Simple, Skin-Sparing or Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy: How the Types Differ and Who Gets Which

The pamphlet on the kitchen table has three diagrams, and all three look roughly the same: a breast outline, a dotted line, an arrow. Yet the surgeon spent twenty minutes explaining why one of those dotted lines is right for her and another is not. Somewhere between the appointment and the drive home, the words blurred together. Simple. Skin-sparing. Nipple-sparing. Modified radical. Goldilocks.

If you are sorting through the types of mastectomy for yourself or someone you love, the confusion is understandable. The names sound like they describe how aggressive the operation is. Mostly they do not. Nearly every modern mastectomy removes the same thing, the breast gland itself. What changes from one type to the next is what the surgeon leaves behind on the outside, and that turns out to matter enormously for reconstruction, sensation and how the chest looks afterward.

This explainer walks through each type in plain language, who is usually offered which, and the honest trade-offs that the diagrams leave out.

What the types of mastectomy actually describe

A mastectomy is surgery to remove the breast, and in nearly every version performed today the surgeon removes essentially all of the glandular tissue, the milk-producing lobules and ducts where breast cancers begin. That part rarely changes between types. What changes is the envelope: how much skin, whether the nipple and areola stay, and whether underarm lymph nodes come out in the same operation.

It helps to picture the breast as a pear inside a stocking. Every mastectomy removes the pear. A total mastectomy also removes most of the stocking. A skin-sparing mastectomy keeps the stocking but cuts off the toe where the nipple sits. A nipple-sparing mastectomy keeps the whole stocking intact. That is the entire logic behind the names, and once you hold that image, the rest of the terminology becomes far less intimidating.

Why does the envelope matter so much? Because reconstruction, if a person wants it, has to be built inside whatever skin remains. Keeping more skin usually means a more natural contour and fewer visible scars, according to Mayo Clinic. Keeping less skin means a flatter, simpler wound that heals predictably, which some people prefer and some situations require.

The other axis is the armpit. Cancer cells that leave the breast usually travel first to the axillary lymph nodes, small filters under the arm. Whether a surgeon samples one or two of those nodes or removes a larger group changes the operation’s name from total to modified radical, and it changes the recovery in ways covered later. Everything else, the anesthesia, the incision, the pathology afterward, is broadly shared across the types.

Total vs radical mastectomy: what is the difference?

A total mastectomy, also called a simple mastectomy, removes the whole breast including the skin over it, the nipple and the areola, but leaves the chest wall muscles alone. Lymph nodes under the arm are not removed as a block, although a small sentinel node biopsy is often done through the same incision, per MedlinePlus. It is the standard operation when no reconstruction is planned, and for many people who choose to stay flat.

A radical mastectomy is a different animal, and largely a historical one. Developed in the late nineteenth century, it removed the breast, the underlying pectoralis major and minor muscles, and all the axillary lymph nodes. The idea was that cancer spread outward in a tidy, contiguous way, so taking more tissue should mean more control. Decades of trials showed that removing the muscles did not improve outcomes but did leave a hollowed chest and a weakened arm. Mayo Clinic notes it is now rarely performed, reserved for the uncommon case where a tumor has grown directly into the chest muscle.

Between those two sits the modified radical mastectomy: the whole breast plus a formal removal of the axillary lymph nodes, called an axillary dissection, with the chest muscles preserved. This is usually the operation when cancer has already been confirmed in the underarm nodes.

So the honest answer to a common search question is this. Total and radical do not differ in how much breast is taken. They differ in muscle and lymph nodes, and the muscle-removing version has almost entirely disappeared from modern practice because evidence, not tradition, showed it caused harm without benefit.

How a skin-sparing mastectomy works

A skin-sparing mastectomy removes the breast tissue, the nipple and the areola through a relatively small opening, but deliberately keeps most of the surrounding skin so that a reconstructed breast can be built inside it. The incision is usually a circle around the areola, sometimes extended sideways in a shape surgeons call a keyhole or racquet.

Inside, the operation is a careful dissection along the plane between the skin and the gland. The surgeon lifts the skin flaps, follows the breast tissue down to the chest wall muscle, and removes the gland as a single specimen for the pathologist. The trick, and the reason this is a skill-dependent procedure, is thinning the skin flaps enough to take the breast tissue with them while leaving enough blood supply for the skin to survive. Too thick and breast cells may be left behind; too thin and patches of skin can lose circulation.

