Motiva® Breast Implants
Breast reconstruction not only enhances a woman’s breast profile, but it can also greatly help them replace the volume of breast tissue. Breast implants add more volume to the chest, enhancing its shape, size, and projection. In a way, it can make the patient’s body look more proportioned.
There are now different brands and types of breast implants available in the Philippines. Each one of them has its pros and cons. For example, Saline implants are cost-friendly, but these types of breast implants contain saline solutions, which have a high tendency to cause ripples and discomfort in the long run. In the case of silicone breast implants, they contain advanced silicone gel, giving the patient a more comfortable sensation with less rippling.
Motiva Implants® is a brand of silicone breast implant that is gaining positive reviews from patients because of its safety innovations. Motiva Ergonomix® is the 6th-generation breast implant that can provide a softer feel and mimic the natural movement of the breasts.
Motiva Ergonomix® has many patient-centric features. One of them is the BluSeal®, a protective barrier layer. Its bluish color guarantees the surgeon that the implant is 100% intact, meaning it doesn’t have any defects like gel, bleed, ruptures, or punctures.
Some patients are worried that breast reconstruction leads to more scarring. But by using Motiva Ergonomix®, their surgeon can create a smaller incision that ranges from 2.5 cm to 3 cm, which is smaller compared to traditional incision size that requires at least 5 cm. This is all possible because of another Motiva Ergonomix®’s innovative feature called the TrueMonobloc®. It’s a shell configuration made to be tear-resistant and stretched from its original shape without causing any damage to the implant.
Furthermore, it uses the ProgressiveGel Ultima®, a unique gel that mimics the natural movements of a healthy breast. It is responsible for the shape of the implant, resembling the smooth mobility of breast tissue. It creates a round profile when the patient is lying down while it instantly transforms into a teardrop shape when the patient is in a standing position.
Aside from aesthetics, one of the major concerns of women who want to have breast reconstruction is safety. To mitigate the inflammation and fibrotic response of the patient’s body, Motiva®’s SmoothSilk®/SilkSurface® has a uniform surface and is designed to enhance biocompatibility, lowering the risk of infection, biofilm formation, and other breast implant complications.
Lastly, some patients tend to misplace their implant card and important documents. It’s why Motiva® came up with RFID-enabled implants called Qid®. Its unique security technology allows providers to use an external wearable reader to identify Motiva implant details post-surgery, even if a printed implant identification card is not available.
What Are the Risks and Benefits of Breast Reconstruction?
Breast reconstruction, like every operation, comes with its innate risks and benefits. It is vital that the patient is completely aware and acknowledges all of these before having a breast reconstruction.
A patient may consult or ask her surgeon regarding all of the details she must know about her breast reconstruction surgery.
Here are the following risks of breast reconstruction:
- Implant rupture or leaking
- Capsular contracture
- Breast discomfort
- Infection
- Change of sensation in the nipple and breast
Meanwhile, here are the following benefits a patient can get after the breast reconstruction:
- Restores a woman’s body’s equilibrium and proportion
- Restores a woman’s self-esteem and confidence
- Increases the patient’s breast size and projection
- Restore breast volume lost
- A fuller and visible cleavage
When Is the Best Time to Undergo Breast Reconstruction Surgery?
Many women struggle to decide when they would want to have breast reconstruction since it is not an easy decision due to factors such as their mental preparedness, financing for the operation, and the approval of their surgeon. Despite these challenges, they have three choices when it comes to breast reconstruction timing namely immediate reconstruction, delayed reconstruction, and delayed-immediate reconstruction.
The immediate reconstruction is done directly after the mastectomy. One of its benefits is that it produces immediate results. It does not give women a period where they may experience dysphoria with their body. With that said, a surgeon’s approval is needed before one can proceed undergoing immediate breast reconstruction.
On the other hand, delayed reconstruction is an option for women who had a mastectomy and would need further cancer treatment. It is normally recommended by the surgeon 6-12 months after the mastectomy. It’s done if the patient needs ample time to recover from the treatment and must undergo further breast cancer tests just to make sure that their body would be able to handle additional reconstructive operation and there is no longer any trace of breast cancer.
Finally, delayed-immediate reconstruction allows the patient to receive a skin-preserving delayed reconstruction if only the patient must need to undergo radiation therapy. If not, a patient may have the benefit of skin-sparing mastectomy with aesthetic outcomes which is like immediate reconstruction.
Nipple Reconstruction Is Another Procedure
There are cases that the nipples of the breast may have been infected by the breast cancer tumor and the only option is to have it removed. Breast reconstruction in the Philippines does not automatically come with nipple reconstruction. However there are several approaches that a surgeon can employ for reconstructing the patient’s nipple. However, this would depend on the patient’s case and the patient’s preference for its outlook.
Skin Flap
A traditional method for nipple reconstruction involves the use of the skin flap technique. In this procedure, the surgeon cuts and folds the skin, sometimes utilizing additional skin, fat, or synthetic fillers to enhance its appearance
Nipple Tattoo
In some cases, some women prefer to avoid additional surgery and opt for a modern approach: nipple tattooing. This technique involves intricate 3D-tattooing on the patient’s breast, resulting in an appearance closely resembling that of a natural nipple and areola.
Conclusion
Breast reconstruction can significantly enhance the confidence and quality of life for women who have undergone mastectomy or lumpectomy procedures. Innovative breast implants like Motiva Implants® provide them with the opportunity to restore a natural look to their breasts. Another benefit of breast reconstruction is achieving a well-proportioned physical appearance, which can boost their confidence and help maintain a more feminine figure.
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