Oncoplastic Breast Surgery
An advanced approach that combines complete breast cancer removal with immediate cosmetic tissue reshaping, preserving your natural breast contour in a single surgery.
An advanced approach that combines complete breast cancer removal with immediate cosmetic tissue reshaping, preserving your natural breast contour in a single surgery.
A breast cancer diagnosis requires swift, expert surgical care, but treating cancer should not mean sacrificing your physical comfort or confidence. For women undergoing a lumpectomy (breast-conserving surgery), traditional tumor removal can sometimes leave noticeable dips, dimpling, or severe asymmetry. At Align Plastic Surgery, board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Tosan Ehanire offers oncoplastic breast surgery in Austin, an approach that blends complete oncologic cancer excision with immediate reconstructive reshaping.
Oncoplastic breast surgery combines the medical principles of surgical oncology with the artistic techniques of plastic surgery.
Rather than performing a standard lumpectomy that leaves an open tissue void beneath the skin, our Austin oncoplastic breast surgery procedure uses advanced tissue rearrangement to fill the gap left by tumor removal. This prevents post-surgical indentations, nipple pulling, and radiation-induced distortion.
During your private consultation, Dr. Ehanire coordinates directly with your oncologist to evaluate tumor location, tissue volume, and breast size to design a seamless surgical approach.
Performed under general anesthesia in an accredited hospital or surgical suite, your treatment day is structured for safety, precision, and complete peace of mind. Prior to surgery, Dr. Ehanire marks your anatomical guides while you are comfortably standing, mapping out hidden incision patterns.
Your breast cancer surgeon begins by performing the lumpectomy to remove the tumor with clear margins. Immediately following removal, Dr. Ehanire steps in to perform the plastic surgery phase. She re-routes internal breast tissue flaps into the void, elevates the nipple-areola complex if needed, and closes the skin using multi-layer, tension-free sutures. If planned, a symmetry procedure is performed on the opposite breast. Incisions are dressed, a soft support bra is applied, and you rest comfortably in recovery before returning home the same day or following a brief overnight stay.
Oncoplastic breast surgery addresses both the medical necessity of tumor removal and the structural changes that follow breast conservation therapy:
Fills internal tissue gaps to prevent severe dimpling or skin indentation after tumor removal.
Prevents the nipple from pulling unnaturally toward the lumpectomy site as internal scar tissue forms.
Balances size and projection between left and right breasts when a large tissue volume is excised.
Establishes a firm, well-vascularized tissue foundation before post-operative radiation therapy begins, keeping shape changes to a minimum.
Oncoplastic surgery directly targets the tumor excision pocket, surrounding native breast tissue, the nipple-areola complex, the inframammary fold crease, and the opposite breast for symmetry procedures.
Choosing an oncoplastic approach for breast cancer treatment offers meaningful physical, emotional, and long-term quality-of-life advantages:
Oncoplastic techniques allow your breast surgeon to take wider, safer clear margins around a tumor without fear of leaving a disfiguring deformity, ensuring both oncologic safety and a smooth, natural breast contour.
Because oncoplastic surgery relies primarily on rearranging your own natural breast tissue, you achieve lasting shape and soft volume without needing synthetic breast implants or foreign materials.
Under the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA), health insurance plans that cover lumpectomies and mastectomies are required by law to cover all stages of reconstructive care—including oncoplastic reshaping and symmetry procedures on the opposite breast.
Incision patterns are strategically placed along natural boundary lines, such as around the areola, along the bra line, or in the lower breast fold. Supported by Dr. Ehanire's evidence-based scar protocols, incisions are actively managed to heal thin, flat, and discreetly across all skin complexions.
A good candidate for oncoplastic breast surgery is any woman diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) who is eligible for a lumpectomy and desires to preserve her natural breast shape.
Good Candidates Include:
Who May Need Special Considerations:
Recovery from oncoplastic breast surgery is well-tolerated and coordinates smoothly with your overall cancer treatment timeline.
While initial shape preservation is visible right after surgery, your final refined contours unfold gracefully over 3 to 6 months as tissue settles and post-lumpectomy swelling fully resolves.
Because your own native breast tissue is used to reconstruct the internal void, your results are long-lasting and resilient. Your reshaped breast will maintain a soft, natural, and symmetrical appearance that moves naturally with your body throughout radiation recovery and beyond.
Combining cancer removal with aesthetic tissue reshaping requires a reconstructive plastic surgeon who possesses elite surgical skill, a deep understanding of oncologic principles, and genuine human empathy.
At Align Plastic Surgery in Austin, TX, board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Tosan Ehanire approaches every oncoplastic procedure with clinical rigor and artistic vision. Bringing elite training from Duke, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Florida, Dr. Ehanire collaborates seamlessly with your breast cancer surgeon, taking the extra time needed to preserve your form so you can focus on healing with complete confidence and peace of mind.
No. Multiple large clinical studies show that oncoplastic breast surgery is just as safe as a standard lumpectomy. In fact, because oncoplastic techniques allow surgeons to take wider margins around the tumor, it often reduces the need for re-excision.
No. Oncoplastic procedures are designed to heal efficiently within 3 to 4 weeks, ensuring your post-operative radiation therapy or chemotherapy starts on time without any delay to your cancer treatment plan.
Yes. Performing a matching breast lift or reduction on the unaffected breast during the same surgery is a common approach to ensure both sides heal with equal size, height, and symmetry.
Yes. Under the federal Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA), health insurance plans that cover lumpectomies are required by law to cover all reconstructive stages—including oncoplastic tissue reshaping and symmetry procedures on the opposite breast.
Radiation can cause mild tissue firmness, but filling the lumpectomy void with healthy, well-vascularized tissue during oncoplastic surgery significantly reduces the risk of severe dimpling, puckering, or painful scar contractures.
