This was a study in October 2018 Aesthetic Surgery Journal. I will be quick in this review, because frankly I am surprised they are still studying this. The answer for over 20 years has been a resounding YES breast reductions make women feel better about themselves.
The study was “Breast Hypertrophy, Reduction Mammaplasty, and Body Image.” (In English that is big breasts, breast reduction surgery, and your body image.) It was a study out of Brazil to look at women’s satisfaction after breast reduction. They looked at patients from 2013-2015 prospectively. They had two arms to the study. 100 patients in each arm. They were evaluated with
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder Exam
- Body Investment scale
- Breast evaluation questionnaire
- Women with normal sized breasts were also evaluated as the controls.
- They did this also in part because telling a large breasted woman they cannot have the surgery so they could be a control was not a tenable solution.
- they were matched for age, BMI, etc,
- but were not matched for level of schooling, marital status, and motherhood. Interesting, because I think those things likely have an effect on how you feel about yourself.)
- They were assessed pre surgery and after six months.
Results:
The reduction group had significant improvement in their scores on all test. The control group had no change in their scores.
Interesting Tidbits:
So even though we have known this for a long time now, I read these studies because I do a lot of breast reductions (and I have seen amazing improvements in self esteem, in young and older patients).
Not surprisingly, the control group with normal sized breasts had more positive feelings in their first interview than the large breasted women. After surgery though, the breast reduction group were as satisfied or more satisfied than women in the control group. Why did they use normal sized breasts as the control? They wanted to compare to a representative sample of the female population. They did not include obese patients, as they feel obesity can influence body image independently. They also did not include women with a psych history.
So why were the women happier? They reported feeling more feminine, sexual, attractive and confident. They felt less inhibited socially. This improvement in their breasts caused them to feel better about their body as a whole.
These improvements in body image were seen immediately after surgery and were maintained over time.
The amount of tissue removed (whether you are a “big” reduction or a “small” one) was not a main factor influencing body image.
The authors acknowledge the limitations of their study, the issues of their control group, how age affects things, and how those seeking plastic surgery with large breasts are signaling they have bad body image already- hence their seeking surgery.
My thoughts?
Always good to reinforce. Breast reductions are a high satisfaction surgery. Not just the physical improvements I see, like less neck pain, jaw pain, better posture, better ability to exercise, less shoulder and nerve pain… Not just the ability to buy normal bras, not have people stare at your chest, buy clothes that fit… But it makes you feel better about your body image.