Corrective Breast Reconstruction Surgery
You might consider having breast reconstruction revision if you’re not satisfied with the cosmetic results of mastectomy or breast reconstruction surgery, or if you’ve had any complications that have resulted in the following symptoms:
breast pain or discomfort
increasing tightness or firmness of the reconstructed breast
changes in the shape, size, or position of the breast
incorrect breast implant position
a lump or firm area in the breast
If you’re unhappy with breast reconstruction after mastectomy or have symptoms of a complication, find a plastic surgeon who has experience with corrective procedures so you can find out what your options are.
Corrective surgery is always customized to your situation. Your options depend on what happened when you had breast reconstruction surgery. For instance, if you want to rebuild a breast that lost some skin because of tissue breakdown or infection, you may need to use a flap of tissue taken from another part of your body instead of an implant. If you already had tissue taken from a donor site on your body (such as your belly) for an earlier attempt at reconstruction, then you may need to use a different donor site (such as your buttocks) if you want to have another flap reconstruction procedure.
Keep in mind that breast reconstruction revision is called different things, including corrective surgery, revised reconstruction, revision surgery, redo reconstruction, or botched breast reconstruction repair.
Reasons for corrective breast reconstruction revision
Corrective surgery can address problems that sometimes develop after breast reconstruction surgery such as pain, imbalance between the breasts, or displacement of an implant. You may have multiple problems that you’d like to have corrected. Your plastic surgeon works with you to come up with a correction plan that’s customized to your specific situation.
Some of the complications that can lead to the need for breast reconstruction revision include:
Complications after breast reconstruction surgery with flaps or implants
The following complications can happen after flap reconstruction and in some cases after breast implant reconstruction:
Timing of breast reconstruction revision
You can have corrective surgery soon after having breast reconstruction surgery or years afterward.
In some cases, your plastic surgeon may recommend that you wait a few months after having breast reconstruction surgery to see if anything that might be bothering goes away on its own. For example, it’s normal for there to be some swelling, wrinkling, imbalance, or other minor distortions in the appearance of the breasts while you heal. If you have breast implants, they may take a few months to settle into position.
Also, if you’re still undergoing radiation or chemotherapy, you need to complete those treatments before you have breast reconstruction revision.
How to find a plastic surgeon for corrective surgery
Not all plastic surgeons have experience with breast reconstruction revision surgery. If you’re considering having a corrective procedure, spend some time searching for a highly skilled plastic surgeon with a lot of experience performing reconstructive and corrective breast procedures. Breast reconstruction revision is not the same as breast reconstruction or breast augmentation and has different challenges for a surgeon.
It may be helpful to ask others who’ve had breast reconstruction revision for advice on how to find a surgeon. You can connect with people from the Breastcancer.org community or other online or in-person breast cancer support groups.
Schedule initial consultations with the plastic surgeons you’re interested in and ask them:
how many breast reconstruction revision surgeries they’ve performed
if they can show you before-and-after photos
if they accept your health insurance plan (because some surgeons might not)
See examples of breast reconstruction questions for plastic surgeons that might be helpful.
Paying for breast reconstruction revision
Health insurance usually covers corrective breast reconstruction surgery, but it’s best to call your provider to make sure. You might need to work with your plastic surgeon’s office or directly with your health insurance company to emphasize that the surgery is medically necessary — not just cosmetic — to improve your chances of coverage approval. (Some surgeons might expect you to handle more of the paperwork or phone calls required to get your health insurance to cover the procedure.)
You may be thinking of traveling to see a plastic surgeon who specializes in a type of corrective procedure that’s not available in your community or choosing a surgeon who isn’t in your health plan’s network. If that’s the case, find out which expenses your plan covers and how much you are going to have to pay out of pocket. Health insurance plans typically don’t cover travel costs. You may need to travel a few times for corrective procedures to get the best results. Ask the plastic surgeon if you need more than one procedure so you can budget for any out-of-pocket travel expenses.
Learn more about breast reconstruction surgery and health insurance.
Risks of breast reconstruction revision
In general, the risks of breast reconstruction revision are the same as the risks of breast reconstruction surgery. Those risks might include infection in the area of the surgery, loss of skin, unexpected scarring, problems with anesthesia, and wound healing problems like hematoma (blood collecting in a surgical wound) or seroma (clear fluid collecting in a surgical wound).
If you have diabetes, circulatory problems, a bleeding disorder, or are a smoker, it may take your body longer to heal after corrective surgery. Smokers are often advised to avoid all nicotine-containing products for as much time as possible before having breast reconstruction revision.
You may be at increased risk of having a complication from breast reconstruction revision surgery if you’ve had multiple breast surgeries that have caused scarring, thinned skin, or other damage to the breast tissue.
Talk with your plastic surgeon about whether there are any special risks for you to consider.
Before and after breast reconstruction revision images
The deformity was corrected with Stacked DIEP flap reconstruction for the right breast and SIEA flap augmentation for the left breast for symmetry.
Presented for corrective surgery with subsequent right SGAP flap and completion with bilateral nipple reconstruction and 3-D tattooing for pigment restoration.
This information made possible in part through the generous support of www.BreastCenter.com.
— Last updated on August 7, 2025 at 7:21 PM
