Immediate vs Delayed Reconstruction
Immediate reconstruction is done at the same time as mastectomy surgery, while delayed occurs after surgery and after other targeted therapies are done, like radiation or chemotherapy.
As soon as the breast is removed by the breast cancer surgeon, Dr. Chin reconstructs the breast either with tissue from another location on your body or with an implant (and sometimes both). Nearly all of the work is done during one operation, and you wake up with a rebuilt breast (or breasts).
Delayed reconstruction occurs after mastectomy or lumpectomy surgery, as well as after radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or targeted therapies that are given.
Treatments such as radiation therapy and sometimes chemotherapy given after surgery can cause the reconstructed breast to lose volume and change color, texture, and appearance. Radiation therapy in particular is known to cause undesirable changes to an implant reconstruction. We may advise patients to wait until after radiation and chemotherapy are finished before having reconstruction. This means reconstruction might be done 6 to 12 months after mastectomy or lumpectomy.