Skin-sparing surgery is nearly always paired with immediate reconstruction, meaning a plastic surgeon places an implant, a temporary tissue expander or the person’s own tissue in the same operation. Without something filling the envelope, the preserved skin would simply collapse and wrinkle. This is why the choice of mastectomy type and the choice about reconstruction are made together rather than in sequence.

From a cancer standpoint, keeping the skin has been widely adopted because breast skin that looks and feels normal is not usually where cancer sits. Where a tumor does involve the skin, as with inflammatory breast cancer or a mass that has broken through the surface, the surgeon will remove that skin, and a skin-sparing approach is generally not offered, per Cleveland Clinic.

Nipple-sparing mastectomy: keeping the outside, removing the inside

A nipple-sparing mastectomy goes one step further than skin-sparing: the surgeon removes all the breast tissue but preserves the entire skin envelope including the nipple and areola. The incision is placed where it can be hidden, often in the fold under the breast, along the outer edge, or at the border of the areola.

The nipple is the hardest part of the breast to spare safely, for two reasons. First, milk ducts run directly into it, so a few millimeters of glandular tissue sit right behind the nipple and must be cored out from within, leaving the nipple as a thin shell of skin. The surgeon sends this tissue, called the retro-areolar or subareolar margin, for pathology. If cancer cells are found there, the nipple is removed, sometimes during the same operation and sometimes at a second procedure, according to Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic.

Second, the nipple’s blood supply now has to come entirely from the surrounding skin rather than from the breast beneath it. That fragile circulation is why smoking, diabetes, prior radiation and very large or low-hanging breasts raise the risk that the nipple loses blood flow and part or all of it does not survive, a complication called nipple necrosis.

One expectation deserves correcting early. A spared nipple keeps its appearance but usually not its feeling. The nerves that supply sensation and the erectile response run through the breast tissue that has been removed. Some people regain partial sensation over months to years; many do not. The nipple also cannot produce milk. What nipple-sparing surgery offers is a chest that looks more like the one a person had, which for many is a meaningful thing, but it is a cosmetic preservation rather than a functional one.

What is a Goldilocks mastectomy?

A Goldilocks mastectomy is a variation designed for people with larger or drooping breasts who want a modest breast shape after surgery without an implant or tissue taken from elsewhere. The name comes from the fairy tale: not the full reconstruction of an implant, not the fully flat chest of a total mastectomy, but something in between.

Here is what happens. The surgeon uses the same incision pattern as a breast reduction, an anchor or inverted-T shape, and removes all of the breast gland. Instead of discarding the excess skin and the fat just beneath it, that lower flap of de-epithelialized tissue, skin with its outer layer shaved off, is folded upward and tucked under the remaining chest skin to create a small mound. The nipple is usually removed, though in some cases it can be repositioned as a free graft.

The result is a breast-like contour that is generally smaller than the original and softer than an implant, built entirely from the person’s own tissue in a single operation. There is no expander to fill, no second surgery to exchange an implant, and no donor site on the abdomen or back to heal.

The Goldilocks approach suits a specific situation. It requires enough redundant skin and fat to fold, which is why it is offered mainly to people with large or pendulous breasts, and it does not produce the fullness some people want. Because it is a newer technique performed in fewer centers, long-term data are more limited than for the established types, so a care team may discuss it as an option alongside the others rather than as a first choice. It can be combined later with fat grafting or a small implant if a person wishes.

Types of mastectomy compared at a glance

The table below lines up the major types along the features that actually differ. Every row assumes the whole breast gland is removed, because it is. Lymph node surgery is listed separately because it can be attached to almost any type depending on what the nodes show.

Type	Skin	Nipple and areola	Lymph nodes	Usual reconstruction setting
Total (simple)	Most removed	Removed	Sentinel node biopsy only, if needed	Flat closure, or delayed reconstruction
Skin-sparing	Most preserved	Removed	Sentinel node biopsy or dissection	Immediate reconstruction
Nipple-sparing	Preserved	Preserved, subareolar tissue checked	Sentinel node biopsy or dissection	Immediate reconstruction
Goldilocks	Excess folded into a small mound	Usually removed	Sentinel node biopsy or dissection	Built in the same operation from own tissue
Modified radical	Most removed	Removed	Axillary dissection	Flat closure, or delayed reconstruction
Radical (historical)	Removed	Removed	Axillary dissection plus chest muscles	Rarely performed today

Two clarifications keep the table honest. Skin-sparing and nipple-sparing can be paired with axillary dissection when nodes are involved; the skin choice and the node choice are independent decisions. And a total mastectomy is not a lesser operation: it removes exactly the same breast tissue and, for someone choosing to stay flat, it is the type that gives the smoothest, most predictable result. No row is the best row. Each is the right fit for a particular combination of tumor, anatomy and personal priorities, which the next section takes up.

