Southern California Breast Reduction Surgeons Show that Outpatient Procedure is Safe and Effective

A retrospective review of 884 breast reduction procedures performed at a single Southern California outpatient surgical center concludes that breast reduction can be performed at an accredited outpatient facility as safely as in a hospital.

Marina del Rey, California, April 2008 – A recent study led by a Southern California plastic surgeon has shown that outpatient breast reduction procedures have a similar track record of safety when performed at an accredited outpatient surgery facility as when performed in a hospital setting. The study’s principal researcher was Dr. Grant Stevens, a board certified plastic surgeon and the medical director of Marina Plastic Surgery Associates (MPSA). Dr. Stevens specializes in performing Los Angeles breast reduction surgery at the Marina Outpatient Surgery Center, a fully accredited outpatient surgical facility.

Over the last 15 years, it has become increasingly common for women from Southern California and Beverly Hills to have breast reduction surgery performed at an outpatient surgery facility instead of in a hospital. Patients often find that outpatient facilities offer more personal care and a less stressful environment than a hospital setting. In addition, having a procedure performed on an outpatient basis in many cases is less costly. Until this study, however, there had been relatively little research done to examine whether outpatient breast reduction procedures are as safe and successful as those performed at hospitals.

“At Marina Plastic Surgery, we have been offering our Southern California patients the option of having their breast reduction procedure performed on an outpatient basis for some time, and we closely monitor the safety of these procedures,” says Dr. Stevens. “But outside our practice, we saw that there was very little research being done to examine the safety and efficacy of outpatient breast reduction procedures. Some plastic surgeons may have been reluctant to offer breast reduction as an outpatient procedure because there was no concrete evidence to show that accredited outpatient facilities are as safe as hospitals.”

The study, which is the largest of its kind to date, was published in the March 2008 issue of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal under the title “Outpatient reduction mammaplasty: An eleven-year experience.” The authors examined complication data from 884 outpatient breast reduction procedures performed on 444 patients by Dr. Stevens between 1995 and 2006.

Of the 444 Southern California and Beverly Hills breast reduction patients whose cases were included in the study, 65 experienced complications – 62 experienced minor complications and only 3 experienced major complications. The most commonly experienced complication was small incisional wound breakdown, a minor issue that can be corrected easily by the surgeon. The overall complication rate among the cases examined was 14%, which is comparable to complication rates among breast reduction procedures performed at hospitals. With these results, the study concludes that there is no significant difference between the risks of breast reduction performed as an outpatient procedure and breast reduction performed in a hospital setting.

Women from such areas of Los Angeles as Malibu and Beverly Hills choose breast reduction surgery for many reasons. Those with overly large breasts often experience pain in their backs, necks, shoulders, and breasts, which can prevent them from participating in some sports and exercises. Having large breasts can also make a woman feel self-conscious about her body, leading to negative body image and even depression in some cases.

Dr. Stevens believes that breast reduction surgery is not simply a cosmetic procedure, but is a way to give a woman a rejuvenated body, a healthier lifestyle, and the sense of confidence and beauty that every woman deserves. He is proud to offer his patients advanced breast reduction techniques and they expect that the results of this study will encourage more patients to consider the outpatient option because of added convenience and comfort.