While all may seem a little overwhelming, you do have a ton of options post-mastectomy surgery to create symmetry and feel a little bit more like yourself.

After chatting with your plastic surgeon, you might look into options like breast implants, autologous (flap) reconstruction, or nipple and areola reconstruction. Less invasive options following surgery could also include breast forms.

Here is a little breakdown of what you can do post-surgery to help you figure out what might work best for you.

Breast implant surgery is when the surgeon takes a silicone sac filled with saline and places it under the skin of the chest muscle.

Sometimes, the skin or tissue in the chest wall is too tight and the surgeon needs to work with a bigger space. If that is the case, they might perform something called tissue expansion. This uses a special breast implant that acts like an empty balloon with a valve. They don't fill it all at once; instead, this surgery takes longer because the surgeon adds a little more saline (usually weekly) until your skin stretches enough to match the other side. Once your skin is ready, they swap the expander out for a proper implant over the course of many months.

Keep in mind that breast implants are not permanent fixtures. They usually last about 10 to 15 years before they need to be replaced, and you can always choose to remove them later on. Over time, implants run the risk of shifting, changing shape, or rupturing, so you have to keep an eye on their age. And as with any surgery, side effects depend on your medical history and the type of mastectomy you had.

The most common type of surgical reconstruction is autologous breast reconstruction. This is where the surgeon takes skin and tissue from another part of your body to create a "flap".

There are a few different types of flap surgery depending on where the tissue is taken from and how it is attached. You might want additional surgeries on top of this to tweak the size or add a nipple reconstruction. The most common donor spots are the belly, back, butt, and thighs - though it is important to note that fat and skin can only be taken once from each of those places.

Flap reconstruction might be a good fit if you would rather rebuild your breasts with your own natural tissue instead of a saline sac, if you had a single mastectomy and want your breasts to match as much as possible, or if you want breasts that naturally change size as you lose or gain weight.

During a mastectomy, the nipple and areola might need to be removed. If that happened, your surgeon can add them back later to create a more natural look. This is usually the final step, done once the reconstructed breast is fully healed (typically 3 to 6 months post-surgery).

The tissue used for this is usually taken from your new breast, though surgeons can also grab skin from spots like your chest or earlobes.

A reconstructed nipple typically has a lot less feeling than a natural one. Also, the new nipple and areola might end up a slightly different color, but medical tattoo artists can easily step in to help it match. If you want to skip surgery altogether for this step, you can also just opt for a nipple tattoo.

If you want to achieve the shape and weight of a breast without doing additional surgeries, breast prosthetics are a great route. There are tons of different styles depending on what you are looking for.

Breast forms are usually worn directly on the chest or held in place using a pocket bra. Today, you can even get 3D scans of your remaining breast to match it exactly, along with forms that feature skin details to look and feel as close to the real thing as possible.

Most long-term forms are made of silicone to weigh and move like a natural breast, and they can even be worn between surgeries to help prevent back and neck strain from weight imbalances. They will need to be replaced over time, but they may be covered by insurance.