Plastic Surgery Articles

Breast surgery is one of the leading plastic surgery procedures in the U.S. today. But, why? I guess it would seem obvious to assume it is because breasts are the part of the female body that make us feel feminine, “womanly” and beautiful — so having them altered to fit our aesthetic goals would raise our self esteem and make us feel better about ourselves. Even though that may seem like the obvious answer, until recently, that very question was never asked (on a large scale) so the answer has only been assumed.

Authors of a study that was presented at the Plastic Surgery 2008 conference, that was held Oct. 31 – Nov. 5 in Chicago, revealed the answer. According to the study (which involved 325 women who have undergone some form of breast surgery procedure) all types of breast surgery enhance a patient’s quality of life and self-esteem, and 99 percent of all participants said they would do it all over again if they had to.

Study authors interviewed a variety of patients, young and old, with different reasons behind their decision to undergo breast surgery. They found that each woman, despite the reason for the surgery, was satisfied with the results. The authors interviewed women who underwent one of the following four breast surgery procedures:

• Breast lift
• Breast augmentation
• Combination of augmentation and lift
• Breast reduction

Participants of all four categories expressed their satisfaction with the results of the surgery.

First Study to Measure Satisfaction Level in Various Breast Surgeries

This particular study is the first of its kind. Although there have been previous studies conducted to measure the satisfaction of breast augmentation and breast reduction surgery, this was the first study to go one step further and measure the satisfaction level among women who, not only had the mentioned procedures, but also other women who had a breast lift or a combination breast lift and augmentation.

So, despite our assumptions, we now know that more and more women are, in fact, having some form of breast surgery performed each year, because the results have proven to be satisfactory and life-changing.

Breast Surgery Study Results

The results of the study proved that breast surgery is, in deed, growing because of the high satisfaction results among patients. The authors interviewed 325 patients over a five year period. They documented the following results:

• 91 percent reported improved self esteem
• 96 percent overall patient satisfaction
• 99 percent said they would have their procedure again

According to study author and ASPS member, Eric Swanson, MD, the plastic surgeons who performed all of the procedures on the patients who participated in the study used a vertical technique, so other procedures can not be measured by this study. 

Dr. Swanson also mentioned that the study also evaluated:

• Preferred breast shape
• Discomfort level
• Recovery

According to the results of the study, most patients said they prefer their breasts to be fuller on top, even though breasts are naturally fuller at the bottom.

With the high satisfaction levels reported in this study, it is no wonder why breast surgery is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in the U.S. According to the ASPS statistics, in 2007, nearly 348,000 women had breast augmentation surgery, more than 106,000 women had breast reductions and more than 104,000 women had breast lifts.