Mastectomy or Lumpectomy
Skin-sparing Mastectomy
What is Skin-sparing mastectomy?
Skin-sparing mastectomy is an advanced surgical technique that removes the breast tissue while preserving most of the natural breast skin. In cases where the nipple-areola complex is affected by cancer or cannot be safely preserved, the nipple and areola are also removed as part of the procedure.
This approach is commonly performed when the breast skin itself is not involved with the disease, allowing for immediate breast reconstruction at the time of mastectomy. By preserving the natural skin envelope, skin-sparing mastectomy can help achieve a more natural breast shape and contour following reconstruction while maintaining effective cancer treatment.
For many patients, this technique offers both oncological safety and improved cosmetic outcomes compared with traditional mastectomy approaches. Reconstruction of the nipple-areola complex can also be performed at a later stage to further enhance the final appearance and help restore a natural aesthetic result.
A/Prof Farid Meybodi utilises modern oncoplastic and reconstructive breast surgery techniques tailored to each patient’s diagnosis, anatomy, and individual treatment goals.
Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy
What is nipple-sparing mastectomy?
Nipple-sparing mastectomy is an advanced surgical technique that removes the breast tissue while preserving the nipple, areola, and most of the natural breast skin. This approach is commonly performed in carefully selected patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer or risk-reducing (prophylactic) breast surgery.
By preserving the natural skin envelope and nipple-areola complex, nipple-sparing mastectomy can help achieve more natural aesthetic outcomes following breast reconstruction. The procedure is often combined with immediate breast reconstruction to restore breast shape and contour while minimising visible changes to the appearance of the breast.
Careful patient selection is essential to ensure the procedure is both safe and oncologically appropriate. Nipple-sparing mastectomy may not be suitable in situations where the cancer is located close to, involving, or directly beneath the nipple-areola complex. Pre-operative imaging, tumour characteristics, breast anatomy, and overall treatment goals are all carefully assessed when determining suitability for this approach.
A/Prof Farid Meybodi utilises modern oncoplastic and reconstructive breast surgery techniques tailored to each patient’s diagnosis, anatomy, and individual preferences, with a strong focus on both cancer safety and long-term aesthetic outcomes.
