Miranda McKeon is opening up about her breast implants. Following her diagnosis with stage 3 breast cancer, the influencer had a double mastectomy and also got breast implants. In a TikTok video posted on Feb. 28, the influencer shared why she differentiates between the implants she got after her cancer treatments and the term “boob job.”
Miranda McKeon is getting candid about her breast implants.
McKeon, a New York City–based influencer, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2021 at only 19 years old.
Following her diagnosis, McKeon underwent chemotherapy treatments as well as a double mastectomy. Prior to starting chemotherapy, she also began fertility treatments to freeze her eggs and entered medically induced menopause.
In a Feb. 28 TikTok, McKeon opened up about the implants she received after her treatments.
“I wanna talk about my chest for a second, because I get a lot of questions,” she began the video, which was titled “Let’s girl chat about what I got done to my boobs.”
McKeon said she had even gotten questions from influencer friends asking where she had gotten her implants done. “Meanwhile, like, if you know, you know — like, I did not have a boob job,” McKeon said. “Yes, I have implants, but what I got is not a boob job.”
She then shared photos of what her chest looked like before and after her implants. Following chemotherapy, she had the option of a lumpectomy or a double mastectomy, which is when she found her surgeon, who performs “sensation preserving mastectomies.”
McKeon said her surgeon, Dr. Anne Peled, understood the “priority” in doing her breast implants — removing the cancer, of course, but also that she had “wanted to love my chest after basically having my breast amputated in some regard.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, McKeon followed up about why she feels strongly about differentiating between her procedure.
“I always try to be honest that a mastectomy isn’t the same as a boob job — it’s a very real cancer surgery,” she says.
“But I’m also really grateful for the outcome I have. I have partial sensation and feel comfortable in my body again, which is something many women didn’t have access to in the past.”
“Talking with Dr. Peled,” McKeon says — of her surgeon, whom she also recently featured on her podcast — “was about helping people understand that breast cancer surgery has evolved, and that women deserve to know their options.”
McKeon uses her platform for more traditional influencer content, but she also dedicates a large portion of it to breast cancer awareness. She has previously spoken with PEOPLE about urging her friends and family to stay vigilant with their health.
“The best thing that you can do for your health is stay on top of it, from a medical standpoint. And that involves fitness, exercise, eating food and self‑screening,” said McKeon, who encourages people to take a skeptical, proactive approach to their health.
She’s the first to say that one size does not fit all when it comes to health and treatment, and despite sharing her story online, she urges people to seek out the care that works best for them.
“I think there’s a lot of confusion and jargon that’s out there in terms of how to take care of yourself,” she told PEOPLE. “My best advice would just be getting quiet and trying to figure out your own personal priorities.”
