When you’re looking for the best hospital for breast reduction surgery, it’s important to consider a few factors. You’ll want to look at the credentials of the surgeons and staff, as well as the facility itself. You’ll want to make sure that any hospital you choose is accredited by the Joint Commission or other recognized accrediting bodies. These organizations ensure that hospitals meet certain standards for quality care and safety.
The next factor to consider is whether or not a facility has performed a lot of this procedure in the past. If they haven’t, then you may want to look at another facility that has had more experience with breast reduction surgery. It’s also important to note how long it takes from initial consultation until final surgery date. You’ll want an accurate estimate so you can plan accordingly and not be surprised by any delays.
Read on to learn more about Best Hospital For Breast Reduction Surgery, New Breast Reconstruction Techniques and Breast Reconstruction Surgery Cost
Best Hospital For Breast Reduction Surgery
This is vitally important. This is where you need to spend some time trying to find the right surgeon for you. What you are aiming for is a shortlist of three to four surgeons who you can sift through to find the right one.
So, where do you start? You can ask your GP: he or she will be happy to recommend a surgeon to you. As this procedure is one of the few cosmetic procedures which the NHS may pay for then he/she will be able to refer you to a surgeon.
If you are thinking of applying to the NHS for help then your GP is your first port of call.
If you are looking to obtain treatment as a private patient then you will have to spend some time checking out different surgeons. What you want is to find a highly qualified and experienced surgeon who you can trust and feel comfortable with.
You will need to investigate clinics/private hospitals and surgeons.
You can do this in various ways. You can contact professional medical organisations such as BAPRAS or BAAPS. These two organisations are the most highly regarded in the world. It is very difficult to gain membership and in fact, takes many years to do so. If your surgeon is a member of either of these then you can be assured that he/she is amongst the very best in the world.
The General Medical Council or GMC is another good place to try. They too are a highly respected organisation and hold the Specialist Register of Plastic Surgery. Check to see if your surgeon is listed on this register. Also contact The British Association of Cosmetic Surgeons.
You can also check to see if your surgeon has FRCS (Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons) after his/her name. Ideally your surgeon will have this after their name, will be a member of BAAPS or BAPRAS and, hold or have held an NHS consultant post.
If you are thinking of going abroad for surgery then apply the same rules as you would to finding a UK based surgeon. There are additional things to consider such as ‘board certification’ and access to your surgeon. Visit our section on ‘Can I have breast reduction surgery in another country?’ for further information.
Other useful resources include talking to others who have had this surgery and the internet. When using the internet bear in mind that there are thousands of cosmetic surgery websites. Try to sift through the good from the not so good or the ones that are only interested in making money from cosmetic surgery.
A few good sites to try are The Consulting Room, Cosmetic Surgery Consultants, Private Healthcare UK and BUPA.
Please bear in mind that there are many practitioners who profess to be cosmetic surgeons but are in fact under qualified or not even surgeons at all. Again, choose your surgeon carefully.
Be wary of clinics or hospitals which offer ‘free’ consultations. Nothing in life is free and there is usually a catch. Also, some clinics have ‘non-refundable deposits’. What this means is you will be charged a fee if you change your mind. This, in effect, puts pressure on your to go ahead with the surgery. Be cautious about these and ‘special offers’ or ‘bargains’.
New Breast Reconstruction Techniques
You might be having a mastectomy because you have breast cancer or to prevent the disease if it runs in your family. If so, you may also be considering breast reconstruction to rebuild your breasts, which isn’t a one-size-fits-all procedure. Some techniques use artificial implants, some use your own tissue. Others use a combination of both.
It can be difficult sifting through the choices to figure out what will work best for you. But the most important thing to know is that there are options, says Michele Manahan, M.D., an associate professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine. “Breast reconstruction is not one-size-fits-all. Now more than ever we have so many ways to restore your form and make you look and feel like yourself again.”
A New, Less Painful Breast Implant Procedure
Manahan and her colleagues perform a state-of-the art procedure called pre-pectoral breast reconstruction. It reduces pain and provides a speedier recovery compared with traditional reconstruction by placing implants or tissue expanders on top of the pectoral muscles. Since the muscles aren’t cut or stretched, you can return to your normal daily activities sooner. “Our patients are doing yoga and have full range of motion within the first month after the procedure,” Manahan says.
The pre-pectoral procedure is the most minimally invasive breast reconstruction option. Your doctor can perform a mastectomy by removing breast tissue through a small incision underneath the breast. Through this incision, a tissue expander can be placed on top of the muscle to create a breast mound. Later, your doctor can remove the expander through the same incision and insert an implant.
A Natural Alternative to Breast Implants
Although using implants lets you recover faster, not everyone likes the way they look or the prospect of needing future surgeries to replace them if they rupture. A natural alternative involves using fat and tissue from another area of your body to fill in your breasts.
In the past, doctors removed muscle, fat and skin from the abdominal wall, the back, the inner thighs or the buttocks and moved it to the chest to form breasts. This procedure was painful and had a long recovery. But now an updated technique lets you use your own tissue with less pain and faster healing. During this surgery, called a perforator flap procedure, your surgeon moves only skin, fat and tissue — not muscle — to your chest area. Not everyone is a candidate for this procedure, depending on anatomy and previous surgical history, but it’s a good option for some women.
