Impact of aesthetic mammoplasty on the self-esteem of women from a northeastern capital

Abstract

Introduction: The main reason that leads someone to undergo aesthetic surgery is the need to obtain approval and affection from other people, which, consequently, enhances self-esteem. This study compared the level of self-esteem between the different types of mammoplasty and measured the degree of interference in the self-esteem of women undergoing aesthetic mammoplasty and the level of satisfaction after surgery. Methods: A prospective, longitudinal, analytical, qualitative-quantitative study was held with 40 patients undergoing primary aesthetic mammoplasty. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was used together with questionnaires on psychosocial aspects in the pre- and post-operative period of two months. Associations were evaluated by Fisher’s exact test. Differences in means were evaluated by a univariate analysis of variance (independent samples), and bivariate analysis (matched sample). The level of significance was 5%, and the software used was R Core Team 2017. Results: Breast reduction, breast implantation, mastopexy, and association between mastopexy and breast implantation accounted for 45%, 30%, 12.5%, and 12.5% of cases, respectively. The majority expressed being dissatisfied with their body before surgery and indicated the breasts as the major reason. The desire to raise self-esteem was the main motivation among the group. A high level of post-surgical satisfaction was observed among the participants, with surgery interfering in the professional, personal, and sexual aspects. Conclusion: There was an average increase in the self-esteem of the participants who underwent mammoplasty, and the three types of surgery yielded similar results regarding the variation of self-esteem.