Tomorrow: FREE live teleconference! Breast Reconstruction: Understanding Your Options

Tomorrow, July 28th 2010, at 12:00 p.m. EST (9:00 a.m. Pacific time), I am honored to be speaking at the Living Beyond Breast Cancer's LIVE educational teleconference!

The topic is "Breast Reconstruction: Understanding Your Options".  

Educational Programs

Breast Reconstruction: Understanding Your Options

Our July teleconference will help you learn about your choices for breast reconstructive surgery

Speaker: Karen M. Horton, MD, MSc, FRCSC

Register now for this free teleconference about breast reconstruction.

Join Living Beyond Breast Cancer for our next free teleconference, Breast Reconstruction: Understanding Your Options, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Wednesday, July 28.
Karen M. Horton, MD, MSc, FRCSC, a board certified plastic surgeon with Women’s Plastic Surgery, will help you learn about:

• Different types of reconstructive surgeries
• The latest research in rebuilding the breast
• How to determine the option that is best for you
• Microsurgery, nipple reconstruction and immediate versus delayed surgery
• The stages of the reconstruction process
• What to expect during your recovery

This teleconference will also discuss questions to help you explore whether you want to consider reconstructive surgery.

About Our Speaker
 
In addition to her board certification, Dr. Horton is a reconstructive microsurgeon. She practices in the Pacific Heights area of San Francisco.

Dr. Horton educates, empowers and informs women about options for breast reconstruction after cancer. Her goal is to use techniques that do not sacrifice major body muscles, enabling women to have reconstruction with the least number of stages. She specializes in microsurgical breast reconstruction, including DIEP flap, SIEA flap and TUG (inner thigh) flap.

Dr. Horton has published review book chapters on breast reconstruction. She presents clinical papers at national and international scientific meetings and has won research awards. Dr. Horton also specializes in "mommy makeover" cosmetic surgery for women.  Read more here!

About the Program
Our speaker will give a brief presentation, followed by a question-and-answer period. To participate, you need only a telephone or computer with Adobe Flash Player or Windows Media Player. Social workers may be eligible to receive continuing education credits; see our registration form for more details.

TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE! 

For those who cannot tune in online tomorrow, it will be recorded and an MP3 and PDF of my slides will be posted shortly on the Living Beyond Breast Cancer website.

The Art of Breast Reconstruction - 9th Annual Breast Conference Conference, Presidio of San Francisco

I will be speaking this afternoon at the 9th Annual Allison Taylor Holbrooks/Barbara Joe Johnson Breast Cancer Conference: Beyond Breast Cancer - Golden Gate Club, The Presidio of San Francisco, 2:30 p.m. 

More slides from my presentation to follow...

How do you reconstruct a nipple and areola after breast cancer?

        I am scheduled to have nipple reconstruction in May, and know there are various options available. Can you comment on the differences in cosmetic outcome when utilizing tissue from another part of the body, skin from the flap itself or tattooing alone?

The nipple and areolar complex (NAC) reconstruction involves two components, the nipple prominence and the areolar circle.  Sometimes the nipple reconstruction is performed first, with the areola done at a later date; at other times, they are performed together.  NAC reconstruction is the finishing touch of a breast reconstruction, and is the "icing on the cake" to complete the breast! 

Nipple reconstruction usually involves a local flap procedure where wings of tissue (skin and fat) from the breast reconstruction itself are rotated in place to create a nipple prominence.  Some surgeons also add some additional tissue inside the local flaps (soft or firm) to try to improve projection of the nipple reconstruction.  After surgery, the nipple reconstruction is expected to shrink between 30% and 50%.  The ideal nipple prominence matches a natural nipple at rest.  It will not have the capacity to become erect with stimulation or cold temperature.

The areolar circle can be made using either a medical tattoo or a skin graft.  Natural flesh-colored medical tattoo pigments (ranging from tan, to pink or brownish or black) are available and can be mixed together to very closely match a natural nipple and areola.  The nipple prominence is also tattooed to match the other side.  Tattooing can be done either in the operating room or in the office of your Surgeon under local anesthesia, and is usually done by the Plastic Surgeon or occasionally a specially-trained surgical Nurse. 

Skin grafting for areolar reconstruction involves taking a full-thickness graft (all the layers of the skin, requiring closure of the "donor site" with stitches) from another area of the body.  Common sites for harvest of a skin graft for areolar reconstruction include the groin, the other breast's areola (if a balancing breast reduction or a lift is also being done), or rarely, the labia (external genitalia).  Skin grafts may heal with either lighter or darker pigmentation than expected, and by definition, require creation of a scar at their donor location.  For this reason, I usually use a tattoo for the areolas I create.