Will having high cholesterol put me at high risk for complications with breast reduction surgery?

Many people have high cholesterol and can undergo surgery safely. Your overall health will be established prior to scheduling elective operation.

High cholesterol can be significantly high and chronic in nature, or new and slightly in the abnormal range. Risks vary with each of these scenarios, bu to put things in perspective, smoking is a more immediate risk since circulation impairment from nicotine can cause dead skin and open wounds, so that would be considered a "higher" risk.If you are otherwise young, healthy, a non-smoker, and have a slightly elevated cholesterol, your risks are very low overall for any complication, including cardiovascular ones. But if you are older, overweight, and have a chronically high cholesterol, then your risks overall are still quite low, but indeed higher than the previous example.Since you need a pre-operative physical by your family physician, internist, or Gyn specialist before surgery, this will all be addressed before you proceed with breast reduction surgery. Follow your doctor's advice regarding your cholesterol and then follow your plastic surgeon's advice regarding breast reduction, but don't worry. This is an excellent operation with minimal blood loss and minimal "stress" to your system. Best wishes! Dr. Tholen

Need more information to accurately answer your question such as blood pressure, family history of heart disease, personal history of heart disease, height, weight and age.  High cholesterol in and of itself is not a risk factor but collectively it could indicate an underlying medical condition.  See your family physician prior to considering surgery for clearance.  

High cholesterol can suggest underlying cardiovascular disease.  It is best to see your medical doctor to get this squared away.

High cholesterol may be an indication of underlying cardiovascular problems.  Underlying cardiovascular problems can result in complications after any type of surgery.  It would be important to know how high your cholesterol level currently is and whether or not you had any other associated lipid abnormalities.  This information should be analyzed by your Dr. to determine whether or not further workup is necessary to identify and treat any underlying cardiovascular problems that may affect any surgical procedure.  Many people however have slight or moderate elevations of the cholesterol

All surgeries pose a risk to your health. As plastic surgeons, we try to minimize the risk associated with our surgeries. Some medical issues place people in a high risk category, other medical issues are to be evaluated but pose little risk. Some examples of issues of high risk include;Previous Heart Attacks or angina.Congestive Heart issues.Previous Strokes.Diabetes.Bleeding Disorders.Kidney problems.HepatitisAnd many others.High cholesterol is a relative risk. By itself it does not pose a risk, but can cause other problems like the ones described above. In any case, your physician should have you undergo a pre-surgical medical clearance.

Thank you for the question. As you know, having a high cholesterol may increase your overall risk for cardiovascular disease.   In order to evaluate your suitability to proceed with  breast reduction surgery,  it will be best to undergo a preoperative medical clearance;  let your primary care  physician or internist know that you are considering breast reduction surgery and ask for a preoperative medical workup. Best wishes; breast reduction surgery tends to be one of the most patient pleasing operations we perform.