Background
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I've been thinking about a breast augmentation for quite a few years, but was never quite sure about it. I've always had small breasts and I've never been unhappy with them - in fact, when I reached my 30s I was really enjoying that they'd dropped a lot more, as I hadn't liked how 'pointy' they were when I was younger.
I used to wear padded push up bras all the time, but in recent years have really embraced having small breasts. I haven't worn an underwire for five years and get around braless a lot of the time. I'm very attached to my identity as a small-breasted woman and I was determined to get very small, natural looking implants right from the start. In terms of bras, I wore a 10C or a 12B, neither of which fit me. The cups gape and the bands are too big or too small. I have a broad chest and back, but I'm fairly slim and wear an 8-10 most of the time in clothes. Bralettes in a small size have been my main choice lately. I also have significant asymmetry.
I put on a little covid weight between the initial consult and my procedure - so I was also trying to figure that into how I would feel about my size choice going forward.
But this year I was ready for a change! Initially I was keen to see Dr. Miroshnik in Sydney - I've always loved his work. But when it came down to it I wanted to find someone in Brisbane so I wouldn't have to travel (turns out that was a good choice in 2020!). I also really wanted a female surgeon. I did most of my searching on instagram and realself.
I saw Dr. Georgia Konrat first in Brisbane and I felt pretty good about the consult ($100). Her offices and staff were nice. It took me a while to convince her that I only wanted small implants - this was my main concern in choosing a surgeon, that I wouldn't be able to communicate what I wanted effectively. She wanted me to go bigger, but suggested the motiva ergonomix mini profile, which seemed like an excellent choice. We chose 220 and 245cc mini (I think). She's a surgeon who likes you to choose a range and then says she will choose the best fit when you're on the table. I'm comfortable with that approach although I was nervous she would go bigger than I wanted.
Dr. Konrat only performs sub-fascial placement. She told me that she believes under the muscle approaches are outdated and cause unnecessary trauma. That modern implants don't need to be hidden by the muscle to look natural. Her take on this made sense to me and her results certainly look great with sub-fascial placement. She definitely sold me on this approach.
In the end I just wasn't feeling totally 100% about the consult. She does great work and she answered all my questions but I just wasn't sure. She's a cosmetic surgeon, not plastic, and while my surgery was going to be very straightforward and I have no doubt she's very competent (having performed BAs for 20 years) I had also promised myself initially I would go with a plastic surgeon. Her quote was approx $8k inclusive. That's pretty cheap for Australia, where BAs range from 5k to 15k (implants only, not a lift). Dr. Miroshnik is usually around $14k.
Dr. Ingram
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I had really liked the motiva ergonomix so I searched for other surgeons that offered them and next I made an appointment with Dr. Ingram. He has great results on his sites, and had lots of photos of smaller implants. He also only performs sub-fascial placement, for the same reasons as Dr. Konrat. He's a plastic surgeon and his work history definitely inspired confidence in me.
His offices are lovely, the clinic staff are very nice and Dr. Ingram himself is very personable and friendly. The consult ($300) was good - Scott seemed to understand what I wanted and didn't push me too hard to go bigger. I think it's responsible of both doctors to push a little bit as I know almost everyone wishes they'd gone bigger afterwards, but it was important to me that it's not too much. I was genuinely fearful of coming out with breasts that felt too big and I've struggled with body dysmorphia in the past so I needed to feel comfortable about it.
He explained why he prefers sub-fascial placement (see above) and also why he probably wouldn't recommend two different sizes even though I do have significant asymmetry. He said attempting to correct asymmetry doesn't always work out better and that the larger the breasts the less noticeable the asymmetry. I was fine with that, my asymmetry has never really bothered me that much.
I felt very comfortable with Scott's consult and his recommendations. The quote was about 10k inclusive.
Scott's consult includes 3D Imaging (hence the price) so we did that and he sent me a simulation of three different sizes and profiles to consider. (See photos). I also tried on 250cc in a fitting bra, which felt insanely large to me.
I did the whole thing with the rice bags at home and showed absolutely everyone my simulation that I could find. Noone agreed haha.
Umbilicoplasty
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The other thing I'd talked about at my consult was altering my bellybutton. I didn't know this was possible until a friend mentioned hers had been altered cosmetically when she had a hernia repair. Umbilicoplasty is performed with every tummy tuck, but I'd never known anyone to get it done independently and I couldn't find any surgeons who advertised it in Australia as an independent procedure. I didn't know anything about it so all I could say to Dr. Scott was "my bellybutton has always been very frowny even when I've been very slim and I don't like it". He said he could make it less hooded and shallower with a laprascopic incision in the curve under my bellybutton and that sounded pretty great to me! It would only add 20 mins to the surgery time and wouldn't change the aftercare. To be honest I still don't know how much it cost because I never got the quote and forgot all about paying for it in the lead up to my surgery date.
