Abstract
BACKGROUND: The posttreatment pain associated with breast augmentation is a top concern of most patients and can affect the decision concerning surgery. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare the posttreatment pain and recovery times of patients undergoing primary breast augmentation with lightweight vs full-mass implants of similar volumes. The authors hypothesized that the reduced mechanical strain applied by lightweight implants elicits less pain. METHODS: In this retrospective, observational study, 100 women who had undergone primary breast augmentation with either a lightweight breast implant or a traditional full-mass silicone implant (n = 50), were contacted by phone and asked about their posttreatment experiences and overall satisfaction with the outcome. All women were treated by the same surgical team, and the two groups were matched by date of surgery. RESULTS: Most patients in the two cohorts had a self-reported preoperative B cup size and relatively high tolerance to pain. On average, LWBI patients were 6 years older than those undergoing full-mass implantation (32.4 ± 8.7 vs 26.2 ± 8.0; P = .0004) and more had experienced at least one pregnancy (61.2% vs 24%, P = .0002). LWBI patients opted for implants 39 ± 28.4 cc larger than patients in the control group. Subglandular placement was selected in most cases (LWBI: 83.7% and full-mass: 90.0%). Mean posttreatment pain was lower in the LWBI cohort (5.5 ± 2.4 vs 6.5 ± 2.4) and required a shorter duration of analgesics (3.87 ± 1.77 days vs 5.26 ± 2.94 days; P = .009). Age- and parity-adjusted measures demonstrated a respective 2-day and 5-day shorter recovery period and return to normal activities interval in the LWBI versus full-mass implant cohorts (P = .04 and P = .002, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: As compared to traditional silicone filled full-mass implants, breast augmentations with B-Lite lightweight breast implants (G&G Biotechnology Ltd., Haifa, Israel) elicit less posttreatment pain and require less down-time, ultimately, meeting patients' quest for desired breast shape at minimal discomfort.