Checking your breasts for lumps may help you detect problems early.
Facing a breast cancer diagnosis is scary enough, but listening to your physician suggest a mastectomy as a treatment option may cause you to panic. Losing your breasts could temporarily impact your self-esteem, even if you choose to undergo breast reconstruction surgery. Does this Spark an idea?
Types
A single mastectomy involves removing only one breast, while a surgeon removes both of your breasts during a double mastectomy. During a single or double mastectomy, a surgeon will either completely remove your breast or remove subcutaneous breast tissue while leaving your nipple attached to your skin, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Side Effects
Side effects associated with a single or double mastectomy include hardened scar tissue around the incision site, pain in one or both of your shoulders and swelling, according to the Mayo Clinic. You may also experience numbness around your armpit, due to the removal of your lymph nodes.
Reconstruction
Women who have either a single or a double mastectomy may choose to have reconstructive surgery. Surgeons either use implants or muscle and fat tissue collected from other parts of the body to create breast mass.
Preventative Mastectomy Considerations
A woman classified as high-risk by a physician due to a family history of breast cancer may decrease her chances of developing breast cancer by up to 90 percent when undergoing a double mastectomy, according to the National Cancer Institute. Even after having a double mastectomy, a woman may still develop breast cancer in the small amounts of breast tissue that remain in her body after the surgery.
Tags: double mastectomy, breast cancer, single double mastectomy, your breasts, according National
