Breast reconstruction using your own tissue (flap reconstruction) after risk-reducing mastectomy

Flap reconstruction can be used to create new breasts after a mastectomy. This type of reconstruction is more complex than implant reconstruction.

It involves transferring a flap of skin, fat and sometimes muscle from another part of your body (the donor site) to your chest wall to create a breast shape.

This type of reconstruction may be suitable for women who:

• can’t have an implant or tissue expansion because their chest muscle and skin is too tight, or because a lot of skin and muscle has been removed from the breasts
• want large or droopy breasts
• don’t want breast implants.

Some types of reconstruction use both a flap of tissue and an implant to help give the right shape, especially if a larger breast is being reconstructed.

You can find more detailed information covering the options for having reconstruction using tissue from:

• your back
• your tummy area
• other areas of your body.

Benefits and limitations of reconstruction using your own tissue

Benefits

• It gives a more natural shape and feel to the reconstructed breasts.
• It’s suitable for small and large breasts.
• It can create breasts with a more natural droop.
• It can often avoid the need for implants.

Limitations

• The operation will leave a scar on the part of your body that the tissue flaps were taken from. You may also have a patch or circle of skin (about the size of the areola) on each of the reconstructed breasts. Because this patch of skin has come from a different part of your body, it may be a different texture and colour from the breast skin. Your breast reconstruction surgeon will be able to give you more information about this.
• It involves having surgery to an additional part of your body.
• You will have a longer operation, hospital stay and recovery.
• The reconstructed breasts have little or no sensation.