Medical terminology and jargon can be quite confusing.  Therefore, we understand why you don’t feel like familiarizing yourself with it.  However, for anyone in Houston considering getting breast implants, we strongly recommend taking the time to do so.

It’s your body, and you should know what is going to happen to it.   With that in mind, here are some breast reconstruction terms, along with their definitions:

Areola: The pigmented skin that surrounds the nipple.
Capsular contracture: A complication where scar tissue that normally forms around the implant tightens and squeezes the implant and becomes firm.
DIEP/TRAM flaps: flaps which use tissue from the abdomen.
Donor site: Part of the body where the surgeon takes skin, muscle and fat to rebuild your breast.
Flap techniques: Surgical methods that realign your skin, muscle and fat to reconstruct or cover your breast.
Grafting: A surgical method that recreates your nipple and areola.
Hematoma: Blood that accumulates beneath the skin
Latissimus dorsi flap technique: A surgical technique where muscle, fat and skin is tunneled under the skin and tissue of a woman’s back to the reconstructed breast. Because it remains attached to its donor site, the blood supply remains intact.
Mastectomy: The removal of the whole breast.
SGAP flap: a flap which uses tissue from the buttock.
Tissue expansion: A surgical method where your own healthy tissue is stretched to create new skin to provide coverage for a breast implant.
Transaxillary incision: An incision made near the underarm.