Who is usually offered which type, and who is asked to wait

Suitability starts with the tumor. Cancer that sits close to the nipple, involves the skin, or presents as inflammatory breast cancer, a fast-growing form that makes the skin red and thickened, generally rules out sparing the nipple and often the skin, per Cleveland Clinic. A tumor several centimeters from the nipple, with a clean subareolar biopsy, opens the door to nipple-sparing surgery.

Next comes anatomy. Nipple-sparing works best when the breast is small to moderate in size and the nipple sits at or above the fold. In a large or low-hanging breast, the nipple would end up in the wrong place on a reconstructed mound and, more importantly, its blood supply becomes unreliable over the long skin flap. Those same features are what make the Goldilocks approach attractive, so anatomy that closes one door often opens another.

Then health and habits. Smoking constricts small blood vessels and is one of the strongest predictors of skin and nipple loss after a sparing procedure; many teams ask patients to stop for a period before and after surgery. Poorly controlled diabetes, obesity and prior chest radiation also raise wound complication risk and may steer a team toward a total mastectomy or toward delayed rather than immediate reconstruction.

Who is asked to wait? People who are receiving chemotherapy before surgery, called neoadjuvant treatment, have their operation scheduled several weeks after the last cycle to allow blood counts to recover. Someone with an active skin infection, a recent heart event or uncontrolled blood sugar will usually have surgery postponed until the issue is managed. Waiting in these situations is not a delay in care; it is part of it.

Finally, people with a strong inherited risk who choose risk-reducing mastectomy without a current cancer are frequently good candidates for nipple-sparing surgery, because there is no tumor to keep away from. The decision, in every case, sits with the surgical team and the patient together.

Is a mastectomy major surgery? What actually happens on the day

Yes, a mastectomy is major surgery, and it is also one of the most routine operations a breast surgeon performs. Both things are true. It takes place under general anesthesia, meaning the person is fully asleep, and Mayo Clinic describes the procedure itself as typically lasting a few hours, longer when reconstruction is done at the same time.

The morning usually begins with marking. The surgeon draws the planned incision on the skin while the person is sitting up, because breasts change shape when lying down. If a sentinel node biopsy is planned, a small amount of tracer, a radioactive material, a blue dye or both, is injected near the tumor or areola to travel to the first draining lymph nodes.

Once asleep, the sequence is broadly the same across types: incision, dissection of the breast off the skin flaps and off the chest muscle, removal of the gland as one specimen, sampling or removal of lymph nodes through the same or a separate small cut under the arm, then closure. If reconstruction is immediate, the plastic surgeon takes over at that point.

Before the wound is closed, one or two thin drainage tubes are usually placed under the skin and brought out through small openings to collect the fluid the body produces as it heals. They connect to soft bulbs that patients learn to empty and record at home, per MedlinePlus.

Hospital stays are short. Mayo Clinic notes many people go home within a day to a few days, and NHS guidance describes some people leaving the same day or the day after when no reconstruction is involved. Pain is generally described as soreness and tightness rather than sharp pain, and is managed with medicines chosen by the anesthesia and surgical team.

Lymph nodes: the decision made at the same time

Nearly every discussion about the types of mastectomy eventually turns to the armpit, because what happens to the lymph nodes shapes recovery at least as much as what happens to the skin.

A sentinel lymph node biopsy removes only the first one to a few nodes that receive drainage from the breast. If those are free of cancer, the remaining nodes are left in place, since cancer would have had to pass through the sentinels to reach them. The small incision heals quickly and the risk of long-term arm swelling is low.

