Simultaneous Breast Augmentation and Mastopexy is Safe and Effective

Study by Dr. Grant Stevens, Et Al. Reported in Aesthetic Surgery Journal

Marina del Rey, CA – July 10, 2014 – With a skilled surgeon and proper patient selection, the combined augmentation mastopexy procedure can be safe and effective, reports Grant Stevens, MD, FACS, et al., in Aesthetic Surgery Journal (Vol. 34(5) 723–732). The authors conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of 615 consecutive patients who underwent combined augmentation mastopexy procedures at a single outpatient surgery center from 1992 through 2011. Patient demographics, operative and implant details and long-term outcomes were analyzed along with calculated rates of complications and revisions.

“We found that our data compares favorably with previously reported revision rates for breast augmentation alone and mastopexy (breast lift) alone,” said Dr. Stevens, founder of Marina Plastic Surgery. The study revealed that the most common complications were poor scarring (5.7%), wound-healing problems (2.9%) and deflation of saline implants (2.4%). Of the 615 patients evaluated, 104 (16.9%) elected to undergo revision surgery: 54 revision procedures were secondary to implant-related complications and 50 were secondary to tissue-related complications.

“Past critics of the surgery cited the lack of literature supporting the procedure’s benefits and the risks inherent in a combined operation,” said Dr. Stevens. “We, along with other surgeons, noted that combining these procedures did not increase such risks in properly selected patients, and our study has supported this.

“Our findings indicate that 1-stage augmentation Mastopexy can be performed safely and effectively by surgeons who are experienced with this procedure. Although the 1-stage operation is not without risks, the risks are not exponential (as has been suggested previously),” Dr. Stevens said. He added that appropriate steps should be taken to minimize risks, and patients must be counseled about the possibility of revision surgery. Regardless, the 16.9% chance of requiring breast augmentation revision for a 1-stage procedure is significantly lower than the 100% necessity for a second operation inherent in 2-stage procedures, each of which still may require revision.

Dr. Stevens is the founder and medical director of Marina Plastic Surgery. He is a board certified Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the International College of Surgeons. He is Chairman of the USC-Marina Aesthetic Surgery Fellowship, Director of the USC Division of Aesthetic Surgery and a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the USC Keck School of Medicine. Dr. Stevens is a traveling professor and serves on the Board of Directors and as secretary of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, as well as the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery where he serves as one of the traveling professors and assistant national secretary. He has spoken at more than 100 meetings and 300 invited talks around the U.S. and the world.

For more information, visit Marina Plastic Surgery; like Marina Plastic Surgery on Facebook; and follow on Twitter @DrGrantStevens.