Return to activities after breast reduction

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Surgical Recovery

Background:

• Limited guidance exists on return-to-work and driving timelines post-breast reduction.
• Varied recommendations can impact patient recovery and return to daily activities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To ascertain plastic surgeons' consensus on recommended return-to-work and driving timelines after breast reduction surgery.
• To provide evidence-based recommendations for patient recovery periods.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to 138 UK plastic surgeons regarding return-to-work and driving recommendations.
• Data analysis involved univariate ANOVA with a significance level of p<0.05.

Main Results:

• 13% of responding surgeons offered no specific return-to-work advice, and 30% for driving.
• The majority of surgeons recommended returning to work and driving around 19 days post-surgery.

Conclusions:

• A consensus suggests approximately 3 weeks as a reasonable recovery period for return to work and driving after breast reduction.
• Further research is needed to explore the interplay between wound healing, pain, and return-to-activity timelines.