Improvements in breast cancer detection are helping
healthcare providers find the disease earlier, which leads to increased
survival rates (Smigal et al., 2006). However, women
undergoing a mastectomy will live longer with a physical
defect that can lead to psychological issues related to poor
self-esteem and low self-confidence. Breast reconstruction can
help improve a woman’s body image and feelings of sexuality
and feminity, as well as eliminate the inconvenience of an
external prosthesis. Morrow et al. (2005) reported that
38% of women they surveyed, who had mastectomies from
December 2001 to January 2003, chose to have reconstruction.