Psychological assessment before and after augmentation mammaplasty

Twenty patients selected for augmentation mammaplasty paid for by the Health Service, were evaluated pre- and postoperatively by psychological and psychiatric examinations. Some 70% deviated from the normal psychological picture, with symptoms of remarkable similarity. The follow-up investigation one year after the operation revealed an unchanged basic personality structure, but the alteration to the breasts had relieved the patients from their previous distress and shyness and made them feel less inhibited. An attempt was made to predict the benefit each patient would gain from the operation, and the results were usually found to exceed the expectations. Only one patient was disappointed. In no case had the operation aggravated the preoperative psychological condition. Preoperative psychiatric examination of such patients would probably not provide any better selection.