October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to come together to raise awareness about the challenges and solutions surrounding breast cancer. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
For women who have had a mastectomy and are considering reconstruction, there are many options and things to consider. Dr. Andrew Gassman, a plastic and reconstructive surgery specialist with Methodist Healthcare, shedded some light on one type of reconstructive surgery called DIEP flap (DEEP FLAP).
A DIEP flap is a type of reconstruction that uses a woman’s own tissue to create a new breast after a mastectomy. The tissue from the lower tummy is used to reconstruct the breast that has been removed after a mastectomy. Only the skin’s fatty tissue is removed, Gassman said.
Suitable candidates for the DIEP flap are women who have had mastectomies, provided they are in good health and have some extra fat and skin of their lower abdomen to be used for the reconstruction.
Gassman said that recovery for a DIEP Flap can take around six to eight weeks to recover adequately enough to resume normal activities.
For more information, you can visit Methodist Healthcare’s website.