How Long Will a Double Mastectomy Take?
- A double mastectomy is a procedure to remove both breasts to get rid of cancer. Sometimes, this procedure is also performed to reduce breast cancer risk.
- The mastectomy procedure itself takes around two hours.
- If a woman opts to have her breasts reconstructed immediately after the mastectomy, that process will add several hours onto the procedure.
- To reconstruct the breast, surgeons can either use an implant or take tissue from elsewhere on the body and transplant it.
The procedure typically only takes a few hours, but may take longer depending on what type of reconstruction a woman has opted to get. 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.
Read MoreQuestions to Ask Your Doctor
- What can I do to prepare for a double mastectomy?
- What happens before and after the procedure?
- What are the benefits of using implants over my own tissue and vice versa?
- What will recovery look like after the procedure?
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