Breast Reconstruction After Lumpectomy is Possible

Many people associate breast reconstruction with a single or double mastectomy. But what about a lumpectomy?

Reconstruction is indeed possible when only part of the breast is removed.

When Arvin Rawlings was diagnosed with breast cancer and found out she needed surgery, she worried how it would make her look and feel.

"It's important, as a woman, to feel comfortable within herself," Rawlings said. "When you've gone through so much with the cancer, just having it all put back together neat, it makes a difference to you, makes you feel good about yourself as a woman."

According to Lauren C. Nigro, M.D., a board-certified plastic surgeon with The Breast Reconstruction and Restoration Center at Mercy, many women may not realize reconstruction after a lumpectomy is possible.

"My best advice to women is to know about this option beforehand so they can meet with a plastic surgeon, discuss doing it at the same time as the lumpectomy to make them an overall better candidate for healing," Dr. Nigro said.

"After they decided that I needed to get the lumpectomy, and for the tissue they needed to remove to get all the cancer out, I met with Dr. Nigro, and they decided the reconstruction would even it out," Rawlings said.

Dr. Nigro explained that helping a patient feel good about themselves during such a difficult experience can make all the difference.

"In a time that, for some women, can be pretty scary with a breast cancer diagnosis, being able to give them some symmetry of their breasts and a lift is like the silver lining in this whole process for them," Dr. Nigro said. "We're actually able to mold or shape the breast tissue in a way that fills in that void, by almost doing origami of the breast tissue to fill in that space. For women who either have a droopy breast, called breast ptosis, or very large breasts, it's a nice option to fill in that tissue and also give them a lift, or breast reduction, in that process of doing so."

View Mercy plastic surgeon Dr. Lauren Nigro’s interview regarding breast reconstruction after lumpectomy.