Quality of life and self-esteem after breast asymmetry surgery

Abstract

Surgical correction of breast asymmetry involves not only an acceptable aesthetic result but also physical, social, and psychological consequences on the patient's quality of life. The authors evaluated the impact of breast asymmetry surgical treatment on self-esteem and health-related quality of life in a group of 35 patients. Patients completed the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), a generic health evaluation tool that covers quality of life across 8 dimensions, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, a specific tool for evaluating self-esteem. Both were applied before and at 3 and 6 months after surgery. Friedman two-way analysis of variance and the Tukey test were used to compare the differences between the scores and the different time periods. There was a progressive improvement in all dimensions of the SF-36 that was statistically significant for 4 dimensions and self-esteem. Statistically significant differences were found for "emotional role" and "self-esteem" at 3 months after surgery and for "pain," "vitality," and "mental health" at 6 months after surgery. The results suggest that breast asymmetry surgical treatment provides an improvement in health-related quality of life and self-esteem.