This leads to a third option. If a patient has elected to undergo a mastectomy, she may then consider if she would like to undergo reconstructive surgery. That is where the skin is preserved and a breast mound is reformed by either using your own muscle or an implant. I lost my mom to breast cancer when she was only 48. With a personal history of dense, fibrous breasts and removal of three fibroadenomas not detected by mammograms, I am now considering having a subcutaneous mastectomy.
Subcutaneous mastectomy is removal of the breast tissue without lymph node sampling.
This also may be done in conjunction with reconstruction. Being that you are in the same age range as your mother when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, you are at an increased risk for development of breast cancer. Elective subcutaneous mastectomy is a completely personal decision that has to be made between you and your physician. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a prophylactic mastectomy, but you must also think of your own personal and social feelings that you will have to face if you are extremely worried about the development of breast cancer enough to interfere with your normal life, then prophylactic mastectomy may be best for you. I would also consider possible reconstruction at the same time.