Using your own tissue creates a more natural look. And you can also have a tummy tuck, thigh lift or buttock lift at the same time if you have tissue removed from those areas.
Traditional Breast Reconstruction
The majority of breast reconstruction procedures involve breast implants. In this traditional reconstruction procedure, saline or silicone implants are placed below the pectoral muscles, forcing them to stretch to accommodate the implants. “This method works for a good deal of people, but many women experience pain as well as decreased range of motion in the shoulder,” reports Manahan. “Over time, chest wall deformities from the implants can form as well.”
What to Consider Before Breast Reconstruction
There are several things you need to consider when reviewing reconstructive breast cancer options, says Manahan. What procedure is best for you depends on many factors, such as:
- Overall health
- Activity level
- What you do for a living
- Whether you want to have children after surgery
- If you have the extra tissue needed for a natural reconstruction
- How much post-surgery downtime you’re comfortable with
If you’re going to have a lumpectomy or mastectomy, consult with a plastic surgeon in addition to your breast surgeon. A plastic surgeon can provide guidance on the various breast reconstruction procedures and work in partnership with your breast surgeon to give you the look you want.
It’s okay to take your time to come to a decision, says Manahan. “You might not know if you want implants, or whether you want to use belly or thigh tissue, or if you’re going to need radiation. But you can still move forward with the mastectomy. We can insert a tissue expander to hold a breast-like form under your skin. Then, when you’re ready, we can remove the expander and reconstruct your breasts with either implants or your own tissue. What’s important is knowing there are many options for breast reconstruction, and consulting with your surgeon to find the best choice for you.”
Everyone and every body is different, reminds Manahan, and every patient has different preferences and goals. “We hope that the many choices we have to offer for breast reconstruction will allow us to tailor each reconstruction to each individual patient.”
Breast Reconstruction Surgery Cost
Breast reconstruction comes in a wide variety of forms and the cost in the private sector is dependent on the stages of surgery, and type of reconstruction. Different types of breast reconstruction have different complexity and therefore different amount of time and effort required by the surgeon for your surgery.
It also depends on whether it is performed at the same time as the mastectomy or in a delayed fashion, and may also include costs for an anaesthetist, surgical assistant, hospital excess, and other fees. Usually, in the private sector, all fees are quoted inclusive of follow up both in hospital and in rooms after the surgery.
What is the cost of breast reconstruction in a public hospital?
In Australia, it is possible to have all forms of breast reconstruction in a public hospital free of charge, covered entirely by Medicare. Read what it means to be a public patient section of our website for more information. The main limitations of this option are:
– Possible increased wait time
– Less say of when and where your surgery will be performed with limited flexibility
– Registrars or fellows may be doing all or part of the procedure
– Follow up is generally in public hospital clinics, and wait associated with these
– Your date of surgery or supervising surgeon may be changed
Why is there is an out of pocket cost for breast reconstruction in a private hospital?
Despite having ‘top’ level of cover many patients ask why there is an out of pocket for procedures done in the private sector. This also applies to breast reconstruction. This is because the reimbursement or what Medicare and Health Funds pay is dependent on the schedule fee as listed for each Medicare item number. Unfortunately, the government has frozen this for decades meaning the reimbursement for each procedure is way behind what the actual cost of the procedure.
The Australian Medical Association each year publishes what it considers the fair value to be charged for each procedure and this is what many surgeons, including plastic surgeons, use to guide their fee structure. This means there is usually a ‘gap’ between the AMA fee and the Medicare schedule fee, and this constitutes the out of pocket cost. This often applies to both surgeon’s fees and anaesthetist’s fees.
While the main disadvantage of private treatment is an out of pocket cost, there are many advantages of private treatment:
– Total flexibility over time: often surgeons work with the patient’s time commitments and availability as to when to schedule the surgery
– Complete say over where your surgery will be performed
– Complete choice over surgeon and the main consultant surgeon performing your surgery
– Follow up is in private rooms with direct contact with the main surgeon who makes all the decisions
– Your date of surgery is usually fixed and won’t be changed (Unless negotiated with you)
What are the aims of breast reconstruction?
The aim of breast reconstruction is to:
– Create a breast mound
– Look great in clothes (even tight-fitting dresses)
– Achieve symmetry with the opposite breast (in cases of one-sided or unilateral reconstruction)
– Avoid the use of a prosthesis
What types of breast reconstruction are there?
There are 3 main categories:
- Implant or expander based breast reconstruction (i.e. using foreign tissue)
- Autologous breast reconstruction (using your own tissue only)
- Combination of autologous and implant or expander reconstruction – usually reserved for patients who have required radiation in their cancer treatment and do not have enough own tissue to make an entire breast
In general breast reconstruction is always a staged operation. This is often the case with implant reconstruction, which is often performed in 2 stages. Own tissue reconstruction is usually performed in a single stage but there may be a second stage for nipple reconstruction.