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Surgery on the other breast to match a reconstruction | CION Cancer Clinics
Symmetry surgery is an optional operation on your healthy breast so that it matches the reconstructed one. It may make the natural breast smaller, lift it, enlarge it or add a little fat. It can be done at the same time as reconstruction or later, once the new breast has settled. This page explains the options, what you may give up, and who may be better waiting. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MI
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mohammed ImaduddinConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What is symmetry surgery on the other breast?
- What can be done to the other breast?
- Should it be done with the reconstruction or later?
- What happens before and after symmetry surgery?
- What should you weigh before operating on a healthy breast?
- What do women often believe about symmetry surgery?
- What do the terms on your consent form mean?
- Common questions about symmetry surgery
The short answer
What is symmetry surgery on the other breast?
Symmetry surgery is an operation on your healthy breast so that it matches the reconstructed one in size, shape or height. It is optional, and many women choose not to have it.
Why the two sides can end up different
A reconstructed breast is built to sit well on your chest, but it will not behave exactly like your own breast. It may be firmer, rounder or higher. Your natural breast also changes with age and weight, and it droops over time while an implant does not. So even a well-matched pair can drift apart over the years.
Why it matters to some women and not others
For some women the difference shows in a blouse or a saree, or makes a bra uncomfortable, and it bothers them every day. For others a difference is only visible without clothes and does not matter at all. Neither view is wrong. The operation exists for the first group, and nobody should feel pushed into it.
A breast form or a padded bra can even out the look in clothes without any surgery on the healthy side.The options
What can be done to the other breast?
The choice depends on whether your natural breast is larger, smaller or lower than the reconstructed one.
Reduction
Skin and breast tissue are removed to make the natural breast smaller and lift it. The removed tissue is sent to the laboratory, like any other tissue.
Often suits
- A larger, heavier natural breast
- Women with back or shoulder strain
Lift
Extra skin is removed and the nipple is moved higher, without making the breast much smaller. Doctors call this a mastopexy.
Enlargement
An implant is placed behind the natural breast to match a larger reconstruction. It brings the long-term care that any implant needs.
Fat grafting
Fat taken from the tummy or thighs is injected to add small amounts of fullness. It suits minor differences rather than large ones.
Good to know
- Some of the fat is lost as it heals
- It can leave small lumps seen on later scans
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistTiming
Should it be done with the reconstruction or later?
At the same operation
At a later, separate operation
One anaesthetic and one recovery
Another anaesthetic and another recovery
Matched to a breast that has not settled yet
Matched to the final shape of the new breast
Harder to plan if radiotherapy is still to come
Can wait until radiotherapy changes have settled
Sometimes chosen with a lumpectomy reshape
More common after implant or flap reconstruction
The pathway
What happens before and after symmetry surgery?
A check of the healthy breast
Before any operation on it, the natural breast is usually checked with a mammogram or ultrasound. Nobody should operate on a breast that has not been looked at recently.
Planning the match
You stand while the surgeon marks both sides and discusses the size and shape you want. Bring a bra that fits the new breast, and say honestly how you dress day to day.
The operation
Usually under general anaesthetic. A reduction or lift leaves scars around the areola and down the breast. Many women go home the same day or the next.
Recovery and the result
You wear a supportive bra and avoid lifting for a while. Swelling takes months to settle, so the final match is judged later, not in the first weeks.
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Deciding
What should you weigh before operating on a healthy breast?
This is a decision for you and your surgeon, and this page cannot make it for you. It helps to know that you are choosing surgery on a breast that has no cancer, so the trade-offs deserve a slow look.
What you may give up
Surgery on the healthy breast adds new scars. It can reduce feeling in the nipple, and a reduction or lift may affect breastfeeding in the future. There is also the usual risk of infection, bleeding and slow healing that comes with any operation.
Who it may not suit
It may be better delayed if you still hope to have children and breastfeed, if your weight is changing, or if radiotherapy changes to the reconstructed side have not settled. Smoking and poorly controlled diabetes raise the risk of wound problems. If you are unsure, waiting costs you nothing: the option stays open.
