How to go about getting a breast augmentation before college?

Thank you very much for your question and good luck heading off to college. The expected recovery time after a breast augmentation is from one to two weeks. Heavy lifting and strenuous exercise should be postponed for at least four to six weeks. If you have your breast augmentation early in the summer, you should be feeling like yourself by the time to leave for school. My advice is for you to schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon. He/she will explain the expected recovery process and create a personalized breast augmentation surgical plan, designed around your scheduling needs. 

Thank you for your question.  Based upon your post, it appears as though you have considered having a breast augmentation for quite a while and that you have realistic cosmetic goals.  Many young women elect to have breast augmentations each year and while you are definitely on the younger side, as you are only 18 years old, it is not uncommon for women your age to have a breast augmentation.  Breast augmentation recovery is not how it used to be many years ago with weeks of discomfort and downtime.  Many of my patients are back to work or school within 48 hours and, while they may have some slight discomfort, most cite that they feel great within 24-48 hours of their procedure.  Something to consider is that pain tolerance does vary from patient to patient, and implants do need time to settle following an augmentation.  Implants can initially look a little high, hard and ugly, and I stress to all of my patients that it will take at least 3-4 months to begin to see results (with final results in 6-12 months).  I would recommend scheduling consultation appointments with board certified plastic surgeons who are well experienced in breast augmentation procedures.  You will find that recommendations and surgical techniques may vary slightly between surgeons and it is important to find a qualified and experienced surgeon whom you are also very comfortable with.  I do not believe it is impossible for you to have a breast augmentation procedure before you leave for college but I would recommend scheduling consultations sooner than later.  I hope you find this helpful and I wish you the best of luck!

Thank you for your question!

You have the right reasons for seeking a breast augmentation
procedure, and many women who are the age of 18 seek out the procedure like yourself.
As such, there should be no problem when you have a consultation with a board-certified
plastic surgeon while still in high school. However, the risks you may face is
that if your breasts did not stop developing yet, then they may change after
getting breast implants resulting in either better or worse aesthetics. Also
you should note that since you are under the age of 22, you cannot get silicone
implants, unless you consent for the off-label use and may have to get saline
implants. You will learn more about your options in the consultation.

That being said, I believe it would be difficult to find a
surgeon, undergo the procedure, and recover within 2 months assuming you end in
June, and start in September. If you find a surgeon now, and book the procedure
one week after school ends, then that would be better as you don’t want to rush
in finding the right surgeon.

Your recovery will depend on your pain tolerance, your
healing abilities, etc. Most patients are able to return to desk-jobs within
3-7 days after surgery. It would be recommended that you visit your surgeon for
frequent follow-ups in the process of recovery (i.e., at 1,2,3,6 weeks after
surgery, then at 3, 6, 12 months) and the more you can come before college the
better, as you will get busy. This is why it is best to find a local surgeon so
that follow-ups and communication is easier.

It is also recommended not to do heavy lifting of greater
than 5-10 lbs for the first 3 weeks. After 2-3 weeks, you should be able to
begin your light exercise routine, such as brisk walking, cycling, aerobics and
lower-body weight training. You will also have to avoid any exertion or
strenuous activity that requires use of the upper body (e.g., chest, arms) for
at least 6 weeks. This includes but is not limited to running, push-ups, and
weight-lifting. Considering this information and how engaged you are in extra-curriculars
and sports, you can determine, where 2 months would be enough time for
recovery.

Please note that you should find a surgeon who you can connect
with, whose advice you can trust, and in whose work you can have faith, and
when you do, you don’t need to look for any other surgeons. You should also
look for a local board-certified plastic surgeon as it is easier to follow-up
with them to make sure you are healing well without complications.

These are the steps you need to take to choose the right
surgeon.

1) You should choose a surgeon who gives value to safety,
and who does not rush you. This means that they shouldn’t necessarily agree to
everything you say because you wouldn’t know what is best for you, so it the
job of us surgeons to guide you to make decision that will minimize
complications and allow you to have beautiful breasts.

2) You must verify their skills, education, and board-certification.

3)
You must ask the surgeon about their experience with the procedure you want and
ask to review photographic examples of the surgeon’s work. Check to see
if the aesthetic ideal is consistent with what you are hoping to achieve. Make
sure the before and after images have the same perspective, the same lighting.  

4)
Read the surgeon’s reviews for the procedure you want on real-self and
other online forums where applicable.

5) Share all your motivations for surgery, expectations and
goals with complete honesty. Be as specific as you can about what you like
regarding your breasts and what you don’t like. Based on this your surgeon will
evaluate you as a candidate for the BBA. Ask the surgeon if your expectations
are realistic and reasonable.

If they adequately verify their knowledge, skill, and level
of expertise in the procedure you want, then you can be assured that you are in
the right hands.

I urge you to also do your own research on the breast
augmentation surgery to understand its risks and your various options with
regards to implants, pocket, incision, etc.

Hope this helps.