Education and Events

12 November 2026 at 7:30 pm

BREAST SURGERY AND THE PLASTIC SURGEON – RECONSTRUCTION, REDUCTION AND BEYOND

Miss Philippa Jackson
Consultant Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon

Plastic surgeons have a bad reputation. I hope this lecture will convince you there are those of us who practice responsibly, with care, and to a high standard in our areas of expertise.

Plastic surgeons provide a range of breast surgery services. Breast reconstruction is primarily provided by the NHS and referrals come directly from the breast surgery team but you may find patients who have slipped through the net. There are a variety of different techniques to reconstruct the breast and we will discuss these broadly to understand when each may be appropriate.

Surgery such as breast reduction is largely no longer funded on the NHS or by insurance companies, but there are significant functional benefits a patient can see from having this surgery. I often hear patients tell me it has changed their life. We will cover what constitutes an ideal patient for breast reduction surgery and how you might be able to support them reach that point.

With the advent of GLP-1 drugs and with growing exposure to bariatric surgery we are seeing an increase in patients who have experienced massive weight loss. They can find the redundancy of tissue on their abdomen and the emptiness of their breasts to be distressing and the only solution is surgical, again not funded through the NHS or insurance. Referral to an appropriate surgeon who understands the implications of having been through a massive weight loss journey and works with specialists like dieticians is important. We will touch on the anaesthetic implications and the challenges we face surgically which may impact their post-operative care and interaction with primary care.

Breast augmentation is seen through the lens of social media as being a low risk ‘easy’ surgery, sometimes conducted over lunch!  But the reality is breast implants are known to cause 2 different types of cancer and knowing when to refer in to the breast unit for urgent investigation or to a plastic surgeon for removal and exchange is invaluable. We will cover the facts about breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) and squamous cell carcinoma (BIA-SCC).

Learning Objectives:

1. Recognise the reasons for referral to a plastic surgeon for breast conditions
2. Discuss different types of breast reconstruction and understand the fundamentals of when each type is appropriate
3. Understand the impact of GLP-1 and massive weight loss
4. Complications of breast implants – lymphoma and SCC – recognition of warning signs

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