Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Breast Reconstruction
If you need a mastectomy, you have a choice about whether or not to have surgery to rebuild the shape of the breast. Instead of breast reconstruction, you could choose to wear a breast form that replaces the breast, wear padding inside your bra, or do nothing. All of these options have pros and cons. What is right for one woman may not be right for another.
Breast reconstruction may be done at the same time as the mastectomy, or it may be done later on. If radiation therapy is part of the treatment plan, your doctor may suggest waiting until after radiation therapy.
If you're thinking about breast reconstruction, talk to a plastic surgeon before the mastectomy, even if you plan to have your reconstruction later on.
A surgeon can reconstruct the breast in many ways. Some women choose to have breast implants, which are filled with saline or silicone gel. Another method uses tissue taken from another part of your body. The plastic surgeon can take skin, muscle, and fat from your lower abdomen, back, or buttocks.
The type of reconstruction that is best for you depends on your age, body type, and the type of cancer surgery that you had. A plastic surgeon can help you decide.
It sits within Women, Surgery and Rehabilitation and Female Reproductive System.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Breast Reconstruction
684 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Evaluation of the Safety and Effectiveness of ARTIA Reconstructive Tissue Matrix Breast Reconstruction (ADORA) in Adult ParticipantsAbbVie
- Thermal Preconditioning in Mastectomy Patients With Immediate Breast ReductionWake Forest University Health Sciences
- Wearable Device Tracked Recovery From Autologous Breast Reconstructive SurgeryM.D. Anderson Cancer Center
- Physiotherapy After Breast Reduction SurgeryIstanbul Rumeli University
- Long-term Evaluation of Quality of Life and Aesthetic Outcomes After Autologous Breast Reconstruction Using the Profunda Artery Perforator (PAP) FlapAssistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
- A Study of an Alternative Treatment Approach (Preoperative Radiotherapy, Then Mastectomy, Then Immediate Reconstruction Surgery) in People With T4 Breast CancerMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Research already completed
- Endoscopic Assisted Latissimus Dorsi Musculocutaneous Flap for Breast ReconstructionKasr El Aini Hospital
- NIR Device for Assessment of Skin Flap Perfusion in Breast Surgery: A Pilot Interventional StudyNational Research Council, Institute of Clinical Physiology, Italy
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Learn More
- Breast reconstruction - implantsMedical Encyclopedia
- Breast reconstruction - natural tissueMedical Encyclopedia
- Breast reconstruction - seriesMedical Encyclopedia
- Breast Reconstruction after a MastectomySusan G. Komen for the Cure
- Breast Reconstruction after MastectomyNational Cancer Institute
- Breast Reconstruction or Prosthesis after MastectomySusan G. Komen for the Cure
- Mastectomy and breast reconstruction - what to ask your doctorMedical Encyclopedia
- Risks and Complications of Breast ImplantsFood and Drug Administration
- Should I Get Breast Reconstruction Surgery?American Cancer Society
- Types of Breast ImplantsFood and Drug Administration
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Breast ImplantsNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: MammaplastyNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Mammaplasty, Breast Implants. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Breast Reconstruction, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.