This work is readable, extremely well organized, and, most important, objective. I recommend this book to all of my patients and to anyone going through breast cancer or reconstruction. Thank you, Kathy Steligo, for this valuable contribution, which helps women make difficult decisions about their futures. -- Joshua L. Levine, MD, FACS, coeditor of Perforator Flaps for Breast Reconstruction Now in its fourth edition, The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook remains the definitive resource for straight talk about restorative breast surgery. Kathy's overall message is wonderfully positive and should serve as a north star within the surrounding sea of information. Empower yourself with knowledge and be encouraged. -- Frank J. DellaCroce, MD, founding partner of the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery

Since 2002, The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook has been the best resource on this topic for women who have had a mastectomy. Equal parts science and support, it is filled with stories that illustrate the emotional and physical components of breast reconstruction. Kathy Steligo, a gifted writer and breast cancer survivor who has twice had breast reconstruction, compassionately answers women's questions about how they will respond emotionally and physically to losing a breast, whether to treat or prevent breast cancer. Steligo provides detailed descriptions of the various surgical options for mastectomy and reconstruction, as well as information on choosing and paying for a surgeon, preparing for and recovering from surgery, and handling the many practical details and difficult decisions women will face along the way. A road map of the mastectomy and reconstruction journey, this book gives women the comprehensive, unbiased details they need to make their own informed decisions about whether reconstruction-and which reconstructive option-is right for them. Readers learn how breasts can be recreated using implants or their own tissue and the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Surgery timelines, recovery, and potential problems (and how they can be resolved) are also explained. A new foreword by Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo, MD, of the PRMA Plastic Surgery Center for Advanced Breast Reconstruction, highlights the book's strengths and offers a medical perspective on breast cancer and reconstructive surgery. The extensively updated text includes new discussions of* innovative reconstructive procedures* contralateral mastectomy* the benefits and limitations of nipple- and areola-sparing mastectomies* nipple delay procedure* patient-controlled tissue expansion* cohesive gel silicone implants* microsurgical advances that improve tissue flap procedures* fat grafting* nipple reconstruction* nipple and areola tattooing* reconstruction with the BRAVA system* pregnancy after TRAM* male mastectomy and reconstruction* decision making and solving cosmetic and medical post-op problems* surgical procedures that reduce the risk of cancer* the latest research data on mastectomy and reconstruction* and much more