Reconstructive surgery is a very broad term, encompassing a wide variety of
techniques and applications. The reconstructive surgeon, like any plastic
surgeon, must have a keen artistic and aesthetic sense, in addition to
possessing a consummate knowledge of anatomy and physiology.

Perhaps one of the more familiar applications of reconstructive surgery is
breast reconstruction after surgery for breast cancer. The radical mastectomy,
once commonly performed, is a procedure involving wide and extensive excision
of not only the breast, but also lymph nodes and chest wall muscle. Although
many women used to simply use prostheses, most now opt for reconstructive
surgery. Probably the most common solution is the use of a tissue expander
with breast implants. A more sophisticated technique utilizes what is called flap
reconstruction, wherein skin, muscle, and fat are transplanted from other parts
of the body to create an artificial breast.