Mastecomy is the removal of all of the breast tissue. Depending on your diagnosis and the size and location of your cancer, Dr. Santillan may also remove your nipple or the skin of your breast.

A mastectomy is recommended to treat:

Women who have breast cancer: the mastectomy procedure will remove all of the cancer and any remaining healthy breast tissue.

Women with a hereditary risk of breast cancer (for example, a BRCA gene mutation): 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)

Women who have both breast cancer and a hereditary risk of breast cancer.

Mastectomy procedures:

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. Dr. Santillan 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. Dr. Santillan 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.