Our new series, No Apologies, highlights women who unabashedly own their decision to get plastic surgery and aren’t afraid to talk about it.
Leslie is a 34-year-old woman living in Rochester, New York. After breastfeeding her two children, she got a breast augmentation to restore her confidence. This is her story, as told to Annie Tomlin, edited for length and clarity.
I’d always had small breasts, and I was always self-conscious about them. When I was younger, I used to think they’d get bigger, but I never grew beyond an A cup—it’s just how I was built. So I wore padded bras and made sure that my shirts weren’t low-cut, but I never felt truly confident.
That changed in my late 20s, when I had my daughter and then my son. Breastfeeding was important to me, and at that point, I was fine with my breasts because they were fulfilling their purpose. I was able to breastfeed both children for more than two years, and I felt good about that. I thought, My breasts are doing their job, so their size isn’t a big deal. I was happy. It also didn’t hurt that my breasts were larger during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
But after I finished breastfeeding my son, my breasts were even smaller than they were originally. I started to feel down and self-conscious all over again, but I didn’t want to keep feeling that way. After giving my body to my children for so long—six years straight of being pregnant or breastfeeding—I was ready to do something for myself. I was newly single, and I felt like I was able to make decisions completely on my own. That’s when I decided to pursue breast augmentation.
In a way, I never expected to arrive at that decision. I’d always told myself that I’d never have surgery unless it was absolutely necessary. Not that I was against breast implants, but I didn’t want to go through surgery and recovery unless I had to. I knew what would be involved with preparation and recovery, since I’m the primary service nurse in a plastic surgery operating room. I also knew that in the hands of the proper board-certified plastic surgeon, I’d be likely to have a positive outcome.
Having worked with Dr. Ashley Amalfi for years, I knew she would be the perfect person to perform my surgery. She’s very skilled, but she’s also a good listener, so I knew she would be able to achieve the look I wanted. Some people think that if you choose breast implants, you have to get big, disproportionate ones that make you look like a bikini model. In reality, there are all kinds of different options for breast sizes and shapes. Personally, I wanted to look natural—like myself, just with a little more up top.
Since I see different procedures in the OR, I had more knowledge of implants, from how many ccs they can be to the different shapes available. But for anyone else considering a breast augmentation, I advise doing plenty of research, not just when it comes to doctors but also when it comes to the type of implant you choose. Dr. Amalfi and I decided that we should go from an A cup to a C cup, which took 275cc. I chose Mentor® MemoryGel® implants with the smooth round moderate plus profile because they create a natural-looking curve, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
The day of surgery went very well. I took one prescription pain pill for soreness afterward, but otherwise, all I needed was over-the-counter ibuprofen or acetaminophen. The surgery was on a Wednesday, and I felt good enough to attend a wedding on Saturday, if that tells you anything. I took a few weeks off work due to lifting restrictions—a nurse needs to be able to have full movement—but I was surprised by how great the recovery actually was.
Now I’m a year out from having had surgery. Honestly, if people look at me, they would probably never guess that I have implants. I’m really glad that I went with Mentor implants, especially because they look so realistic. My new breasts have a natural slope, but if I wear a push-up bra or bikini, I have amazing cleavage. They feel completely part of me too, not like I have something foreign in my body. They’re soft. They’re natural. My boyfriend says they don’t even feel like implants, and well, obviously, he’s felt other breasts than mine before.
I never thought I would go through with breast augmentation, but I’m so happy that I did. I couldn’t have imagined that changing my breast size would impact my life as much as it has. I now have self-esteem where there used to be self-consciousness—not just when I’m filling out shirts and bras but in my everyday life, I’m much more confident. I’ve regained a lot of mental space too. I used to spend energy being concerned about how clothes would fit or fixating on how to cover my chest. I don’t have to think about that anymore. Now I can just go on with my life and know that I look good. Choosing breast augmentation is probably the best decision that I’ve ever made for myself.