An axillary lymph node dissection removes a larger group of nodes, typically the ones surrounding the sentinel area. It is usually reserved for people whose nodes were shown to contain cancer on a needle biopsy before surgery, or in some cases when several sentinel nodes are positive. The operation is more extensive, drains often stay longer, and there is a higher chance of lymphedema, the persistent swelling of the arm that happens when lymph fluid cannot drain properly, along with numbness along the inner upper arm and stiffness of the shoulder, per MedlinePlus and Mayo Clinic.

Guidelines have moved steadily toward doing less in the armpit when the evidence supports it. For many people with one or two positive sentinel nodes who will also receive radiation, full dissection may be avoided. That is a team decision based on the specific pathology, and a surgeon may not know until the sentinel result returns during or after the operation.

What this means practically: a person may go into surgery expecting a nipple-sparing mastectomy with a sentinel biopsy and come out with the same skin result but a different node procedure. Asking beforehand what would trigger a larger node operation removes an unwelcome surprise.

How reconstruction plans shape the type of mastectomy

The mastectomy type and the reconstruction plan are one decision wearing two hats. A skin- or nipple-sparing mastectomy only makes sense if something will fill the preserved skin, and a flat closure only looks its best when the surgeon is free to remove redundant skin.

Immediate reconstruction happens in the same operation. Options include an implant placed directly, a tissue expander that is gradually filled over weeks before being swapped for a permanent implant, or autologous reconstruction, which uses the person’s own skin, fat and sometimes muscle from the abdomen, back, thigh or buttock. Autologous procedures are longer operations with a second healing site, but produce a soft, warm breast that changes with body weight, per Mayo Clinic.

Delayed reconstruction means having a total mastectomy first and rebuilding months or years later. Teams often recommend this path when radiation to the chest wall is planned, because radiation can tighten and damage skin around a fresh implant, raising the risk of hardening, called capsular contracture, and of wound problems. Some centers place a temporary expander, radiate, then complete reconstruction afterward.

Aesthetic flat closure is a reconstruction choice too, not the absence of one. The surgeon removes excess skin, smooths the contour and avoids the folds or dog-ears that can form at the ends of a scar. People who choose to stay flat, whether for simplicity, to avoid further operations or by preference, deserve the same surgical attention to the final appearance as anyone receiving an implant.

Because radiation, chemotherapy timing, body shape and personal priorities all feed into this, the person deciding should expect to meet both the breast surgeon and, if reconstruction is on the table, a plastic surgeon before a final plan is set.

The first days and weeks after a mastectomy

The first week is about drains, dressings and learning what tightness across the chest feels like. Drains typically stay in until output falls to a low daily volume, which Mayo Clinic describes as often one to two weeks. They are removed in clinic in a matter of seconds and most people describe an odd pulling sensation rather than pain.

Numbness is near-universal. The skin of the chest, and sometimes the inner upper arm, feels wooden because sensory nerves were cut. Over months some feeling returns, often as tingling or sensitivity first, though a patch of permanent numbness is common, per MedlinePlus. Odd sensations, itching or brief shooting pains in a breast that is no longer there, sometimes called phantom sensations, are also reported and tend to settle.

Movement matters early. Gentle shoulder exercises, usually started within days on the team’s instruction, prevent the shoulder from stiffening and help lymph fluid drain. Lifting the arm high, carrying heavy bags and driving are generally restricted until drains are out and the surgeon clears it.

NHS guidance describes recovery as taking a few weeks for most people, with return to desk work often sooner than return to physical jobs. Fatigue can be surprising and disproportionate to the size of the incision; anesthesia, healing and the emotional weight of the diagnosis all draw on the same reserves.

Around two to three weeks, the pathology report is typically discussed. This is the moment the final picture emerges, including margins and node status, and it determines whether further treatment such as radiation, hormone-blocking therapy or chemotherapy is recommended. Reconstruction follow-up, expander fills or planning for delayed procedures continue in parallel over the following months.

What are the disadvantages of a mastectomy?

Honest counseling names the downsides, and there are several worth weighing.

Loss of sensation is the one people most often say they were not prepared for. Even with a nipple-sparing procedure, the chest and nipple usually feel numb, and touch is no longer experienced the way it was. For some this affects intimacy and body image more than the change in appearance.

Surgical complications are shared across types but weighted differently. Seroma, a collection of fluid under the skin after drains come out, is common and often needs needle drainage in clinic. Hematoma, a collection of blood, and wound infection are less common but can require a return to the operating room. Skin flap or nipple necrosis, loss of blood supply to the preserved skin, is specific to sparing procedures and ranges from a small scab that heals on its own to tissue loss that needs revision, per Cleveland Clinic.

