Breast Surgery

Depending on your specific needs and health situation, there are several types of breast surgeries that can be performed. Here's a brief rundown:

• Breast Reduction: This involves reducing the size of breasts by removing excess fat, tissue and skin. It’s often conducted to alleviate discomfort due to over-sized breasts.
• Breast Cancer Surgery / Mastectomy: This term refers to any surgery that removes breast cancer, including lumpectomy (removal of the lump) and mastectomy (removal of the whole breast).
• Breast Reconstruction: This procedure is done to rebuild the shape of the breast after a mastectomy. It could involve the use of implants or a procedure known as fat grafting, where fat is transferred from other parts of your body to recreate the breast.
• Breast Augmentation: This is done to enhance the size and shape of the breasts, often through the use of silicone or saline implants.
• Dissection of Auxiliary Lymph Nodes: Often performed during breast cancer surgeries, this procedure involves the removal of lymph nodes from the underarm area to check for cancer spread.
• Excision of Fibroadenoma: is a surgical procedure, mainly performed in a case where fibroadenomas - benign breast tumors, are causing significant discomfort or increasing in size. While fibroadenomas can sometimes be monitored without surgery, larger or bothersome tumours may require this type of procedure.
• Microductectomy: is a surgical procedure requiring the removal of the entire ductal system of the breast. Often performed in cases of bloody or suspicious nipple discharge, this surgery usually doesn't alter the shape or size of the breast, allowing the patient to maintain their physical appearance.
• Sentinel node mapping: is a procedure performed during breast cancer surgery to identify the first few lymph nodes into which a tumour drains—referred to as the 'sentinel nodes'. This technique uses a tracer substance that helps to detect cancer's spread to other parts of the body. If the sentinel lymph nodes are cancer-free, it's highly probable that the disease hasn't spread, eliminating the need for further lymph node removal.

Preparing for the Surgery

Once you've decided on the most suitable procedure, the next step is preparation. Prior to surgery, you'll have a series of meetings with your consultation to discuss your medical history, conduct a physical exam, and discuss your expectations and concerns.