67 year old woman from Dothan, Alabama has Breast Reconstruction

This 67 year old woman from Dothan, Alabama had advanced breast cancer which required removal of the majority of the skin of the breast at the time of the mastectomy. This was necessary to remove all of the breast cancer, but it resulted in extensive scarring and inadequate tissue to reconstruct the breast with tissue expanders and implants alone. In order to bring additional healthy skin and tissue to the breasts for reconstruction, latissimus dorsi flaps from the back were used to replace the scarred breast skin and tissue from the mastectomy. Tissue expanders were placed under these flaps to give the breasts more volume. When the expansion process had been completed, the tissue expanders were exchanged for permanent silicone breast implants. In cases where breast cancer treatment results in scarred skin and/or deficient skin on the breasts, the latissimus dorsi flap is a useful option to add healthy skin and tissue to the breast in order to reconstruct a breast with a natural size and shape. Nipple and areola reconstruction would have been an option for her, as the last step in the reconstruction process, but she elected not to have this done.