In a mastectomy procedure, your surgeon will remove all of your breast tissue. Depending on your diagnosis and the size and location of your cancer, the surgeon may also remove your nipple or the skin of your breast.
Why Mastectomy?
A mastectomy is recommended to treat:
- Women who have breast cancer.
- Women with a hereditary risk of breast cancer (for example, a BRCA gene mutation).
- Women who have both breast cancer and a hereditary risk of breast cancer.
- There are several types of mastectomy procedures.
Risk Reducing Mastectomy
For women who have breast cancer, the mastectomy procedure will remove all of the cancer and any remaining healthy breast tissue. For women who have a hereditary risk of cancer, the mastectomy procedure will remove all of the breast tissue that is at risk for developing cancer. This is called a risk-reducing mastectomy (prophylactic mastectomy)
Modified Radical Mastectomy:
In a modified radical mastectomy, all of the breast tissue is removed along with the majority of the skin and the nipple. A surgeon will make an incision horizontally across your chest. This will leave a large sized scar on the front of the chest that is very visible.
Skin Sparing Mastectomy:
In a skin sparing mastectomy, all of the breast tissue is removed, the nipple is removed, but the skin is preserved. A surgeon will make an incision all the way around the nipple and will typically extend the incision horizontally across the breast as well. This will leave a medium to large sized scar on the front of the breast that is very visible.
Nipple Sparing Mastectomy:
All of the breast tissue is removed, but the nipple and skin are not. Traditional incisions for Nipple Sparing Mastectomies are made on the side of the breast. Therefore, this procedure will leave a medium to large sized scar on the side of the breast that is visible.
Hidden Scar Mastectomy:
A Nipple Sparing Mastectomy can be performed as a Hidden Scar Procedure. With a Hidden Scar approach, your incision is made in the natural crease beneath your breast (inframammary fold). Your scar will be hidden when it heals. Ask your surgeon if you’re a candidate for Hidden Scar Surgery or find a Hidden Scar trained surgeon here.
A Nipple Sparing Mastectomy can be performed as a Hidden Scar Procedure. With a Hidden Scar approach, your incision is made in the natural crease beneath your breast (inframammary fold). Your scar will be hidden when it heals. Ask your surgeon if you’re a candidate for Hidden Scar Surgery or use our surgeon finder to find a Hidden Scar Trained surgeon near you.
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