Ninety-eight percent (98%) of women are happy with their breast augmentation results according to a study published in the May issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The study sheds light on patient satisfaction with outcomes 5 years post-surgery, including questions regarding recovery times and psychological benefits. The findings indicated a high satisfaction with breast augmentation, where results met or exceeded most of patients’ expectations. Here’s a breakdown of how women rated the following:
- 85% rated their new breast size as “just right”
- 75% rated breast firmness as “just right”
- 92% reported improved self-esteem
- 64% reported improved quality of life
- Breast self-consciousness decreased from 86% to 13% post-surgery
- 50%+ of participants rated their breast augmentation results with a perfect score of 10 (from a scale of 1 to 10)
Other interesting statistics from the study revealed the following:
- Average patient age was 34
- The majority of patients received saline-filled breast implants
- Average implant volume was 390cc
- Recovery time included an average of 5 days of pain medication, 7 days off work and normalcy returning 25 days post-surgery
It’s no wonder that breast augmentation is the most requested plastic surgery procedure in the United States with nearly 286,000 operations in 2012. Breast augmentation is one of the most popular procedures in our office. We do want to note that size results are impacted by factors including the practice, geography and patient base. A couple of differences in our practice in comparison to the study are 1) most women prefer silicone over saline implants and 2) recovery time averaged less time, typically one to two weeks.
Sources: Medical News Today, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
