Do you need a double mastectomy to match?

Some patients elect to have a bilateral, or double, mastectomy. Many do not need one, and the decision should be made case by case — there are real arguments on both sides, and they are different for every patient.

Symmetry is not by itself a reason to remove a healthy breast. With natural tissue reconstruction it is usually possible to get a good match without doing so.

This patient had a left skin-sparing mastectomy and reconstruction with a single DIEP flap. A second operation followed: a lift, or mastopexy, on the right breast, and a revision with nipple reconstruction on the left.