Hidden Scar Surgery

Our surgeons place your incision in a location that makes it invisible after it heals. Hidden scar surgery can be used with both mastectomy or lumpectomy procedures.

Hidden Scar Procedures

Depending on the type and size of your breast tumor, you may have one of these hidden scar procedures:

Hidden Scar Lumpectomy

With this procedure, the surgeon removes the tumor and a small portion of healthy tissue around it. To hide the scar, the surgeon makes the incision in one of three locations – in the armpit, in the natural crease under the breast, or along the edges of the areola (the ring of skin around the nipple). The location of the tumor helps determine where the incision will be.

Hidden Scar Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy

A nipple-sparing mastectomy removes all the breast tissue but leaves the nipple. If no cancerous tissue is found in or directly beneath your nipple, a hidden scar nipple-sparing mastectomy may be an option for you.

The scar is hidden by placing the incision in the natural crease beneath the breast. Women who have mastectomies because they have a strong family history of breast cancer but don’t have cancer themselves (a prophylactic mastectomy) may use this approach. It’s also used for women with noninvasive cancer, called DCIS.