Impact of Obesity on Outcomes of Gender-Affirming Mastectomies: A Single-Surgeon Experience.

Background

Gender dysphoria refers to the psychological distress arising from a mismatch between an individual's physical embodiment and their internal sense of gender. Gender-affirming mastectomies can be a pivotal component of gender affirmation for transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive individuals assigned female at birth. The impact of obesity on the outcomes of gender-affirming mastectomies has yet to be fully defined.

Methods

A retrospective review of 205 gender-affirming mastectomies performed by the senior author was conducted. Patients were categorized into obese (BMI ≥ 30) and non-obese groups. Baseline characteristics, intraoperative variables, and complication rates were compared. Univariate and multivariate models were performed to evaluate the association between obesity and postoperative complications.

Results

Obese patients had higher mean resection weights and liposuction volumes (p < 0.001). Significant differences were observed in the prevalence of fibromyalgia, prior chest surgeries, and hormone therapy usage (p = 0.002, 0.002, and 0.03, respectively). However, no statistically significant differences were found in overall complication rates between obese and non-obese groups in the univariate or multivariate analyses.

Conclusions

Our study suggests that obesity is not a significant risk factor for complications in gender-affirming mastectomies patients. The varying impact of high BMI and obesity on surgical outcomes in different surgical fields highlights the importance of patient-centered care and a holistic and individual approach for each patient.