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. 2012 Aug;44(2):68-72.
doi: 10.5152/eajm.2012.17.

The influence of reduction mammaplasty on dermato-psychiatric disorders

Cemal Firat  1 , Serkan Erbatur  1 , Ahmet Hamdi Aytekin  1
Affiliations

The influence of reduction mammaplasty on dermato-psychiatric disorders

Cemal Firat et al. Eurasian J Med. 2012 Aug.

Abstract
in English, Turkish

Objective: Macromastia can cause psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and depression, and decreases in self-esteem and self-confidence. These problems often externalize themselves on the skin, causing lesions characterized by various degrees of excoriations and lichenified plaques. Mammaplasty operations are very effective in the treatment of neurotic excoriations and similar skin lesions as well as any underlying psychiatric disorders.

Materials and methods: This study included 17 patients with macromastia and neurotic excoriation lesions who underwent psychiatric treatment for various reasons. Follow ups were performed using routine photographs used in breast surgeries.

Results: During the postoperative follow ups, the excoriations for nearly every patient healed within 2 weeks. Some lesions healed with atrophic scars and some with permanent hyperpigmentation. Patients' physical complaints, such as backache, shoulder ache and submammary pruritic dermatitis, were also observed to heal. In addition, the patients stated that they felt better psychologically, and most also reported stopping psychiatric treatment.

Conclusion: The psychological problems caused by macromastia include neurotic excoriation and similar skin problems, and aesthetic reduction mammaplasty surgeries are very effective in the treatment of these lesions. Body image perception comprises an important part of self-respect and self-esteem, and psychological-status cosmetic surgery can be evaluated as an alternative to psychological treatment.

Amaç: Meme büyüklüğü (makromasti) hastalarda anksiyete, depresyon öz-güven ve öz-saygı azalması gibi psikolojik sorunlara yol açmaktadır. Bu sorunlar deride kendini dışa vurmakta ve çeşitli derecelerde ekskoriasyonlarla karakterize lezyonlara veya likenifiye plaklara sebep olmaktadır. Makromastiye bağlı ortaya çıkan nörotik ekskoriyasyon ve benzeri cilt lezyonları ile altta yatan psikolojik sorunun tedavisinde estetik meme küçültme ameliyatının oldukça etkindir.

Gereç ve yöntem: Bu çalışma makromasti nedeniyle başvuran, nörotik ekskoriyasyon lezyonları bulunan ve çeşitli nedenlerle psikiyatrik tedavi alan 17 hasta üzerinde gerçekleştirildi. Hastaların takipleri meme ameliyatlarında uygulanan rutin fotoğraf çekimleriyle yapıldı.

Bulgular: Hastaların ameliyat sonrası takiplerinde ortalama 2. hafta ekskoriyasyonlar neredeyse tüm hastalarda tamamen iyileştiği gözlemlendi. Hastaların öncelikle sırt ağrısı, omuz ağrısı ve meme altı kaşıntılı dermatit gibi fiziksel rahatsızlıkları düzeldi. Ayrıca hastalar hem estetik hem de psikolojik olarak oldukça iyi hissettiklerini ve büyük çoğunluğu psikiyatrik tedaviyi bıraktıklarını beyan ettiler. Lezyonların bir kısmı atrofik skarla bir kısmı ise kalıcı hiperpigmentasyon ile iyileşti.

Sonuç: Beden imajı algısı öz-saygı ve öz-güvenin önemli bir kısmını oluşturmakta psikolojik durum kozmetik cerrahi alternatif bir psikolojik tedavi olarak değerlendirilebilir. Makromastinin yol açtığı psikolojik sorunlar ciltte kendini nörotik ekskoriyasyon ve benzeri tablolarla kendini göstermekte olup estetik meme küçültme ameliyatları bu lezyonların tedavisinde oldukça etkindir.

Keywords: Aesthetic surgery; Macromastia; Neurotic excoriation; Psychiatric disorders; Reduction mammaplasty.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
A) Preoperative anterior and lateral views of excoriations on breasts and shoulder B) Postoperative views of the lesions healing with pigmentation changes and scars.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
A) Preoperative view of the neurotic excoriations at the breasts and periumblical region, B) View of the healed lesions postoperatively.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
A) Preoperative view of the lesions, B) Recurrence of the lesions at the postoperative period.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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