Description
UAMS Health plastic surgeon Dr. David A. Sterling talks about the process and procedure related to getting a breast reconstruction.
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Transcript
One of the services that I provide is breast reconstruction. Where the plastic surgeon fits in is after the oncologists and the surgical oncologists have managed the cancer, the next step is achieving wholeness again. That’s where a plastic surgeon has a few different tools available, whether they’re breast implants or the patient’s own tissue to help reconstruct the breast.
Breast reconstruction is a journey for patients. They start with getting their cancer treated. Then, for us plastic surgeons, we get to work with them to get their bodies to what they were before, to feel happy again with how they look.
The recovery time kind of depends on the surgery that we do. Oftentimes — say, after mastectomy — a patient will stay overnight and then we’ll discharge them the next day. Then, I will see them again the following week to see how they’re recovering.
