Hidden Scar Strong
By Madison Loethen
Linda Strong of Ashland, Mo., has always taken care of her health the best she knows how. She makes sure to always schedule her checkups and live a healthy lifestyle.
But during her routine mammogram in 2017, a lump in her breast was found. A biopsy was scheduled the next week, and the lump came back cancerous. Very quickly, surgery was scheduled to remove the lump.
“I was so impressed with how quickly Boone Hospital moved to take care of my cancer. From finding the lump to scheduling the surgery, I could tell they really cared about making me better,” says Linda.
Linda met with surgeon Anne Petersen, MD, of Boone Medical Group – Surgery, who suggested Linda get Hidden Scar™ Breast Cancer Surgery to remove her lump.
Dr. Petersen is certified in Hidden Scar breast surgery and is one of the only doctors in the area who offers the procedure. For this surgery, the doctor places a small incision in a place that is difficult to see. Then when the wound heals, the scar is unnoticeable or nearly unnoticeable.
“Hidden Scar Breast Surgery combines breast cancer surgery with plastic surgery techniques. We call this combination oncoplastic surgery. This way we absolutely get all of the cancer taken care of, and in addition, after everything has healed, the patient has a nice cosmetic result without a daily reminder when they look in the mirror that they had breast cancer. We want out patients to feel whole and well long after they have beaten breast cancer,” says Dr. Petersen.
Studies show that breast surgery scars can significantly affect a woman’s self-confidence, intimacy and body image, and impact her quality of life after surgery.
Linda got the surgery and her recovery went smoothly. She underwent radiation and says she has had no problems since.
“I feel very lucky to have had Dr. Petersen as my surgeon. She explained the benefits of Hidden Scar surgery to me very well. Now you can hardly see where I had surgery,” says Linda.
Linda is now back to enjoying her retirement with her husband Gene. They stay busy spending time with their 3 children and 4 grandchildren.