Step-by-Step Reconstruction: Visual Timeline

Welcome to The Step-by-Step Visual Timeline Section, where we highlight the various reconstructive procedures involved in staged breast reconstruction.

Breast reconstruction is almost always a staged procedure, which means that it typically takes more than one surgery to reach a final result. These surgeries often happen over an extended period of time. Most patients only have an opportunity to see before and after photos of patients before mastectomy and after their very last revision. Both the kinds of revision procedures involved between those points and the time it takes to reach a satisfactory breast reconstruction can be hard to understand without first hand experience. We created the Step-by-Step Visual Timeline section of this website to address that need.

Everyone’s process is different. Step-by-Step Visual Timelines offer a detailed look at every stage of a breast reconstruction procedure, cataloging a unique patient experience and highlighting the differences between cases. Each timeline begins with a general overview of the case, including the type of reconstruction, timing of the procedures, and the total number of stages involved. Each timeline point includes a carousel of up to five photos of that stage, along with a brief description of that surgical stage and its timing. These multi-step-snapshots provide examples of realistic expectations when it comes to recovery and key milestones throughout the reconstructive process. Timelines also include medical illustrations to further explain specific procedure stages.

N.B. This section uses pseudonyms for patients to protect their anonymity. Patient case names do not reflect actual patient names. Patients in this section are in no way related to individuals who chose to share their experiences in our Patient Stories section.