BACKGROUND: Reduction mammoplasty is popular among people of various age groups, yet the impact of age on postoperative outcomes remains debated. METHODS: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (2008-2021) was queried to identify adult female patients who underwent reduction mammoplasty. Patients were categorized into 10-year age brackets (i.e., 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and >70 years). We compared age-dependent 30-day outcomes via confounder-adjusted multivariate analyses. RESULTS: 40,958 female patients (mean age: 41 ± 14 years and mean body mass index: 31 ± 6.1 kg/m2) were identified. Complications occurred in 6.4% (n = 2635) of cases, with 770 (1.9%) and 483 (1.2%) patients requiring reoperation and readmission, respectively. 1706 (4.2%) women experienced surgical complications, whereas medical complications were generally rare (n = 289; 0.7%). Compared with women aged 18-29 years, risks of any, surgical, and medical complications were higher for patients aged 30-39 years (OR: 1.22, p < 0.01; OR: 1.05, p = 0.51; OR: 1.84, p < 0.01), 40-49 years (OR: 1.34, p < 0.01; OR: 1.17, p = 0.04; OR: 1.54, p = 0.03), 50-59 years (OR: 1.45, p < 0.01; OR: 1.31, p < 0.01; OR: 1.78, p < 0.01), 60-69 years (OR: 1.38 years, p < 0.01; OR: 1.29, p = 0.01; OR: 1.71, p < 0.01), and >70 years (OR: 1.25, p = 0.18; OR: 1.01, p = 0.98; OR: 1.86, p = 0.14). Patients aged >30 years were also more likely to require readmissions and reoperations. CONCLUSION: Patient age significantly affects outcomes after reduction mammoplasty, with the lowest risk in patients aged <30 years. Importantly, the association between age and postoperative morbidity was not linear. These findings can help guide informed decisions, recognizing that while age is a factor, it is not the sole determinant of risk.

Department of Hand Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Microsurgery Burn Trauma Center BG Trauma Center Ludwigshafen University of Heidelberg Ludwigshafen Germany

Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Cleveland Clinic Foundation Cleveland OH USA

Department of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery Klinikum Rechts der Isar Technical University of Munich Munich Germany

Department of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery University Hospital Zurich Zurich Switzerland

Department of Plastic Surgery Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin Humboldt Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health Berlin Germany

Division of Plastic Surgery Department of Surgery Yale School of Medicine New Haven CT USA

Instituto Ivo Pitanguy Hospital Santa Casa de Misericórdia Rio de Janeiro Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro Brazil

Private Practice Munich Germany

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