ABSTRACT
As conservative surgery to the breast and axilla evolved, less radical approaches to the concept of a mastectomy followed. The skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) described by Toth and Lappert in 1991 (4) was popularized to become the mainstay of immediate breast reconstruction as initial fears of oncological safety subsided (5) and patient selection criteria for the procedure were refi ned (6-10). SSM followed by implant alone reconstruction, autologous tissue, or a combination of both provides the basis for good long-term oncological and esthetic outcomes. The aim is to remove the entire parenchymal breast tissue while preserving the overlying skin of the breast envelope.
