( CNN ) -- Nine weeks after Angelina Jolie underwent a double mastectomy to prevent cancer , the actress had another surgery to reconstruct her breasts using implants . `` There have been many advances in this procedure in the last few years , and the results can be beautiful , '' Jolie wrote in her op-ed piece for The New York Times . Breast reconstruction is not right for everyone , says CNN contributor Dr. Anthony Youn , a plastic surgeon in Detroit . But studies have shown that women who undergo immediate reconstruction following a mastectomy benefit psychologically . `` To most women , their breasts are really a part of how they see themselves , '' Youn says . `` When you take it away ... it 's like you 're losing a part of yourself and a part of what you identify with as being a woman . '' Infographic : Breast reconstruction options . The majority of patients who want to proceed with reconstruction have options available , says Dr. Colleen McCarthy , a surgeon at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York . There are two main types to choose from : implants or reconstruction using the patient 's own tissue . Some patients have a history of radiation treatments for breast cancer , which may prevent them from receiving implants ( radiation can cause scarring , which makes the skin less flexible ) ; others do n't have enough donor tissue available on their body to use in a reconstruction . Otherwise the decision is left up to the patient 's preference , McCarthy says . Five reasons we love Angelina Jolie . If the patient chooses to have breast implants , there are usually two procedures involved . The first is done to place a tissue expander under the muscle in the breast cavity . Over the next few months , the expander is injected with saline regularly to stretch the muscle . `` If you just put an implant into the breast , it 's basically going to sag because there 's nothing to hold it up , '' Youn explains . This option allows the patient to decide what size implants she 's most comfortable with , McCarthy says . `` Women who choose implant reconstruction will often choose to go slightly smaller or larger ( than their original breast size ) , depending on how much the skin stretches , '' she says . Tough choices in fight against breast cancer gene . The second implant surgery involves placing the permanent implant -- either filled with silicone gel or saline -- in the enlarged cavity . This procedure generally takes between 1.5 and 3 hours , Youn says . `` It 's typically easier , less painful and less invasive '' than the second option utilizing the patient 's own tissue , he says . Breast implants are not lifelong devices , according to the Food and Drug Administration . A tear in the silicone shell can cause a leak . Saline implants will visibly show the leak by sagging ; the FDA recommends silicone gel implant patients get a follow-up MRI every couple of years . The second option is a more complex surgery and has a longer recovery period . Patients generally choose it because it 's done in a single procedure and they want a more natural result , McCarthy says . Breasts reconstructed with the patient 's tissue are softer and will age like a normal breast . What is the BRCA gene ? In this procedure , tissue is taken from the patient -- most often from their abdominal area -- and moved to the breast . This can be done with muscle or without , and there are several ways to keep blood flowing to the tissue , McCarthy says . These decisions depend on how much tissue and/or blood flow is available for the surgeon to work with . `` Other options include ( taking ) tissue from the back , thigh and buttocks , '' she says . The Women 's Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 ensures all reconstruction services are covered by insurance . That includes any surgery that needs to be done on the opposite breast to make them symmetrical and any nipple reconstruction procedures . Almost 80 % of patients have nipple reconstruction done following a breast reconstruction surgery , according to the Mayo Clinic . Youn takes skin from the breast to recreate the nipple . He then sends his patients to a tattoo artist who will fill in the darker color to create the areola . With both types of breast reconstruction the patient will retain some sensation . But numbness is to be expected afterward , Youn says . Why more women are choosing double mastectomies .
Angelina has opted to have breast reconstruction following her double mastectomy . Another option is to have breasts made from the patient 's own tissue . Both procedures have their positives and negatives , Dr. Michael Murphy says .