An American Icon Who Strived to Uplift Women and Their Self-Confidence
- Barbie doll inventor Ruth Handler was also a breast cancer survivor and used her experience following a mastectomy (removal of the breasts) to create “Nearly Me,” a prosthetic breast company for women wishing to feel like their former selves after undergoing a mastectomy.
- A mastectomy is the removal of the entire breast during surgery. There are several factors to weigh when considering a mastectomy, such as if breast-conserving surgery (or lumpectomy) is possible. Your doctor will evaluate the size and features of your tumor and your family history to make a recommendation.
- After undergoing a mastectomy, women have breast reconstruction options, including a flap procedure. This procedure reconstructs your breasts with implants or with your own tissue taken from some other place on your body, such as your back, your abdomen, or your inner thigh.
- Breast implant surgery is another reconstruction option that typically requires fewer surgeries, fewer cuts, and leaves fewer scars. One possible downside is implants may not feel and look like natural breasts.
- A prophylactic, or preventative, mastectomy is an operation where the breast tissue is removed to prevent cancer from developing in the future. This is a viable option for women at high risk for breast cancer, which includes having a family history of the disease or possessing the BRCA gene mutation, which increases breast cancer risk.
So, she created the “Nearly Me” prosthesis, which are prosthetic silicone breasts for women who underwent a mastectomy (removal of the breast(s).
Read MoreBy the time “Nearly Me” was launched, Handler was a well-known marketer and promoter following her immense success with the Barbie doll.
Fast forward nearly 50 years, and the product line still exists today alongside other similar products, such as mastectomy bras, to support women battling breast cancer.
Handler died in 2002 at 85 following complications from colon surgery, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Expert Resources on Mastectomies
I’ve Lived My Life from Breast to Breast
Handler was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1970. For treatment, she underwent a mastectomy. According to NBC News, in the 1970s, “few nonsurgical ways to reconstruct the chest after a mastectomy” existed.
Today, following a mastectomy, reconstruction is a common approach many women choose to undergo.
WATCH: The process of mastectomy breast cancer surgery.
When a woman decides to have a mastectomy, several factors go into that decision. Among things to consider is whether to have breast-conserving surgery such as a lumpectomy. These decisions should be made alongside your doctor by openly and candidly discussing risks vs. benefits.
“A double mastectomy typically takes about two hours for the cancer part of the operation, the removing of the tissue,” Dr. Elisa Port, Chief of Breast Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System, tells SurvivorNet. “The real length, the total length of the surgery, can often depend on what type of reconstruction [a patient] has.”
Other factors that weigh into the decision to get a mastectomy are the size and features of the tumor and your family history. However, the gravity of your decision comes into full view, especially if you choose to get a mastectomy and remove both of your breasts.
Some women decide to have their breasts reconstructed and have implants put in right after the mastectomy, while others don’t have reconstruction at all.
Dr. Port added that most women opt to have some reconstruction. The length of these surgeries can vary greatly. When implants are used, the procedure can take two to three hours (so the total surgery time would be around five hours). There is also the option to take one’s own tissue (usually from the belly area) and transfer it into the breast area during reconstruction.
More on Reconstruction Surgery
After undergoing a mastectomy, women have breast reconstruction options.
Plastic surgeons can reconstruct your breasts with implants or with your own tissue taken from some other place on your body, such as your back, your abdomen, or your inner thigh. Reconstruction that uses your own tissue is called a flap procedure.
A flap can produce breasts that look and feel more natural than implants. A flap procedure tends to require more surgery, takes longer to recover, and leaves more scars than breast implant surgery.
Breast implant surgery typically requires fewer surgeries, fewer cuts, and leaves fewer scars. All of this means you’ll be back to your usual life sooner. But implants won’t look and feel as much like natural breasts. As you age or gain or lose weight, the implants will stay the same, which could make them look less natural over time. Implants can sometimes leak or burst. In this case, you would have to have them replaced.
WATCH: Weighing the pros and cons of implants versus your own tissue.
“Breast reconstruction is a restoration of a woman’s form and her sense of self,” says Dr. Andrea Pusic, Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Another aspect of breast reconstruction is when to do it. Depending on your cancer treatment plan and the type of reconstruction you will have, you might be able to begin breast reconstruction (also called immediate reconstruction) during the same surgery as your breast cancer surgery.
Delayed reconstruction occurs after the mastectomy procedure,” Dr. Terry Myckatyn tells SurvivorNet. Myckatyn is a plastic surgeon specializing in breast reconstruction at Washington University St. Louis.
Myckatyn adds, “According to most studies, it has fewer complications than immediate reconstruction.”
Related: Saline vs. Silicone Implants; Which Is Right for You?
What to Consider When Weighing Preventive Mastectomy?
A prophylactic, or preventative, mastectomy is an operation where the breast tissue is removed to prevent cancer from developing in the future.
“Risk-reducing mastectomies are an operation where we take women at, usually, very high risk for getting breast cancer for genetic mutation carriers, who are the ones at the highest risk; there’s unfortunately only one way to actually prevent breast cancer,” Dr. Elisa Port, Chief of Breast Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System, tells SurvivorNet.
“Women who are found to test positive for a genetic mutation really have two options,” Dr. Port explains. “One is what’s called high-risk surveillance, which means we check them every six months or so mammograms, MRIs with the hope that if God forbid, they develop breast cancer, we pick it up early. But that’s not prevention; that’s early detection.
“Early detection is a goal; it’s not a guarantee. For the woman who wants to be more proactive about actually preventing breast cancer, or as we say reducing her risk, unfortunately, the only way to do that is to remove the actual tissue at risk, and that is the breast tissue,” she adds.
Some women decide to have their breasts reconstructed and have implants put in right after the mastectomy, while others don’t have reconstruction at all.
The benefits of a prophylactic or preventative surgery are:
- Significant reduction in cancer risk (from 80-90% to 1-2%)
- Nipples can often be spared
- Women can get reconstruction at the same time
How to Choose the Right Surgeon?
Surgical procedures such as a double mastectomy can be an emotional part of a woman’s breast cancer journey. Choosing the right surgeon is extremely important for such a heavy part of the process.
SurvivorNet doctors say women should trust their gut when choosing a surgeon.
“You shouldn’t just ask surgeons how many operations they’ve performed because volume is not necessarily the best indicator of the right surgeon for you. On the other hand, you don’t want a surgeon who is inexperienced,” urologic oncologist Dr. Jay Shah said.
Above all, Dr. Shah says people who are faced with a choice of surgeons should go with someone they can trust.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you’re facing the option of having a mastectomy, here are some questions to consider asking your doctor:
- What can I do to prepare for a double mastectomy?
- What happens before and after the procedure?
- For reconstruction, what are the benefits of using implants over my tissue and vice versa?
- What should I know about implants? Should I opt for preventative surgery?
- What will recovery look like after the procedure?
- What are the benefits of a watch & wait approach vs. preventative surgery?
- What kind of surveillance is required after the surgery?
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