Breast cancer affects about 1 in 8 women in the United States. Anecdotally, most people know someone whose life was changed by breast cancer.
At Beleza Plastic Surgery, we’re proud to work hand-in-hand with the medical professionals who fight breast cancer every single day in the Pittsburgh area. And where their work often ends, ours begins.
Pittsburgh Region’s Leading Breast Reconstruction Team
Many breast cancer survivors in the Pittsburgh area know the name of Dr. Mary Beth Malay. As a breast specialist, Dr. Malay has made multiple valuable contributions to breast cancer research and treatment in the region. She developed the multidisciplinary breast care program at UPMC Passavant, where she also served as its medical director, and continues her work now at the Allegheny Health Network.
Together, Dr. Wooten and Dr. Malay are one of the region’s leading reconstructive breast cancer teams – and one of the only all-female teams around. By coordinating surgery that removes the cancer with surgery to reconstruct the breasts, Dr. Wooten and Dr. Malay enable survivors to live full, normal, and healthy lives after beating cancer.
Often, during their combined cases, Dr. Malay performs a mastectomy (total removal of all breast tissue) Dr. Wooten gets involved after a mastectomy. Mastectomy, the surgical removal of one or both breasts, is often a necessary part of cancer treatment. But losing her breasts can have a drastic effect on a woman’s body image, as well as her psychological and emotional well-being. Dr. Wooten’s work is to try to restore the breasts as much as possible. See our breast cancer reconstruction page for Dr. Wooten’s results.
For best results, Dr. Wooten and Dr. Malay often operate together. Combining the removal of the breast tissue with simultaneous reconstruction is the best option for patients for both medical and emotional reasons. It requires only one procedure and eliminates the delay period between the mastectomy and the reconstruction.
As is the case with our cosmetic procedures, Beleza Plastic Surgery also offers plenty of options for our Pittsburgh breast cancer reconstruction patients. Many patients opt to use their own fat to reconstruct their breasts, which has the benefit of a more natural look and feel. For patients for whom this is not an option, breast implants may be the best path forward.
The coordinated efforts of Dr. Wooten and Dr. Malay help to smooth the process of breast reconstruction & recovery for breast cancer patients. If you or someone you love is facing breast cancer, we encourage you to call (412) 362 – 8677 to be referred to Dr. Malay’s office. If you have already had your mastectomy, and are interested in speaking to Dr. Wooten about reconstruction only, call our Pittsburgh office at (724) 759-7777.