TITLE:
Results of My Reduction Mammaplasties in African Women in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, from 2010 to 2025
AUTHORS:
Anatole Kibadi-Kapay
KEYWORDS:
Reduction Mammoplasties, African Women, Results, Democratic Republic of Congo
JOURNAL NAME:
Modern Plastic Surgery,
Vol.15 No.3,
June
19,
2025
ABSTRACT: In sub-Saharan Africa, there are very few publications on reduction mammaplasties. With this significant 15-year perspective, it seemed important to me to present the results of my reduction mammaplasties in African women, as well as the challenges faced in a country with limited resources. Over a 15-year period, from 2010 to 2025, I performed 92 bilateral reduction mammoplasties on 46 African patients in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. The average age of the patients was 34.2 years, ranging from 17 to 60 years. The most common breastfeeding rate was 4, found in 11 patients (23.9%), and these 11 patients were aged between 30 and 49 years. The 92 mammoplasties performed were all reduction mammoplasties using a dermoglandular flap with a supeio-internal pedicle. In my series, the main complications were partial necrosis of the nipple-areola plate (2%), hematomas (6.2%), infectious complications (6.4%), scar dehiscence (6.8%), and hypertrophic and/or keloid scars (10.2%). The results were considered excellent (91.3%) from an aesthetic point of view. And, all my patients were satisfied with the results of their reduction mammaplasties, with a follow-up ranging from 12 months to 14 years. Despite my excellent results obtained with patient satisfaction, the two major challenges to overcome, in this country with limited resources and a high incidence of keloids, are patient poverty and the unpredictable occurrence of pathological scars (hypertrophic, keloid).