In research presented last weekend at the American Society of Plastic Surgery’s annual meeting in Denver, Colorado, researchers presented evidence supporting the hypothesis that knowledge was the biggest barrier to breastfeeding success after breast augmentation. The study found that if women believed the plastic surgery myth that breastfeeding would negatively affect the appearance of their breasts, they were much less likely to succeed at breastfeeding. Of women who were able to successfully breastfeed, only 13 percent believed it would affect the appearance of their breasts. But 86 percent of women who were unsuccessful at breastfeeding believed it would impact the appearance of their breasts. Many factors have been blamed for a decreased success rate of breastfeeding after breast augmentation, and this study considered them all. It considered age, breast implant placement, BMI, implant size, and incision placement. None of these differences were significant. Only the belief in the impact on aesthetics–something that had never before been tested–seemed to be a major factor. The data was only presented as a poster and has not undergone peer review, so the results should be considered preliminary. Still, they give us hope. If education is the main barrier to breastfeeding success after breast augmentation, then plastic surgeons can do their part to help women understand the benefits of breastfeedingand that fears of negative impact on the appearance of breasts should be no obstacle. If you have more questions about breast appearance, breast augmentation, and breast augmentation, please schedule a consultation with Philadelphia board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. David A. Bottger for answers.
