Planning your surgery

You can begin talking about reconstruction as soon as you're diagnosed with cancer. Ideally, you'll want your breast surgeon and your plastic surgeon to work together to develop a strategy that will put you in the best possible condition for reconstruction.

After evaluating your health, I will explain which reconstructive options are most appropriate for your age, health, anatomy, tissues, and goals. Be sure to discuss your expectations frankly me me. I will be equally frank with you, describing options and the risks and limitations of each. Post-mastectomy reconstruction can improve your appearance and renew your selfconfidence - but keep in mind that the desired result is improvement, not perfection.

I will explain the anaesthesia to be used, the facility where surgery will be performed, and the costs. In most cases, health insurance policies will cover most or all of the cost of postmastectomy reconstruction. Check your policy to make sure you're covered and to see if there are any limitations on what types of reconstruction are covered.