97% of Breast Augmentation Patients Satisfied with Results

January 15, 2001, Chicago, Illinois
A recent study shows that 97 percent of breast implant recipients are satisfied with their final surgery results. Surgeons report that 85 percent of their breast augmentation patients are “very satisfied,” 12 percent are “satisfied” and only three percent are “not satisfied” with their results. The full results were presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery in San Diego on February 9, 2001.

“As surgeons who perform breast augmentation, we see happy patients with improved self-esteem every day. This study confirms that the overwhelming majority of patients are very satisfied with the results of the procedure,” says AACS President-Elect Robert Jackson, MD, who spearheaded this survey. “The results validate that while complications can occur, this procedure is highly successful in terms of patient satisfaction.”

The popularity of breast augmentation surgery has risen dramatically over the 1990s, with 255,254 women undergoing the procedure in 1999 as compared to 41,918 women in 1990.

Of the small percentage of patients not satisfied with their results, women voiced the following reasons for their dissatisfaction to their surgeons, in order of most common complaint:

• implants too small
• rippling occurred
• capsular contraction was experienced
• not pleased with the feel of the implant
• implants too large

The findings are based on a survey sent to AACS member surgeons, of which about 325 perform breast augmentation. The response rate was 24.6% and the margin of error is 9.5 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery is a medical society supporting a multi-disciplinary approach to cosmetic surgery. Its members consist mainly of dermatologic surgeons, facial plastic surgeons, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, plastic surgeons and ocular plastic surgeons dedicated to patient safety through physician education.