Impact of Breast Reconstruction Patients on Cosmetic Practice

Postmastectomy breast reconstruction can often restore a patient's self-image. A notable percentage of women will go on to seek elective aesthetic procedures to further improve their perceived appearance. The purpose of this study was to determine the percentage of primary breast reconstruction patients who go on to receive a cosmetic procedure. We identify factors that may increase the likelihood that a patient subsequently chooses to pursue a cosmetic procedure.

A retrospective review of primary breast reconstruction patients of the two senior authors was conducted from January 2014 through December 2015. Demographics, types of cosmetic procedures received, and time to first cosmetic procedure were obtained. Time to first cosmetic procedure was assessed from date of mastectomy through December 2017. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with obtaining cosmetic procedures.

There were 289 patients in our cohort with ~10% who subsequently sought a cosmetic procedure at our practice. The average time to conversion was ~9 months after mastectomy. The majority (67%) underwent noninvasive procedures only. Patients with lower-staged breast cancers were more likely to undergo a cosmetic procedure (P < 0.042).

At least 10% of patients undergoing primary breast reconstruction over a year period went on to have a cosmetic procedure during the study period. The majority of patients pursued noninvasive cosmetic procedures. Reconstruction of women with higher cancer stages was associated with a lower likelihood of pursuing a cosmetic procedure during the time period studied.