When is "breast reconstruction" necessary?

When is "breast reconstruction" necessary?

Breast reconstruction is when a new breast is created for a woman who has already undergone a mastectomy. The most common types of breast reconstruction either consist of an implant, where a bag of saline is put in underneath the muscle of the chest wall to create a new breast or where abdominal muscles are rotated up to create new breast tissue or muscles from the back or rotated around to create new breast tissue. Breast reconstructions are done by plastic surgeons. The timing of breast reconstruction needs to be taken into account as well, because if a woman is going to need radiation for her breast cancer then the breast reconstruction needs to be planned around that, because in general, you do not want to radiate a reconstructed breast. That is why it is important to have a multi-disciplinary team to also include a plastic surgeon on the treatment planning.