When Can The Hardware From Shoulder Reduction Surgery Be Removed?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Heya! I wanted to ask something about the shoulder reduction surgery. Are the metal bars that are used to keep the clavicles together following the clavicle shortening permanent, or can they eventually be surgically removed once the bones have healed and no longer need its support (hypothetically speaking). How long would that take to remove them if so?

A: Most clavicle reduction patients do not remove their hardware but those who do does so because they have excessive hardware show. For those who chose to do so it is done one year after the shoulder narrowing surgery. 

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon