Cost of breast augmentation with silicone implants and subsequent surgeries

Objective. To assess the cost of primary breast augmentation and correction of subsequent complications; to compare these results in retrospective and territorial aspects. Material and methods. Data on cost of primary mammoplasty and redo breast augmentation in the Russian Federation are obtained from open sources. Cost estimates for similar procedures in the United States were taken from available literature sources. Results. We assessed the cost of primary breast augmentation with silicone implants and redo surgeries for complications. Each surgery (both primary and redo procedure) costs approximately 600. 000 rubles. This cost does not include preoperative and annual examinations, as well as financial costs for disability after surgery. Long-term wearing breast implants is followed by higher risk of local complications or adverse effects. The risk of redo surgeries is 20-40% over 8-10 years. Following primary breast augmentation, a patient is highly likely to undergo one or more redo breast surgery throughout life. Taking into account inflation for augmentation mammoplasty (156% from 2015 to 2025), cost of procedure in the Russian Federation is lower than in the United States (primary breast augmentation: 6. 100 in the Russian Federation versus 8. 742 in the United States; redo surgery: 6. 585 in the Russian Federation versus 8. 418 in the United States). Conclusion. Breast augmentation for aesthetic causes is the most popular and in-demand procedure worldwide performed in private healthcare system. Nevertheless, breast augmentation attracts patients with moderate cost, short-term recovery period and immediate effects with better breast shape and volume, as well as high patient satisfaction. However, they underestimate all long-term consequences, including medical, aesthetic, and financial ones. Primary category of patients undergoing augmentation mammoplasty is young women of childbearing age, who are subsequently forced to pay for redo surgery due to aesthetic deformities and pathological changes. Indeed, treatment of these events is not covered by compulsory health insurance. In addition to financial burden for the patient, state healthcare system is currently facing high cost for the treatment of systemic consequences of foreign body-body interactions, such as autoimmune diseases and cancer.