Breast Reconstruction surgery allows the surgeon to recreate breasts in women who have lost a breast due to mastectomy, disease or injury.

The process can take many different forms, depending on how completely the patient wants to rebuild the breast and how many surgeries the patient is willing to undergo.

Breast reconstruction consists of different stages. The first step is to replace sufficient skin to cover the breast mound, construction of the mound, and finally procedures such as nipple reconstruction.

There are two options available for the skin replacement stage: Skin expansion and flap reconstruction. Skin expansion is a procedure in which the surgeon creates sufficient skin to accommodate the new breast mound. This is done by implanting an expander in the chest area and is filled in increments, allowing the skin to regrow. Flap Reconstruction is an alternative skin replacement procedure to skin expansion. This involves repositioning skin from a donor site on the body.

The 2nd stage involves the implantation of the implant. During this stage the implant is inserted under the newly formed skin of the reconstructed breast.

The 3rd stage involves recreating the nipple for the newly created breast mound. This is usually done by shaping a flap of skin from the breast into a nipple form, then tattooing the nipple and areola area a darker color to complete the effect.