{"entity":{"id":"body-image-after-breast-surgery","kind":"term","name":"Body image after breast surgery and reconstruction","aka":["body image","living flat","prosthesis"],"tldr":"It can take a year for scars, swelling and feelings about a changed body to settle after breast surgery; a prosthesis, reconstruction, no reconstruction, specialist bras and talking to someone who has been through it are all ordinary routes, and none is the right one for everybody.","summary":"Cancer Research UK says it can take some time to adjust to a new body shape, that scars fade but it may take up to a year for things to settle, that surgery does not affect being able to have sex although feelings may change for a while, and lists mastectomy wear and prosthesis suppliers. NICE NG101 says offer reconstruction to everyone after mastectomy and be aware that some people prefer not to have it. Macmillan says you may decide to wear a prosthesis instead of reconstruction. Breast Cancer Now's Someone Like Me service pairs people with a volunteer who has had a similar experience. This is orientation from public patient pages and guidelines, not advice for your case: your own team's instructions and 24-hour number come first.","asOf":"2026-09-24","links":[{"label":"Cancer Research UK: life after breast cancer surgery","url":"https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/breast-cancer/living-with/life-after-surgery"},{"label":"NICE NG101: early and locally advanced breast cancer, recommendations (updated 2025)","url":"https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng101/chapter/Recommendations"},{"label":"Macmillan: breast reconstruction","url":"https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/breast-cancer/breast-reconstruction"},{"label":"Breast Cancer Now: coping with breast cancer emotionally","url":"https://breastcancernow.org/about-breast-cancer/life-after-treatment/coping-with-breast-cancer-emotionally"},{"label":"Gartner et al., prevalence of and factors associated with persistent pain following breast cancer surgery (JAMA 2009)","url":"https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2009.1568"},{"label":"Cancer Research UK: possible problems after mastectomy","url":"https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/breast-cancer/treatment/surgery/after-surgery/problems-after-mastectomy"}],"tags":[],"related":["breast-reconstruction","oncoplastic-breast-surgery"],"cancers":["tnbc","breast-cancer"],"sections":["rejuvenation"],"technologies":["peer-support-groups","psycho-oncology"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":["mastectomy","lumpectomy"],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":["Sensation, which is a separate question from appearance and is asked far less often. Cancer Research UK says nerve damage during surgery can leave numbness, tingling or shooting pain in the armpit, upper arm, shoulder or chest wall, and that the nerves usually repair themselves but it can take many weeks or months. In a Danish national survey of 3,253 women a median of 26 months after breast cancer surgery, 47 percent reported pain in the treated area, and the odds of sensory disturbance were about five times higher after axillary lymph node dissection than after sentinel lymph node dissection.","A reconstructed breast or a spared nipple has little or no feeling, whatever it looks like. Cancer Research UK says the new breast will feel and look different to the one removed, so asking specifically about sensation before the operation is how this gets discussed rather than discovered."],"category":"Clinic basics"},"route":"/terms/body-image-after-breast-surgery/","neighbours":{"term":[{"id":"breast-reconstruction","kind":"term","name":"Breast reconstruction","route":"/terms/breast-reconstruction/"},{"id":"lumpectomy","kind":"term","name":"Lumpectomy (breast-conserving surgery)","route":"/terms/lumpectomy/"},{"id":"mastectomy","kind":"term","name":"Mastectomy","route":"/terms/mastectomy/"},{"id":"oncoplastic-breast-surgery","kind":"term","name":"Oncoplastic breast surgery","route":"/terms/oncoplastic-breast-surgery/"}],"cancer":[{"id":"breast-cancer","kind":"cancer","name":"Breast cancer (all types)","route":"/cancers/breast-cancer/"},{"id":"tnbc","kind":"cancer","name":"Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)","route":"/cancers/tnbc/"}],"section":[{"id":"rejuvenation","kind":"section","name":"Recovery & Rejuvenation","route":"/fronts/rejuvenation/"}],"technology":[{"id":"rejuv-mind-body-image-after-cancer","kind":"technology","name":"Body image after cancer treatment: how it is measured, what drives it, and what helps","route":"/technologies/rejuv-mind-body-image-after-cancer/"},{"id":"peer-support-groups","kind":"technology","name":"Peer support and support groups","route":"/technologies/peer-support-groups/"},{"id":"psycho-oncology","kind":"technology","name":"Psycho-oncology and distress screening","route":"/technologies/psycho-oncology/"}],"trial":[{"id":"mroc","kind":"trial","name":"Mastectomy Reconstruction Outcomes Consortium (MROC)","route":"/trials/mroc/"},{"id":"pre-bra","kind":"trial","name":"Pre-BRA (pre-pectoral breast reconstruction evaluation)","route":"/trials/pre-bra/"}]}}