October's BRA Day: Plastic Surgeons Play a Key Role in Education

    IRVINE, CA, October 16, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Pink ribbons and Race for the Cure events focus attention on breast cancer awareness throughout the year, but October provides a unique opportunity for Dr. Andrew Smith (www.asmithmd.com) and other plastic surgeons in Orange County and elsewhere to educate women about the importance of cancer screening and breast reconstruction options, he says.

Dr. Smith is active in local breast cancer awareness events and is promoting National Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day, or BRA Day on his plastic surgery practice's Facebook page. BRA Day is Oct. 16.

"Studies show that fewer than 1 in 4 women diagnosed with breast cancer are informed about the range of breast reconstruction options available," Dr. Smith says. "BRA Day is not only getting the word out about those options, but it's highlighting the team approach to reconstruction."

That team approach, Dr. Smith says, includes a range of specialists from different medical fields who work together at the outset of a breast cancer diagnosis to tailor a plan specific to each patient, from eliminating the cancer to the breast reconstruction.

The Orange County doctor is encouraging other plastic surgeons who specialize in breast surgery to use this opportunity to educate patients about cancer screening and the advances in breast reconstruction that have occurred in the past several years.

"We are uniquely qualified to discuss these issues with our patients, whether a woman is seeking cosmetic breast enhancement or has been diagnosed with breast cancer and feels overwhelmed."

Most women diagnosed with breast cancer aren't aware, Dr. Smith says, that they can choose to use tissue from their own bodies to reconstruct a breast or go through a staged process that includes breast implants. At his Orange County practice, reconstruction may even include nipple reconstruction and tattooing to complete the natural looking results.

"Many of us have been touched in some way by breast cancer," Dr. Smith says. "We've had success increasing awareness about breast cancer screening, but BRA Day helps close the loop."

Andrew Smith, M.D., FACS, (www.asmithmd.com) is a board-certified plastic surgeon whose patients come from Orange and Riverside counties and all over Southern California. Dr. Smith earned his medical degree from George Washington University and has years of experience in addition to residency training in both cosmetic and reconstructive procedures. He is certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery and The American Board of Surgery, and he is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

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