Can breast implants get you ahead at work
Do fake breasts help a female attorney's career?
This was the question recently posed at BitterLawyer.com, which claimed that their plastic surgeon source revealed that "a lot" of their patients were female attorneys. Nearly 58% of their readers said "Yep, looking hot can help." The American Society of Plastic Surgery statistics cite breast implants as last year's most popular cosmetic surgery procedure.
Breast augmentation: a set back or the wrong answer to getting ahead?
Talk radio giant Rush Limbaugh fueled the controversy, telling his national audience that the trend will "set feminism back 50 years." Penelope Trunk, CEO of Brazen Careerist, argues that of all cosmetic treatments, breast augmentation is irrelevant to helping women compete in the workplace. 
"I think people can buy a bra and achieve that goal. Maybe plastic surgery on breasts helps if you are sleeping with someone at work, but when it comes to making not-great breasts look young and perky, a good bra will do the trick. Looking hot helps women in any career. But when it comes to your career, spend your money on stuff you can't fake, like a nose job, Botox, or a $400 haircut."
Breast size for the workplace
For many women on RealSelf.com who are researching breast implant surgery, the question isn't about whether breast implants will get them ahead in the workplace, it's what size of breast implants are right for them. Plastic surgeons advice on proper breast implant sizing is most often, "go smaller" to look natural. Based on a review of plastic surgeon's before and after photos of breast implants, it appears that rarely are patients acquiring abnormally big, incredibly unrealisitc implants.
However, Florida plastic surgeon Ralph Garramone, MD points out that, in the end, "Most women choose implants that are too large, which is why it is easy to tell which women have had breast augmentations."
Breast implant downsizing
For women who feel they went to large, there's the desire to downsize. Life changes, such as pregnancy, weight gain and growing older, are frequent drivers for heading back to the surgeon for smaller implants.
Chicago plastic surgeon Otto Placik, MD recently received downsizing requests by two patients who had "conservatively sized breast implants (275cc) placed in their 30's." Both felt "self conscious when they became grandmothers and their natural breasts had become larger through menopause and the associated weight gain."
One of the more popular questions on RealSelf.com is "Options for reducing breast implant size."
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1 post
18 Apr 2009
Breasts are the most pronounced symbol of femininity. Do women who are lawyers or other professionals want to stress their femininity? Do they work with men or with women? Men respond favorably to attractive women, but I support the concept of "going smaller" to prevent breasts from being a distraction--or I should say, more of distraction than all breasts already are for men, and perhaps a matter of competition for women. It's time to work, not play or compare.
507 posts
18 Apr 2009
In My North Carolina Plastic Surgery Practice, my breast augmentation patients often report increased confidence. They are very pleasantly pleased with the new wardrobe choices that are available when their breasts are in proportion with the rest of the body. And they are releived to get rid of their padded bras. I use implants only of a conservative size that I beleieve will provide a natural looking appearance both in and out of clothing. If a woman is seeking very large breast implants I would not attempt to change her mind, but rather I would suggest that she find a different plastic surgeon, one who shares her aesthetic sensibilities. My patients tell me that they often forget they have breast implants because they look and feel so real. With a conservative size and proper placement (not too high, too far apart, too close together, etc. Breast implants can look completely natural both in and out of clothes. If there is a plastic surgery procedure that will provide very natural looking results, it is certainly possible that the change will ad to a woman's increased self confidene will make her more successfull whether she is an attorney, a physician,a mom or a teacher. The ideal breast augmentation procedure will make a woman look great, but it may not be a change others would notice unless the woman elects to share those changes with others.