A systematic review of patient regret after surgery- A common phenomenon in many specialties but rare within gender-affirmation surgery

Regret after gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a complex issue. Comparing regret after GAS to regret after plastic surgery operations and other major life decisions is a novel approach that can provide insight into the magnitude of this issue. A systematic review of three databases was conducted to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of surgery 2024-08, Vol.234, p.68-73
Main Authors: Thornton, Sarah M., Edalatpour, Armin, Gast, Katherine M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Breast
Breast implants
Contouring
Decision making
Decisions
Emotions
Female
Gender
Gender identity
Gender reassignment surgery
Health care access
Humans
Literature reviews
Male
Mammaplasty - psychology
Mastectomy
Non-binary gender
Patients
Plastic surgery
Prostatectomy
Reconstructive surgery
Sex Reassignment Surgery - psychology
Surgeons
Surgical outcomes
Systematic review
Transgender persons
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Summary:Regret after gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a complex issue. Comparing regret after GAS to regret after plastic surgery operations and other major life decisions is a novel approach that can provide insight into the magnitude of this issue. A systematic review of three databases was conducted to investigate regret after common plastic surgery operations. Three separate literature reviews on regret after GAS, regret after elective operations, and regret after major life decisions were performed. A total of 55 articles examining regret after plastic surgery were included. The percentage of patients reporting regret ranged from 0 to 47.1 ​% in breast reconstruction, 5.1–9.1 ​% in breast augmentation, and 10.82–33.3 ​% in body contouring. In other surgical subspecialties, 30 ​% of patients experience regret following prostatectomy and up to 19.5 ​% following bariatric surgery. Rate of regret after GAS is approximately 1 ​%. Other life decisions, such as having children and getting a tattoo have regret rates of 7 ​% and 16.2 ​%, respectively. When comparing regret after GAS to regret after other surgeries and major life decisions, the percentage of patients experiencing regret is extremely low. •Regret after gender affirming surgery is less than 1 ​%.•Regret after elective plastic surgery operations is significantly higher.•Regret after major non-surgical life decisions is significantly higher.•Patients with regret should receive multidisciplinary care.
ISSN:0002-9610
1879-1883
1879-1883
DOI:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2024.04.021