Hallmark’s Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe opened up in an Instagram video about the first look she had at her chest following her double mastectomy in February.
In a powerful message about her healing process, Lowe vulnerably shared that the moment she saw she no longer had breasts wasn’t as upsetting as she anticipated it would be, despite welling with tears before the reveal.
Crystal Lowe Shares Feelings of Seeing Her Chest After Double Mastectomy
“Ok, so I saw my chest for the first time. It was really scary going in. I cried in the waiting room a lot — just so fearful of what I might see,” the 45-year-old said in her Sunday, March 1, video.
“Now, of course, I have looked it up a million times over, obviously,” she continued. “And then I saw it, and I actually wasn’t as upset as I thought. I think because the expanders were already in, it still has, like, the outline of a breast, so it wasn’t as jarring, and my incisions are just straight across each nipple, so they didn’t look as terrifying.”
“I thought they were going to be more cross. Needless to say, I felt decent about it. The news about that specifically is good,” the “Marry Me at Christmas” star added. “I’m healing really, really well. The plastic surgeon was like really excited about how everything is going.”
Lowe emphasized in her caption that the unveiling was uncomfortable, however; she’s looking forward to getting her drains out within the next couple of days.
“Saw my chest for the first time….i was actually ok. It’s weird for sure but… I’m healing really well and from my plastic surgeon’s standpoint everything looks fantastic,” the actress wrote. “I’m dying to get these drains out. You need to have less than 20 ml in 24 hours to get them out so l’m praying it’s Wed!! I just need to stop moving around so much because apparently that creates more fluid #doublemastectomy #breastcancer #cancer.”
According to breastcancer.org, breast surgeons will utilize drains in the breast and/or armpit area to “collect the excess fluid that can otherwise build up in those areas after surgery. Each tube carries the fluid outside your body and is attached to a soft plastic bulb that collects the fluid and must be periodically emptied.”
When Was Crystal Lowe Diagnosed With Breast Cancer?
Lowe was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in August 2025 after discovering a mass in her right breast, People reported.
The Hallmark star wrote a remarkable essay published by People upon learning of her diagnosis, where, in her darkest time, she found strength to remain positive.
“This journey has been scary, strange, and humbling. It has stripped me down in ways I never saw coming, physically, emotionally and spiritually,” Lowe wrote. “And yet… I promise to persevere. To turn poison into medicine. To grow. That’s what I’m learning every single day.”
