Most women satisfied with cosmetic breast surgery
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In a survey of more than 300 women who had one of several cosmetic breast operations, nearly 97 percent of said that the results met or exceeded their expectations.
And while 43 percent of women said they experienced nipple numbness after cosmetic breast surgery, the problem persisted in only about 5 percent.
The survey included women who were treated over a 5-year period by Dr. Eric Swanson, a plastic surgeon in private practice in Leawood, Kansas.
Swanson told Reuters Health the study is not the first to examine satisfaction with cosmetic breast surgery, but it is novel in that it “includes not only breast augmentation and reduction patients, but also mastopexy (breast lift) and augmentation/mastopexy patients that have not been included in previous prospective studies.”
Survey questions focused on the patients’ reasons for having the operation, their recovery experience, psychological effects, and complications. In addition, the women were followed for 29 months, on average, to assess the occurrence and duration of nipple numbness.
On average, patients used prescription painkillers for 5.4 days after surgery, resumed driving in 5.8 days, started work again in 5.4 days, and reported feeling normal at 27.8 days.
The overall average pain score was 5.4, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being worse pain. Breast augmentation had the highest average score at 5.9, while breast reduction had the lowest at 3.3.
Breast lift and breast reduction patients reported a significant improvement in physical symptoms following surgery.
The average result rating (10 = best) for the operations studied was 9.2. Breast lift with or without augmentation had the lowest rating at 8.9, while augmentation alone had the highest at 9.3, although the results were not significantly different.
Overall, 97.2 percent of women were satisfied with their operation. Roughly 12 percent of patients reported experiencing complications. All of the operations were associated with a significant reduction in reported breast self-consciousness.
All of the procedures studied produced high levels of patient satisfaction, Swanson noted. However, he emphasized, these results are valid for the so-called “vertical” breast lift technique only.
Swanson said plastic surgeons “should embrace” the vertical breast lift technique and not be reluctant to perform it in combination with implants to treat both sagging and volume loss simultaneously, “which are common in women presenting for cosmetic breast surgery.”
The results of the survey are to be presented next month at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons meeting in Chicago.
By Anthony J. Brown, MD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)
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