Being Breast cancer the most common in women, the breast reconstruction appears as  a surgical procedure to restore the appearance of a breast for women who have had a breast removed (mastectomy) to treat breast cancer.

The surgery rebuilds the breast so that it is about the same size and shape as it was before it was removed.

The nipple and areola (the darker area surrounding the nipple) can also be added. Most women who have had a mastectomy can have reconstruction. Women who have had a lumpectomy usually do not need reconstruction. Breast reconstruction is done by a plastic surgeon. Breast reconstruction surgery after a mastectomy can help to renew a woman’s sense of femininity and beauty by recreating both the size and shape of the natural breast.

There are three ways to get a breast reconstruction:

• An implanted tissue expander, like a balloon, is placed beneath the skin and chest muscle. Through a tiny valve beneath the skin, the surgeon injects a salt-water solution at regular intervals to fill the expander over time. After the skin over the breast area has stretched enough, the expander is usually removed in a second operation, and a permanent implant is put in its place. Some expanders are left in place as the final implant.
  
• A TRAM flap (transverse rectus abdominis muscle flap), which uses tissue from the tummy area,  this procedure uses tissue and muscle from the lower abdominal wall (tummy tissue). The tissue from this area alone is often enough to create a breast shape, and an implant may not be needed. The skin, fat, blood vessels, and at least 1 of the abdominal muscles are moved from the abdomen to the chest area. This procedure also results in a tightening of the lower abdomen, or a "tummy tuck."
  
• And the latissimus dorsi flap, which uses tissue from the upper back, moving  muscle and skin from your upper back when extra tissue is needed. The flap is made up of skin, fat, muscle, and blood vessels. It is tunneled under the skin to the front of the chest. This creates a pocket for an implant, which can be used for added fullness to the reconstructed breast.

Studies to date have shown that reconstruction has no known effect on the recurrence of breast cancer. It should not cause problems with chemotherapy or radiation treatment if cancer does recur.