I Ended Up with the Wrong Size and Implant.

Hello Lasky,

Your doctor did you a favor.  Your complaints of feeling worse now seem unwarranted (assuming he performed the surgery well).  Being an A cup and getting  375 cc implants is hardly a small change.  Your desire for a particular bra size and implant profile is really not your choice.

The most common mistake plastic surgeons make in breast augmentation is utilizing implants that are too large for the patient's anatomy.  This is a costly mistake for the patient, usually forcing an unexpected reoperation.   These reoperations can be difficult to perform in order to correct those problems associated with large implants.

The buzzwords in plastic surgery is 'patient safety'.  More than any other time in cosmetic surgery, we are starting to get and utilize data to help guide us in performing better surgery.  300,000 women get implants every year and somewhere between 15 to 30% (national average) of them will have reoperations within two years.  That is an unacceptably high number.  The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery are in the midst of a national campaign to educate patients about safe plastic surgery.  Similarly, there is an internal campaign to educate surgeons about specific procedures and how to best perform them.

You are less than two months from your surgery and thing are still in flux. You should relax and allow your body to fully heal; go back to your surgeon to take after photos at three to four months.  Then take a look at the results.  Hopefully you will appreciate it!

Best of luck!

 

Implant selection involves a detailed conversation with your surgeon about what you want, and don't want, from breast augmentation surgery. You are still in the healing phase from your surgery, so you may still see some changes ahead. I encourage you to discuss your concerns with your surgeon. Since you left the ultimate implant decision to your surgeon, it is important that you understand why this particular implant was selected for you.

It would behoove you to continue to see your plastic surgery and communicate your concerns in a calm,  non- accusatory fashion.

If revisionary surgery is decided upon, it is very important to communicate your size goals with your surgeon.  In my practice, the use of photographs of “goal” pictures (and breasts that are too big or too small) is very helpful. I have found that the use of words such as “natural” or “C cup” or "fake looking" means different things to different people and therefore prove unhelpful.

Also, as you know, cup size varies depending on who makes the bra; therefore, discussing desired cup  size may also be inaccurate.
I use  intraoperative sizers and place the patient in the upright position to evaluate breast size. Use of these sizers also allow me to select the press implant profile (low, moderate, moderate plus, high-profile) that would most likely achieve the patient's goals. The patient's goal pictures are hanging on the wall, and allow for direct comparison.
I have found that this system is very helpful in improving the chances of achieving the patient's goals as consistently as possible.
By the way, the most common regret after this operation, is “I wish I was bigger”.
I hope this helps.