Ask whether the scars and the feeling in your healthy nipple are likely to change, and how the operation might affect future screening of that breast.Commonly believed
What do women often believe about symmetry surgery?
"Operating on the healthy breast will stir up cancer in it."
Surgery does not cause cancer in the other breast. The tissue removed is checked in the laboratory, which occasionally finds something early that would otherwise have been missed.
"After this, both breasts will look identical."
The aim is a close match in clothes. Out of clothes, a reconstructed breast and a natural one will still look and move differently. Ask to see what is realistic for your body.
"If I do not have it now, I lose the chance."
Symmetry surgery can be done years later. Many surgeons prefer to wait until the reconstructed breast has settled, because the match is more accurate then.
"The healthy breast no longer needs screening."
It still does, after any operation on it. Scars from a reduction can show on a mammogram, so tell the screening team what was done.
Words you may hear
What do the terms on your consent form mean?
- Contralateral
- On the other side. A contralateral reduction is a reduction of the breast that did not have cancer.
- Mastopexy
- A breast lift. Skin is removed and the nipple moved higher.
- Augmentation
- Making a breast larger, usually with an implant.
- Ptosis
- Drooping of the breast, often graded by how low the nipple sits.
- Symmetrisation
- The general term for any operation that brings two breasts closer in size and shape.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about symmetry surgery
Do I have to have surgery on my other breast?
No. It is entirely your choice. Many women are content with a small difference, or use a padded bra or a light breast form on one side. The option usually stays open, so you can decide later once the reconstructed breast has settled and you know how you feel about it.
Will the healthy breast lose feeling?
It can. A reduction or lift moves the nipple, and some women notice less feeling in the nipple or the skin afterwards. For many it partly returns over months. Ask your surgeon how likely a change is with the technique they plan, because this matters more to some women than to others.
Can I breastfeed after a reduction on the other side?
Sometimes, but it may be reduced or not possible, because milk ducts can be cut or moved. If you hope to have children, say so early. Your surgeon may suggest waiting, or choosing a technique that keeps more of the ducts and nipple connection.
What happens to the tissue that is removed?
It is sent to the laboratory and examined under a microscope, like any tissue removed during cancer care. The result usually shows normal breast tissue. Occasionally it finds an early change, and your team will explain what it means and whether anything more is needed.
Will it make mammograms of that breast harder to read?
Scars from a reduction or lift can show on a mammogram, and small areas of hardened fat can look unusual. Radiologists are used to this. Tell the screening team what operation you had and bring your earlier images, so they can compare rather than guess.
Is there an age limit for symmetry surgery?
There is no fixed age. What matters is your general fitness for an anaesthetic, how well you heal, and whether you want it. An older woman in good health can have it. Your anaesthetist will check your heart, lungs and medicines before the date is fixed.
Can it be combined with my nipple reconstruction?
Often yes. Some surgeons adjust the healthy breast and build the new nipple in the same operation, so both nipples can be placed at matching heights. Others prefer separate stages. Ask which approach your surgeon uses and why, and how it changes your recovery time.
Is surgery on the healthy breast covered by a scheme?
It varies. Some insurers treat it as part of cancer reconstruction and others call it cosmetic. Check your cashless insurance policy and the rules for Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS or EHS before planning. Ask the hospital to seek pre-authorisation and give you the answer in writing.
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Dr. Vinay Mamidala
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Sources
- American Cancer Society — Breast Reconstruction Surgery
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Breast reconstruction
- NHS — Breast reconstruction
- National Cancer Institute — Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Nipple and Areola ReconstructionPlacing the nipples at matching heightsRevision Surgery After ReconstructionFurther operations to refine the reconstructed sideMammograms and Scans After ReconstructionHow screening of the healthy breast continuesImmediate vs Delayed ReconstructionHow timing shapes the whole planBreast Reconstruction and Flap SurgeryEvery reconstruction page in one place
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