A way to rebuild the breast using tissue from your own back, helping you slowly find your familiar shape again and feel more at ease when you look in the mirror.
This method uses a flap of tissue made up of skin, fat, and the latissimus dorsi muscle (a large muscle in your upper back), rotated to the front to rebuild the breast. It is one option when you have had, or will have, a mastectomy. Whether it fits you depends on your overall health, how much tissue is available, and what you hope for, so an in-person consultation is the clearest way to find out.
Everything begins with a consultation. Your doctors examine your chest and your back, assess how much skin and tissue can be used, review your treatment history (especially any radiation), and listen to what you hope for in shape and size. Together with your doctor, you decide whether to use the back flap on its own or to add an implant, and whether reconstruction happens during the same operation as the mastectomy or afterward.
The surgery is usually done under general anesthesia, which means you are fully asleep and feel nothing during the operation. How long it takes varies from case to case and depends on whether an implant is placed.
Your doctor makes an incision on your back and lifts a block of skin, fat, and latissimus dorsi muscle along with its feeding blood vessel. This tissue is passed through a tunnel under the skin at the armpit and rotated to the front of the chest — the blood vessel stays connected so the tissue keeps its supply and stays alive. There, your doctor shapes it into a breast that balances with the other side.
If more volume is needed, your doctors can place an implant behind the flap. The incisions on your back and chest are closed, and small drains are usually placed to let fluid escape in the first few days. Rebuilding the nipple and areola, if you want it, is usually done as a separate step once the tissue has settled.
The goal of this method is to rebuild a breast that looks natural and balanced under clothing, not to make an exact copy of the breast you had before. Understanding this clearly from the start helps you and your doctors set realistic expectations together.
Recovery happens in stages, and it looks different for everyone. The points below are rough guides, not fixed numbers; your doctor will give you specific guidance based on your own situation.
This is major surgery, and like any operation, it carries risks. Your doctors will talk through the points below honestly so you can decide with a clear understanding.
At The Gioi Dep, breast reconstruction is approached as a personal medical decision, not a one-size-fits-all procedure. Your doctors take time to review your whole treatment journey — including any history of radiation and earlier operations — then weigh the back flap on its own, the flap combined with an implant, or other options alongside you, to choose what suits your body and what you hope for.
Lifting and transferring the latissimus dorsi flap calls for careful technique to protect the tissue's blood supply and to limit the effect on your back and shoulder function. The team stays close to you before surgery, through your days in hospital, and at every follow-up and drain check, working with your cancer doctor when needed.
You will feel nothing during the operation because you are under general anesthesia. Afterward, pain and a tight, sore feeling across both your back and chest are normal in the first few days, and they are managed with pain relief. The intensity eases over time.
You will have a scar line on your back (usually placed so clothing can cover it) and a scar on your chest. Scars fade over many months but do not disappear completely. Your doctor will talk through where the scars sit and how they run before surgery.
Many people take a few weeks off, depending on what their job involves. Light office work usually resumes sooner than heavy work that calls for lifting, carrying, or using the back and shoulder. Your doctor will advise based on your situation.
Because it uses your own tissue, the breast usually feels soft and looks natural under clothing, matching the other side. That said, the skin that is moved often has reduced or lost feeling, and the result is a new breast rather than an exact copy of the one you had before.
The latissimus dorsi takes part in some shoulder and back movements. Many people adapt well because other muscles take up the work, but you may feel weaker early on, and some jobs or sports that rely heavily on this muscle group can be affected. Talk this through in detail with your doctors.
Not always. If the back flap has enough volume to balance with the other side, you may not need an implant. When more volume is needed, your doctor can place an implant behind the flap. This is decided together with you during planning.
In some cases it can be done at the same time (immediate reconstruction); in others it is better done later (delayed reconstruction), especially if you need radiation. The right timing depends on your cancer treatment plan and will be discussed carefully beforehand.
Age on its own is not the deciding factor. What matters more is your overall health, any underlying conditions, and your ability to recover. Your doctors will assess these during the consultation so you can weigh the decision together.
Rebuilding the nipple and areola, if you want it, is usually a separate step done after the breast has healed and settled, often after a few months. Some people choose not to take this step, and that is a reasonable choice too.
Reconstruction with your own tissue does not replace the check-ups and cancer follow-up set out in your plan. You still need to keep to the schedule your treating doctor sets. Be open about your history with your doctors so you get complete advice.
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The content on this page is for reference only and does not replace a direct examination and consultation with a specialist physician. Surgical outcomes vary from person to person.