Video

Dr. Jay Harness
More From This Member

Expert Bio

VIDEO: Dr. Harness - Nipple/Areolar And Skin-Sparing Mastectomy, How Does A Woman Know If She Is A Candidate?

Dr. Harness shares how a woman can find out if she is a candidate for a nipple/areolar and skin-sparing mastectomy.

Dr. Harness, M.D.:
If a woman has made a decision that she is going to have a mastectomy, she needs to decide if she is going to have reconstruction. If she is going to have reconstruction, she then needs to ask the question, “Am I a candidate for nipple/areolar- and skin-preserving mastectomy, yes or no?” And she also needs to ask what the doctor’s feelings are, the surgeon’s feelings are about this.

If the surgeon is aware of the growing body of information that talks about the safety of this procedure, and if the surgeon is not comfortable with that, who would she recommend that she see who might be comfortable with that type of procedure.

The cosmetic outcomes from doing nipple/areolar- and skin-sparing mastectomy can be spectacular, and we often use an incision down what’s called the inframammary fold which is down the lower aspect of where the breast is, plus an incision up in the axilla so that frankly the scars are hidden after this kind of surgery, and particularly if you have double mastectomies, the cosmetic outcomes from this can be utterly spectacular.

About Dr. Harness, M.D.:
Dr. Jay Harness, M.D., is the Director at St. Joseph Hospital Comprehensive Breast Center. Practicing medicine for 35 years, Dr. Harness specializes in general surgery and medical oncology. Graduating medical school from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, he conducting his internship and residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Recognized nationally and internationally for his work in breast and endocrine surgery, Dr. Harness is the immediate past-President of The American Society of Breast Surgeons and is President-elect of Breast Surgery International. Dr. Harness can assist patients in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Visit Dr. Harness at St. Joseph Hospital

CONNECT with Women Interested inBreast Cancer

Pat Elliott

Breast Cancer Guide