REDUCTION MAMMAPLASTY IN PATIENTS WITH BULIMIA-NERVOSA

Women with eating disorders have been disqualified as candidates for p lastic surgery, We present a group of 6 young women with bulimia nervo sa who presented with clinically symptomatic evidence of macromastia. All patients reported that dysfunctional eating habits, at least in pa rt, where due to breast enlargement, Five patients underwent bilateral reduction mammaplasty. Patients were interviewed postoperatively and reported relief of physical symptoms and improvement in psychological well-being, Symptoms of eating disorders were completely eliminated or greatly reduced. This series has supported the contention that macrom astia can produce a distortion of body image and become a secondary ca use of eating disorders, Surgical correction of large breasts has impr oved body image, leads to the amelioration of associated eating disord ers, and may in part represent a surgical treatment far a psychologica l abnormality, The presence of an eating disorder should not, therefor e, automatically exclude a patient from surgical consideration. Routin e preoperative evaluation of young women seeking plastic surgery shoul d include a set of standard questions regarding eating behaviors.