Risks of Breast Reconstruction Surgery

1. All surgery involves risk. You will be under general anesthesia.
   
   
2. You will have slightly more than a 5% risk of one or more of the following: pain, infection, bleeding, hernia, implant rupture and/or tissue breakdown.
   
   
3. If transplanted tissue (from your abdomen) breaks down because of inadequate blood supply— apparently a rare complication — the dead tissue (necrosis) needs to be trimmed and the chest area closed. This is another surgery.
   
   
4. Transplanted tissue can form lumps called “fat necrosis.” Lumps in the breast area tend to cause anxiety. If they don't go away, more surgery will be required to determine that cancer is not present.
   
   
5. You will have scarring. Some may be less obvious than another.

Reducing Risks