skin-sparing mastectomy
(SKIN spair-ing mass-TEK-tuh-mee)
A type of surgery to remove the breast that keeps all of the skin of the breast where it is, except for the nipple and areola. This allows for a more even skin tone if the breast is rebuilt. In other types of mastectomy, the breast tissue and skin are all removed. Then, if the breast is rebuilt, it looks patchy because skin is taken from another part of the body.
Read more about skin-sparing mastectomy.
Audio contributed by: Courteney Cox