New York—A recently released study shows there may be reason for dermatologic and plastic surgeons to re-evaluate liposuction as an alternative to incisional techniques in breast-reduction procedures.
The study, which appeared in the September issue of Dermatologic Surgery, notes that of the observed patients who underwent liposuction breast reduction there was a 93 percent satisfaction rate. Nipple elevation was measured to be at a mean of 2.57 cm compared with pre-operative values. In more mature patients (60 years and older), there was a significantly larger nipple elevation (3.16 cm vs. 1.79 cm). Changes in volume ranged between 695.57 and 712.71 mL per breast. Radiographic changes induced by liposuction were not statistically different from those found in traditional reduction techniques.
The study was conducted by Steven D. Mellul, D.O., of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and Cooper Health Systems, Cherry Hill, N.J.; Robert M. Dryden, M.D., University of Arizona School of Medicine; David J. Remigio, M.D., Bluffton, S.C.; and Alan E. Wulc, M.D., University of Pennsylvania.
