Flap surgery has the advantage of using your own tissue to construct a new breast. However, it is important for you to be aware that flap surgery, particularly TRAM flap surgery, is a major operation and more extensive than your mastectomy operation or breast implant surgery. It requires good general health and strong emotional motivation. If you are very overweight, smoke cigarettes, have had previous surgery at the flap site, or have any circulatory problems, you may not be a good candidate for a tissue flap procedure. Also, if you are very thin, you may not have enough tissue at the flap site to construct a breast mound.

Tissue flaps, in general, can be moved to the reconstruction site by one of two methods. The first method is when the flap is left attached to the muscle and blood vessels and tunneled under the skin to the reconstruction site. The second method is when the flap is completely removed and then transferred to the reconstruction site and reattached by microsurgery. More specifically, the TRAM flap can be done by either of these two methods while the Latissimus Dorsi flap procedure involves only the first method. In addition, for TRAM flap surgery, your surgeon may also need to build you a new belly button after the lower abdominal area is reshaped.

Flap surgery requires a hospital stay of several days and generally a longer recovery time than breast implant reconstruction. While you can resume normal daily activity after several weeks, some women report that it takes up to one year to resume a normal lifestyle.

Flap surgery also creates scars at the site where the flap was taken and possibly additional scars on the reconstructed breast. You may also have some temporary or permanent decreased muscle strength at the flap site.