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Surgery is a common treatment option for women with breast cancer. The surgery is to remove the cancerous tissue and the area close to it. There are many different ways of operating on breast cancer and the type of surgery will depend on the stage of the patient’s cancer. Surgery can range from breast-conserving surgery (removing part of the breast) to a full mastectomy (removing the whole breast). Many women also opt for breast reconstruction surgery which helps to restore the appearance of their breasts. Frequently for these surgeries, the patient is left with skin flaps and skin grafts to help close the wound. For skin grafts or flaps to survive and the wound to heal well a new blood supply needs to form from the underlying tissue to the grafted skin. One of the risks of these surgeries is that the skin flaps or grafts do not heal well due to ischaemia (insufficient supply of blood) or necrosis (the tissue dying).