Plastic Surgery Articles

Being diagnosed with breast cancer and told you will have to have a mastectomy is a life-changing event. For many, it can be traumatic, scary and devastating. And then the surgery comes, the breast is removed, and the woman is left disfigured.

Studies suggest that many women who undergo a mastectomy suffer from depression and a lowered self esteem following the procedure. Plastic surgeons have made incredible advances in reconstructive surgery in an effort to give these women their self esteem back and to increase their quality of life after the surgery.

Despite the advancements and the increase in cosmetic surgery, a recent study, published in the November issue of Archives of Surgery, HealthDay/U.S. News and World Report reveals that a large number of women who have had a mastectomy did not undergo reconstructive surgery following the procedure because of their lack of education.

Researchers Evaluate Reconstructive Surgery Among Patients
Researchers analyzed data on 17,925 black and white women who had a mastectomy between 1995 and 2004. After thoroughly evaluating each case, they discovered that only 27.9 percent of the women had breast reconstruction surgery immediately after the procedure.

The researchers gathered information on each individual patient, including the communities where they lived, their level of education and their wealth status. According to the results of the study, women who fit into the following categories are less likely to undergo reconstructive surgery:

• Older women
• Living in inner cities with high black populations
• Women with a high school education or less

Black Women Less Likely to Have Reconstructive Surgery
The study found that black women are nearly 50 percent less likely to have reconstructive surgery following a mastectomy than white women; a finding that the authors attributed to education. The authors concluded that women living in inner cities are not as educated on reconstructive surgery as women living in upscale, wealthy neighborhoods.

“The community a patient lives in actually does influence, in some way, the access they have to breast reconstruction. We need to learn more about why that is,” said the lead researcher, Gedge Rosson, an assistant professor of plastic surgery.

“People have noticed that African-Americans have fewer referrals to plastic surgeons, and if they do have a referral, they have a lower rate of going to those referrals. Strangely, even once they see the plastic surgeon, reconstruction seems to be offered with less frequency,” he added.

The researchers concluded that more programs to educate women on the benefits of reconstructive surgery are necessary, particularly in minority communities.

Written by: Sarah Strause