The August issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), released a new study regarding patient and surgeon satisfaction after breast reduction surgery.

Patient confidence and pre-operative information had a large effect on the patient’s satisfaction with the results. The study also found that surgeons and patients focus on different aspects of the results when determining their satisfaction with the procedure.

Breast reduction is one of the most frequently performed procedures and is effective in reducing or relieving symptoms brought on by overly large breasts, including: shoulder and neck pain, bra strap compression, back pain, and posture problems.

Conducted in Denmark, the study included 125 women who rated their satisfaction with their breast reduction surgery results through a questionnaire six and twelve months after their procedure.

The plastic surgeons who participated in the study were surgeons in the Danish public health care system, with the exception of one private plastic surgeon who participated. The surgeons involved used before and after photos to rate their satisfaction with the results of the procedures.

The data was put into a report by Herlev Hospital’s Dr. Line Bro Breiting, and is one of the first studies to look into the satisfaction of cosmetic outcomes after the reduction mammaplasty procedures.

Results of the Study

• Nearly 90 percent of women thought their results were very good or good after six months; however, the number of women with the same rating after a year dropped slightly, to 80 percent.
• The surgeon’s very good or good rating was found in about 75 percent of the before and after photos that they reviewed. The private surgeon was more critical, about 60 percent of the same photos were rated with a similar score.
• To arrive at their satisfaction rating patients in the study typically focused on they symmetry of their breasts after the procedure. How much information was given and their confidence level before the undergoing the procedure also played an important part in their satisfaction.
• Surgeons tended to focus on finer details, such as the shape of the breast, nipple position, and scarring when considering their satisfaction level.

If you’re interested in exploring or learning more about breast reduction, contact us at our Guilford plastic surgery office. Also view our before and after photo gallery of breast reduction results.