Breast Reconstruction and Plastic Surgery Program
The Rutgers Health Breast Reconstruction and Plastic Surgery program offers comprehensive services for breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery. Our program performs many reconstruction procedures, as well as surgery for cosmetic breast contouring and breast augmentation. We also offer individual counseling and support services.
We provide expert, compassionate care and specialize in many reconstructive procedures.
- Tissue expansion and implantation, including:
- Microsurgical autologous tissue reconstruction, which uses tissue (skin, fat, and sometimes muscle) from other places on the body to form a breast shape. The tissue (called a flap) usually comes from the belly, back, buttocks, or inner thighs. The different kinds of flap techniques we use include:
- DIEPS: Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Artery Surgery. DIEPS takes fat, skin, and blood vessels from the wall of the lower belly and moves each to the chest to rebuild a breast. We do not use any muscle in this type of flap. Most women recover quicker from DIEPS and have a lower risk of losing abdominal muscle strength over other flap types
- PAPS: Profunda Artery Perforator Surgery. A PAP flap uses a blood vessel that runs through the thigh, as well as skin and fat from the back of the upper thigh, for breast reconstruction. We do not use any muscle in this type of flap
- TUGS: Transverse Upper Gracilis Surgery. A TUG flap uses a muscle, located in the upper inner thigh that helps bring the leg toward your body. (After TUG surgery you will not be able to use this muscle any longer.) The flap moves to the chest for breast reconstruction where blood vessels of the TUG flap attach to blood vessels in the chest through microsurgery
- SGAPS: Superior Gluteal Artery Perforator Surgery. Surgeons take a blood vessel that runs through the buttocks and a section of skin and fat from the upper hip to reconstruct the breast. SGAPS is often a procedure for women needing dual breast reconstruction who cannot use tissue from the abdomen
- ICAPS: Intercostal Artery Perforator Surgery. Breast reconstruction using tissue from under the arm. The reconstruction often ties to blood supply in the underarm area
- Microsurgical autologous tissue reconstruction, which uses tissue (skin, fat, and sometimes muscle) from other places on the body to form a breast shape. The tissue (called a flap) usually comes from the belly, back, buttocks, or inner thighs. The different kinds of flap techniques we use include:
Physicians who serve the program are faculty members of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School or Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Both are part of Rutgers University, one of the top research institutions in America. Our professionals conduct research in and teach about all aspects of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. Each brings life-changing knowledge from the classroom to the exam room.
If you or a loved one needs breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery or cosmetic breast surgery, make an appointment with the Rutgers Health Breast Reconstruction and Plastic Surgery program.