Booking and fees
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I booked in my surgery and paid a deposit to Dr. Ingram's offices ($500).
I will say the one thing about Scott's offices is that it took a while to get quotes. I waited a couple of days post-consult for the first one and never got the quote for adding on an umbilicoplasty. They also bill separately - so you have to pay the surgery (westside private for me), the anaesthetist and motiva separately, as well as the medical accessories place for your garments. You also have to call them all individually for quotes which makes it a bit more complicated getting a total number, but everything was very straightforward.
Making appointments with the clinic was easy and they even managed to fix up my ridiculous mistake - I got the dates confused when I booked in my surgery and my leave at work and thought I was having surgery on the 4th. I was actually booked in for the week before and didn't realize til the office called me to make my pre-op appointment. They re-scheduled me for the 4th at short notice which I was extremely grateful for as I have to book leave six months in advance.
Surgery Day
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I had my pre-op appointment two weeks before where I chose my size: 245cc demi and got my aftercare education etc.
The surgery called me a few days before for intake.
I picked up my garments ($120 for two surgical bras) on the way to westside.
I arrived at 1.30pm - I was on the afternoon board and ended up going in last, so I didn't go into theatre until nearly 5pm. All the nurses were lovely and the Anesthetist Maree Meier was delightful. Everyone answered all my questions and kept me warm.
I was a little slow coming out of the anesthestic, but nothing serious. I felt a bit tight and uncomfortable when I woke up but not really that sore. I had some IV Panadol and oral endone before I left and was feeling a bit wobbly and fragile but pretty good! They kept me for two hours after I woke up and they said my total theater time had only been about 90 mins.
My sister picked me up and I was very drowsy the rest of the night, I went straight to bed. My pain was fine. I'd bought a wedge pillow on the advice of a friend and it's a life saver. I have a lot of trouble sleeping upright (or any way that isn't flat on my belly) and that's been a worry of mine! They sent me home with prescriptions for oxycodone, ondansetron (anti-nausea) and antibiotics. I was given the on-call number for Dr. Ingram's nurses (who are wonderful) and told to call any time with any concerns. They have 24 hour on-call aftercare.
Aftercare
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The morning after I was a lot more swollen and tight, but the pain was still very manageable. My belly actually hurt more than my breasts. It's harder to not move or twist your belly and my sutures (all dissolvable) were still bleeding on my belly.
The surgery and Dr. Ingram's nurses both called the morning after. I told the nurse that my belly sutures were still bleeding bright red blood and the dressing was soaked through with ooze but she said it was okay and just to leave that dressing in place, cover it with another one and not to worry unless it bled/oozed through that too. I covered it with a dressing pad and a couple of large strips of hyperfix to give it a bit of support. My belly definitely feels more delicate than the rest of me, and I'm trying not to worry about bursting the sutures. I still haven't seen it so I have no idea what it turned out like!
I haven't taken my bra off yet so I haven't looked at my breast incisions. The swelling is pretty intense - worst on day 2 I think, and today (day 3) my incisions are hurting a lot more, but the pain is still very manageable. I think I did a bit too much yesterday and I'm trying to rest more today.
My main problem is that my butt and my back are sore from sitting upright! All I want to do is lie on my side haha.
I got some great advice from a friend who had her BA earlier this year and it's all been A+.
Flexible ice packs are fantastic, the wedge pillow is the best and I'm still waiting on the maternity body pillow I ordered which will be amazing once I can sleep less upright. I pre-braieded my hair on her advice, thank god, because I can't reach my hair. Something I didn't think of is that I can't turn to reach my bedside tables because they're too far behind me when I'm sitting up. So our little laptop table has been super handy. I've also been taking movicol, senna and coloxyl because I have tricky bowels at the best of times and the oxycodone is going to wreak havoc on me. Constipation was something multiple people warned me was the worst part of their BA.
Results
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Day 3 is way too early to tell how things are going to look, but so far I'm pretty happy! They're definitely still noticeably different sizes but I'll wait til they settle before I think about that too much and I was never too worried about the asymmetry anyway.
I am already questioning whether I should have gone bigger! Which I knew would happen and I'm very glad I chose the middle size and not the smallest option (220cc) which I was leaning towards for ages. As my friends have all said - I chose the size with a lot of thought and very rationally.
I can't wait to see what my bellybutton looks like!
Updated on 6 Nov 2020:
Here are some screenshots from the simulation software we used to compare a few different size/profile implants.
Dr. Scott told me the sim isn't super accurate - obviously it can't predict exactly how they will look, but that it's good for comparing how different implant styles will likely sit.
I agonised over this sim even though you can't tell the difference between them from most angles haha.
