Herlev, Denmark — Women generally rate the appearance of their breasts as “good” or “very good” following breast reduction surgery, but plastic surgeons tend to be more critical of the outcomes, a new study finds.
In the study, 125 women who had undergone reduction mammaplasty rated their cosmetic results on a questionnaire, GlobeNewswise reports. Data was gathered at six months and again one year after surgery. Meanwhile, plastic surgeons rated the outcomes using standard before-and-after photographs. Surgeon ratings were made by plastic surgeons in the Danish public healthcare system, as well as by a private practitioner in plastic surgery.
In general, the women rated their results higher than did the surgeons. At six months, nearly 90 percent of women rated their cosmetic outcomes as “good” or “very good,” a rating that decreased to 80 percent at the one-year mark. Meanwhile, surgeon ratings were “good” to “very good” in about 75 percent of cases. The private practitioner was more critical than the public surgeons, rating the results “good” to “very good” in about 60 percent of the cases.
Satisfaction also was related to information about the procedure. “The better the information and the higher the confidence level, the better was the outcome,” the authors wrote. “One must not underestimate the importance of factors like preoperative information about the surgery and complications, together with proper and qualified care.”
The study, conducted by researchers at Herlev Hospital, was one of the first to evaluate the cosmetic outcomes after breast-reduction surgery, GlobeNewswire reports. The study was published in the August issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
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