For patients who need radiation therapy to treat their breast cancer, staged or delayed breast reconstruction is advised vs. simultaneous breast reconstruction. If radiation is done on a newly constructed breast, it could cause the reconstructed breast with implant to become hard, or painful, and it can also cause the cosmetic appearance of the breast to be altered or deformed. So after radiation therapy has been completed, Dr. Asfa can begin the reconstruction procedure(s).



Sometimes patients are unsure if they want to have reconstruction or not, so in this case, Dr. Asfa would not be present during the mastectomy or lumpectomy.  Staged or delayed breast reconstruction is also an option if there was not enough skin available to do immediate reconstruction. In this case, Dr. Asfa will place a temporary tissue expander at the time of mastectomy, after which the process of the expansion begins, and usually takes two to three months. Once the process of the expansion has been completed, the tissue expander will be removed and replaced with permanent implants. Dr. Asfa will coordinate with your breast surgeon to determine the best approach for you.

Please visit our Photo Gallery to view examples of some of Dr. Asfa’s work.