Updated on 6 Nov 2020:
I took my bra off for the first time last night so I could take a look at my incisions. They look great! Very neat, no inflammation at all.
My boobs look so much more swollen out of the bra! But they're looking great for this stage and I'm excited to see them settle.
Still haven't seen my belly button!
Pain wise I'm fine really. Last night my ribs and around the incisions was really aching, but ice really helps and I had no trouble sleeping.
Updated on 8 Nov 2020:
I changed the dressing on my bellybutton yesterday and it looks amazing! It's healing really well and I'm amazed how different it looks (to me anyway!)
My swelling has gone down a lot now - and it's mostly just my actual breasts that are swollen. They've also dropped a lot already! They're looking pretty aysmetrical at the moment, but that might be how they end up so I'm trying to get used to it.
The sensation is very strange - I don't have much in my nipples or the underside of my boobs. It's just hot and fuzzy. And I have a buzzing sensation in my left breast.
I stopped taking the oxycodone yesterday. It's more discomfort than pain now -and ice is the most helpful.
I can stretch a fair bit now without pain and my range of motion is good. Ive had two showers with the handheld shower head, avoiding my dressings. I've got a waterproof dressing on my belly now so I should be able to have a proper shower today.
Updated on 12 Nov 2020:
I'm hating my body at the moment!
I'm finding it really hard being sedentary while I recover, especially because I'm looking at myself in the mirror and taking photos a lot at a time when I'm a bit heavier than I'm super comfortable with. I have all this free time and I can't work out or go hiking or camping or to the beach, which I would normally do!
I still have some swelling on my belly and obviously my breasts are still a little swollen but it's gone down a lot.
I'm hoping they'll be slightly less asymmetrical in the end, but they might not be so I better get used to it!
The sensation is coming back in my nipples and over more of my boobs and it's unpleasant! The skin is extremely sensitive and often feels like it's burning. I'm getting the shooting pains people talk about and my chest aches on and off. I'm only taking Panadol and ibprufen now which helps. Ice helps the most!
I put a duoderm dressing on my lower sternum because the clips of the bra were digging in and bruising me there.
Incisions look good and the dressings are holding up well. I can shower properly and I washed my hair on day 7.
Updated on 20 Nov 2020:
The pain from the surgery itself is completely gone (I think) and the main issue now is that my nipples and most of the skin on my breasts is hypersensitive AF. The chafing from the bras is insane and unfortunately painkillers don't touch it. But hypersensitivity is normal and it'll pass!
Right now I'm wearing a soft cotton t-shirt under my bra which seems to be the best solution. I've tried everything! I'm using bepanthan (nipple cream), I tried duoderm dressings, hyperfix, cotton wadding. Nothing works too well unfortunately!
My bellybutton is basically healed - it's still scabbing a teeny bit, but I'm keeping it covered until my review in a few days. I still can't wear pants that button at the waist because it irritates the area.
My boobs are dropping! Not evenly yet, but hopefully they'll get there.
Updated on 25 Nov 2020:
I had my 3 week review and everything looks good so far. I got my dressings off and my incisions look great! They're so small.
The hypersensitivity is still terrible, and I've been wearing cotton/bamboo shirts under my bras and padding them with combine dressings. It helps a bit. It'll pass!
I'm back at work on light duties, which is okay - I get a bit sore towards the end of the day.
Updated on 18 Dec 2020:
I had my six week review and started using a silicone gel on my scars, which are looking great. The six week review was with one of the clinics cosmetic nurses I think? It wasn't one of the surgical nurses and I think the whole appointment was just an upsell on scar revision laser? They over genesis laser which I'm not interested in as my scarring is looking great. The nurse couldn't answer my question about underwire, which was completely fine as she called the surgeon to find out and called me back after my appointment - and I also have the aftercare number for the surgical nurse. I just thought it was an odd appointment.
Implants are settling nicely and I'm getting used to the asymmetry.
The pain and hypersensitivity is pretty much just in my nipples now and isn't affecting me day-to-day.
I'm back at full duties at work and haven't had any issues. I haven't done any real exercise yet (I just didn't do anything during recovery because I was working a lot and didn't want to overdo things) but I'm hoping to go swimming this week.
I did have some issues with the office in terms of getting my paperwork for light duties for work. To be honest, the clinic is absolutely terrible at the administration side of things. They're lovely in the office and on the phone, and I'm not complaining about the after-care, but getting quotes and getting my paperwork was like getting blood from a stone. My friend is using the same surgeon and she's having the same problem.
I also got a call from Motiva about a week ago saying I hadn't paid for my implants - I don't think this has anything to do with Dr. Ingram's office, but it certainly contributed to the overall impression of messiness. I told motiva the say I'd paid over the phone and they said they'd sort it out and haven't called back.