Men Are Getting Breast Reconstruction Too!

It isn't widely known, but 1 percent of the individuals diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the U.S. are men. This means that about 2,000 or so guys get a very unpleasant surprise when, after they or a family doctor notices a lump under the nipple area, they get a biopsy, and then hear the words that every woman dreads: You have breast cancer.

The same standard of care

From a surgical perspective, the standard of care for these fellows is going to be the same as for women with very small breasts. Because neither of these two patient groups has a lot of breast tissue, they are not usually going to be candidates for a lumpectomy, but rather just for mastectomy surgery.

Plus, the whole 9 yards

Here is what might surprise you, though--after their surgery, more and more of these men lately have been opting to get a small silicone breast implant inserted under the pectoral muscle. And many of these men are choosing not only to have the nipple rebuilt but also to get a realistic tattoo around the nipple that looks just like the areola.

So move over, ladies, breast reconstruction and areola tattoos are no longer the sole province of the female! And bravo for the men, I say, if they too want to look and feel confident while walking along the beach.

Know any likely candidates?

So if you know of any man who has had breast cancer surgery in the past but who never had any reconstruction, consider sharing this blog with him. He might still be a candidate to have it done, if he so desires.