The Influence of Personality on Health Complaints and Quality of Life in Women With Breast Implants.

BACKGROUND: A causal relation between systemic symptoms and breast implants has not been established. Psychological factors, such as personality and psychological distress, are strongly associated with the development of medically unexplained symptoms. It can be hypothesized that psychological factors may be related to the development of breast implant illness (BII). OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to evaluate the correlation between self-reported health complaints, health- and breast-related quality of life (QoL), and personality, in women with cosmetic breast implants. METHODS: Women who attended the plastic surgery outpatient clinic of Maastricht University Medical Center between October 2020 and October 2021 for reasons related to their implants and women recruited for a BII study at the Center during this period were invited to participate in this study. Only women who underwent cosmetic breast augmentation were eligible. Participants completed a physical complaints score form and the BREAST-Q, SF-36, and EPQ-RSS questionnaires via an online survey. RESULTS: In total, 201 women completed the questionnaires. Extroversion and social desirability were predominant personality traits in women with breast implants, followed by neuroticism. Relatively high levels of neuroticism were found compared with normative data. Neuroticism correlated significantly with health status and breast-related QoL. Physical and mental health-related QoL had the strongest correlations with neuroticism (ß = -3.94, ß = -4.86, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Personality can play a role in the development of complaints. High levels of neuroticism are seen in cosmetic surgery patients and are negatively correlated with subjective health and patient-reported outcomes in women with breast implants. Therefore, neuroticism may be a factor in the development of BII.

Autologous fat transfer to treat fibrosis and scar-related conditions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Autologous fat transfer (AFT), also known as lipofilling, has been demonstrated to be more than just a filler. Through both mechanical dissection and local tissue remodelling mediated by stem cells, it is thought to improve scar quality, function and even pain. This paper aims to investigate the evidence regarding its safety and effectiveness for treating fibrosis and scar-related conditions. METHODS: A literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant studies. Extensive data extraction and standardization allowed conducting a meta-analysis. RESULTS: Forty-five studies (3033 patients) provided sufficient data for meta-analysis. The AFT treatment resulted in significant increase in satisfaction scores of both patient and surgeon (p  = â€¯0.001). Furthermore, a significant overall scar improvement was also found in the evaluation using the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale, with the most notable effect in the scar stiffness (p<0.001) and pliability (p  = â€¯0.004). In patients with severe pain, AFT resulted in a significant pain reduction of 3.7 points on the Visual Analogue Scale (p<0.001). Last, but not the least, the evidence suggests a significant recovery of radiotherapy-induced tissue damage (p  = â€¯0.003) and function (p  = â€¯0.012). On average, 1.4 procedures were required to achieve the desired result. Minor complications occurred in 4.8% of the procedures. CONCLUSIONS: AFT is a promising treatment for fibrosis and scar-related conditions. Future research should focus on determining the long-term effects of AFT on fibrosis, pain and function. In addition, it would be crucial to quantify the mechanical and regenerative properties of fat as well as the effect of added supplements or stem cells.