Breast augmentation scheduled.. Now I'm having second thoughts! Any suggestions?

Thank you for the question. It is perfectly normal response to have a second thought. Any procedure that you undergo has risks for infection and this is extremely low in healthy patients. Patients with obesity, diabetes, history of smoking will have an increased of infections and complications. It is best to go for a second visit with your board certified plastic surgeon. Good luck.

It is extremely common to have second thoughts regarding an elective procedure like breast augmentation. I would recommend you make another appointment to discuss your concerns with the board certified Plastic Surgeon you have chosen. Infection rates for first time (primary) augmentation are extremely low when performed by a board certified Plastic Surgeon in an approved facility or hospital. Pain management should be discussed with your Plastic Surgeon, who should have a pain protocol in place, which typically starts in the operating room and continues until you are pain free, typically 2-3 days. My patients always say that the pain they feared based on internet chat room reports, is manageable when my pain management protocol is used. My patients are typically off narcotics by day 3 and continue with a non narcotic protocol for 2-5 more days. Good Luck!  

It is very common for patients to have anxiety before a scheduled procedure and, in fact, it's quite uncommon for a patient to say that they're not at all nervous.  As with any surgical procedure, it's important to make a careful and considered decision before proceeding.  Weighing your options, thinking about the risks and benefits, and choosing a surgeon with whom you feel comfortable are all part of that process.  Given that you've been thinking about this surgery for 10 years and have scheduled the procedure in the relatively distant future, I suspect you've been careful in your decision making.What you will probably notice when perusing online forums is that patients who are happy, healed perfectly, and love their results spend less time talking about them online than those patients who are less happy or have had complications.  I believe this skews the information available online.Yes, breast augmentation is surgery and there are potential complications that can occur such as infection.  This is uncommon and most surgeons are very careful to do all that we can do to make this likelihood as low as possible.  With regard to pain, almost all of my patients will tell me that the pain associated with breast augmentation surgery was less severe than they read about online.I advise my patients to do your research and ask me about any questions they have before making the decision to proceed with surgery.  Once you've made the decision to move forward, stop looking at all of the scary stuff online - it can drive you crazy!  If you're just not confident about your decision to move forward with surgery, cancel your procedure until you can be comfortable that you're making decision that's right for you.

Hello,Thank you for your question. It is common for patients to be anxious closer to the surgery date and certainly more so when reading anecdotal stories on the internet. I recommend that you share your concerns and questions with your Plastic Surgeon and let their office answer/reassure you. Most of my patients say that the pain from breast augmentation is not as bad as they expected. Everyone experiences pain differently but this is a very common procedure with so many people undergoing BA daily who would tell you that for them, the results are well worth it. All the best

It is perfectly understandable and in fact quite normal to get nervous before surgery.  The statistics for complications for breast augmentation are fairly well known.  Incidence of infection is at or less than 1%.  It is also worth mentioning that over 90% of women who undergo breast augmentation express satisfaction with their decision.  I think it is reasonable and important to make sure your surgeon knows you are having these feelings as he or she knows you best and may therefore best be able to put your mind at ease.  Good luck!

While there are complications with any surgery, they really should be small with a breast augmentation.  Roughly 300,000 women undergo a breast augmentation in the United States every year and the overwhelming majority of those women will never even second guess it afterwards.  Be cautious of reading too much online - generally those who have had problems are more likely to talk about such things as opposed to the thousands of others who are happy. 

Hi & thank you for your question.It is perfectly natural to be nervous and concerned about your outcome. I would encourage you to see your surgeon to discuss your concerns. Best of luck.

Infections after breast augmentation as rare, less than 1%. An experienced board certified plastic surgeon should have a very low rate of infection. See link below for examples.

It is common for patients to get a bit nervous prior to surgery. If you have more questions to be answered then speak with your surgeon.

The vast majority of patients who have breast augmentations do not develop an infection.  This is very rare.  Although there may be some initial pain with the surgery, this usually resolves similar to any other surgery.       Remember, breast augmentation is a very popular procedure because patients get the results they want, performed in a safe manner,  in the hands of board-certified plastic surgeons.  Good luck.