[Purpose and effects of mammaplasty...]

Mammaplasties (following amputation or for the treatment of hypertrophy) involve the femininity of each patient, but at different moments in her life. The patient's request for plastic surgery reflects her discomfort with her body related to a mutilating operation or to breasts which interfere with her interpersonal and sexual life. The two types of operation have multiple psychological effects, generally beneficial as they allow the woman to regain the elements of her identity disturbed by the amputation or enable her to more fully explore her potential in interpersonal relationships.