Lymphedema and shoulder stiffness track mainly with how many lymph nodes were removed. Arm swelling can appear months or years later, is often manageable with compression and therapy, but can be lifelong.

Then there is what a mastectomy does not do. It does not remove the need for other treatments; hormone therapy, chemotherapy or radiation are recommended based on the cancer’s biology, not on how much breast was taken. It does not lower the risk of cancer in the other breast unless that breast is also removed, and for most people without an inherited mutation, that risk is already low, according to Mayo Clinic. Removing the second breast is a personal choice some people make for peace of mind or symmetry, but it should be understood for what it is.

Mastectomy is also permanent, and reconstruction, however good, is a rebuilt breast rather than a restored one. Multiple operations over a year or more are common when reconstruction is involved.

What people often get wrong about mastectomy types

Myth one: a bigger operation is safer. For most early breast cancers, decades of trials show that lumpectomy with radiation and mastectomy lead to similar long-term outcomes, which is why NHS and Mayo Clinic describe both as standard options when a tumor is small enough relative to the breast. A mastectomy is chosen for reasons of tumor size, multiple tumors, inability to have radiation, inherited risk or personal preference, not because it is inherently more thorough at controlling disease.

Myth two: nipple-sparing leaves cancer behind. When the tumor is well away from the nipple and the tissue behind the nipple is checked and clear, current evidence supports nipple-sparing as an oncologically acceptable option in properly selected patients. The selection is the safeguard; the technique is not a compromise for people who meet the criteria.

Myth three: a spared nipple will feel and function normally. As covered above, appearance is preserved; sensation usually is not, and breastfeeding is not possible.

Myth four: removing the healthy breast improves survival for everyone. For people without a high-risk inherited mutation, the risk of a new cancer in the opposite breast is low, and guidelines do not routinely recommend removing it for that reason alone. Some people still choose it for symmetry or anxiety, which is legitimate, but it is not a medical necessity.

Myth five: staying flat means the surgeon did less. An aesthetic flat closure requires careful contouring, and a person who chooses no reconstruction is choosing a result, not declining one.

Myth six: radical mastectomy is still common. It is now used only in the rare case where a tumor invades the chest muscle. Someone told they need a mastectomy today is almost never facing that historical operation.

Questions to ask your care team about the type of mastectomy

Consultations move fast, and the questions that matter most tend to surface afterward. Writing a few down beforehand changes the conversation from a briefing into a decision made together.

• Which types of mastectomy am I a candidate for, and what specifically rules the others in or out for me?
• How far is my tumor from the nipple, and what would happen if the tissue behind the nipple shows cancer cells during surgery?
• Will I have a sentinel node biopsy or an axillary dissection, and what finding would change that plan mid-operation?
• Is radiation likely after surgery, and how does that affect the timing and type of reconstruction you would advise?
• If I want to stay flat, what will you do to make the contour smooth, and can I see what that typically looks like?
• What are the realistic chances of skin or nipple losing blood supply given my anatomy and health, and what would be done if it happened?
• What should I expect in terms of sensation on the chest and nipple, and does that differ between the options you are suggesting?
• How many operations in total does the recommended plan involve over the next year or two?
• Does any of this change if the final pathology differs from the biopsy?
• Is there anything I should stop, start or arrange before surgery, and how long should I plan to be away from work?

A team that welcomes these questions is doing its job. So is a patient who asks them, listens to the reasoning, and then asks for a day or two to think. Few people regret a decision they understood; many regret one that was made for them in a rush.

When to call your doctor after a mastectomy

Most recoveries are uneventful, and the surgical team will give written instructions on what to watch for. Some signs, though, should never wait for the next scheduled appointment, because they can signal infection, bleeding or a failing skin flap that is easier to manage early.

Call the surgical team the same day if you notice increasing redness, warmth or swelling around the incision or under the arm; a fever, particularly with chills; pus, a foul smell or the wound edges separating; drain fluid that suddenly turns bright red or increases sharply in volume; a drain that stops working or falls out; a rapidly enlarging, tense or painful swelling under the skin, which can indicate a hematoma; or an area of skin or nipple that turns dark purple, gray or black, which may mean the blood supply is compromised, per MedlinePlus and Cleveland Clinic.

Seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, sudden shortness of breath, coughing up blood, or a swollen, painful calf, because these can be signs of a blood clot in the leg or lung, a recognized risk after any major operation. Heavy bleeding that soaks dressings, or a sudden severe headache, confusion or fainting also warrant emergency attention.

Do not dismiss new arm heaviness, tightness in rings or watches, or swelling that appears weeks or months later. Early lymphedema is far easier to manage than established swelling, and a referral to a lymphedema therapist can be arranged.

Emotional health belongs here too. Persistent low mood, anxiety that interferes with sleep or daily life, or distress about body changes are reasons to contact the team, who can connect you to counseling and support. Every judgment about what a symptom means, and what to do next, belongs with the clinicians who know your case.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between total mastectomy and radical mastectomy?

A total mastectomy removes the whole breast but leaves the chest muscles and most lymph nodes in place. A radical mastectomy, largely abandoned, also removed the pectoral muscles and all axillary nodes. Trials showed the extra tissue removal caused disability without improving outcomes, so it is now reserved for rare tumors invading the chest muscle.

What is a Goldilocks mastectomy?

A Goldilocks mastectomy removes all the breast tissue through a breast-reduction incision and folds the person’s own excess skin and fat into a small breast mound, avoiding implants or tissue from elsewhere. It suits people with large or drooping breasts who want a modest shape in one operation, and long-term data are more limited than for established types.

Is a mastectomy major surgery?

Yes. A mastectomy is performed under general anesthesia and typically takes a few hours, longer with reconstruction, according to Mayo Clinic. It is also a very common operation with a short hospital stay, often one to a few days. Recovery usually takes a few weeks, and the main long-term effects are numbness and, after node removal, some risk of arm swelling.

What are the disadvantages of a mastectomy?

Permanent loss of chest and nipple sensation is the most common disadvantage, even with nipple-sparing surgery. Others include seroma, infection, skin or nipple necrosis after sparing procedures, lymphedema after node removal, and the need for further operations if reconstruction is chosen. Mastectomy also does not replace other recommended treatments such as radiation or hormone therapy.

Who is a good candidate for a skin sparing mastectomy?

Skin-sparing mastectomy is generally offered to people planning immediate reconstruction whose cancer does not involve the skin. It is usually not offered for inflammatory breast cancer or tumors that have grown into the skin. Smoking, poorly controlled diabetes and prior radiation raise wound risks and may lead a team to recommend a different approach.

Is nipple sparing mastectomy safe for breast cancer?

For carefully selected people, current evidence supports nipple-sparing mastectomy as an acceptable option. Selection means the tumor is well away from the nipple, there is no skin involvement, and the tissue behind the nipple is checked by pathology and found clear. If cancer cells are present there, the nipple is removed. Suitability is decided by the surgical team.

Will I have feeling in my nipple after a nipple-sparing mastectomy?

Usually not, at least at first. The nerves supplying nipple sensation run through the breast tissue that is removed, so the nipple typically feels numb afterward. Some people regain partial sensation over months to years, but many do not, and the nipple cannot produce milk. Appearance is preserved; function largely is not.

Does a mastectomy mean I will not need radiation or chemotherapy?

No. Whether radiation, chemotherapy or hormone-blocking therapy is recommended depends on the cancer’s size, biology and lymph node status, not on how much breast was removed. Some people who have a mastectomy still need radiation to the chest wall, particularly when nodes are involved or the tumor is large, per NHS guidance.

How does total vs radical mastectomy affect recovery?

A total mastectomy without node dissection generally means shorter drain time, less shoulder stiffness and a low risk of lymphedema. Modified radical mastectomy, which removes axillary nodes, carries higher risks of arm swelling, numbness on the inner arm and stiffness. The historical radical mastectomy, now rare, added chest muscle loss and arm weakness.

Should I have the other breast removed at the same time?

For people without a strong inherited risk, the chance of a new cancer in the opposite breast is low, and guidelines do not routinely recommend removing it, according to Mayo Clinic. Some choose it for symmetry or peace of mind, which is a legitimate personal decision. It adds surgical risk and recovery time, so discuss the trade-offs with your team.

References

• MedlinePlus: Mastectomy
• NHS: Mastectomy
• CDC: Treatment of Breast Cancer

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.