POSTED UNDER Mentor Breast Implants REVIEWS
250cc silicone 5'5" 110 lbs - Bay Area, CA
ORIGINAL POST
Hi ladies, I decided to start sharing my journey...
pacman85January 29, 2015
WORTH IT$8,000
Hi ladies, I decided to start sharing my journey since your posts have all been so helpful.
I am 30 years old, and explored having a BA about 7 years ago, but chickened out until recently when I've been thinking about it more seriously. I'm sick of always wearing padded bras and feeling embarrassed when I put on a bathing suit! Currently I am trying to find the right surgeon- which is hard because I think we have a lot of great options in the Bay Area where I live.
I've had consultations with:
Dr. Weintraub of Duet Plastic Surgery: I liked her a lot and she has great reviews but she is newer to the field)
Dr. Vistnes: Very nice results but I am not convinced that his personality/bedside manner is for me
Dr. Creasman (I've had Botox and Juvederm done by his staff, and have been really happy with the results): He recommended anatomical implants for me which I am not sure I want based on what I have read here. I may check back in to see if he would do a silicone gel implant instead.
I have two more consultations set up, but was not able to schedule them for two months from now! They are with:
Dr. Carolyn Chang: She is extremely expensive, I think $9700 for silicone, but supposed to be one of the best, and the closest to my home.
Dr. Mariotti, who I found through this site. He is further from my home but much more reasonably priced from what I can tell, and wonderful reviews.
Cost is not a big deciding factor, I think it's more about who I feel comfortable with and who I think can help me achieve a natural looking result.
If any of you have experience with any of these doctors, I would love to hear more about it.
I am 30 years old, and explored having a BA about 7 years ago, but chickened out until recently when I've been thinking about it more seriously. I'm sick of always wearing padded bras and feeling embarrassed when I put on a bathing suit! Currently I am trying to find the right surgeon- which is hard because I think we have a lot of great options in the Bay Area where I live.
I've had consultations with:
Dr. Weintraub of Duet Plastic Surgery: I liked her a lot and she has great reviews but she is newer to the field)
Dr. Vistnes: Very nice results but I am not convinced that his personality/bedside manner is for me
Dr. Creasman (I've had Botox and Juvederm done by his staff, and have been really happy with the results): He recommended anatomical implants for me which I am not sure I want based on what I have read here. I may check back in to see if he would do a silicone gel implant instead.
I have two more consultations set up, but was not able to schedule them for two months from now! They are with:
Dr. Carolyn Chang: She is extremely expensive, I think $9700 for silicone, but supposed to be one of the best, and the closest to my home.
Dr. Mariotti, who I found through this site. He is further from my home but much more reasonably priced from what I can tell, and wonderful reviews.
Cost is not a big deciding factor, I think it's more about who I feel comfortable with and who I think can help me achieve a natural looking result.
If any of you have experience with any of these doctors, I would love to hear more about it.
Replies (8)
February 9, 2015
I'm also from the Bay Area but actually went down to LA for my augmentation. I'd highly recommend Dr. David Kim in Beverly Hills. You should check out his website and see if his results are in the ballpark of what you're looking for.
May 26, 2015
I would love to hear who you picked and why! I have met with Dr. Carolyn Chang and think she seems to be a well regarded PS. I also am considering breast implants and am the same height as you and want a conservative, natural looking result. Please keep me posted. Thank you for sharing!
May 29, 2015
I actually had one more consult, with Dr. Elyassnia- and I think I may go with him. I loved Dr. Chang. Many conservative looking results, and very friendly. Some Yelp reviews I read called her [RS bleep], but I didn't find that to be true at all. However, her cost is insane. I'm not trying to find the best deal on a major surgical procedure, but she is $2,000+ more than any of the other highly qualified, very well reviewed surgeons that I've seen.
Dr. Elyassnia had great reviews and I liked him a lot when we met at our consult. He spent a lot of time with me and let me take as long as I wanted on my own with sizers. He does fewer BAs per year than Dr. Mariotti, but is much, much more convenient to my home and work, which is a big deciding factor considering that there are many appointments involved in the whole process. So, I still haven't "pulled the trigger" and made an appointment, but I hope to soon :) Would love to know who you end up with!
May 29, 2015
Thanks for your reply! Turns out I have to wait to do the surgery. When I do it, I will let you know. In the meantime, I'm continuing my research and love to hear everyone's opinions on which doctors they chose and why. I looked at ChoeTornado's rec for David W. Kim and he had amazing pictures of his before and after breast augmentation procedures. I will definitely look up Dr Elyassnia and Dr Mariotti. I felt Dr Change wasn't [RS bleep] at all. She is a little reserved and definitely conservative in her procedures. What I liked about her is that she is interested in a natural result for face and breasts and has never pushed and has actually recommended I not do certain additional procedures. However, I feel I would be more reassured if there were more before and after pictures posted on her website. I'm a visual person who needs to see the results of many different patients.
Good luck and keep me posted!
June 2, 2015
I just booked my surgery for September with Dr. Elyassnia (aka "Dino") I am definitely SUPER NERVOUS now. But excited. I will keep my review updated, especially as I approach my surgery date.
August 4, 2015
Hello! I actually just booked my BA surgery with Dr. Elyassnia in September, too! I would love to keep in touch to hear how your surgery goes. I am nervous as well, but excited, and hoping to receive natural results. All the best!
October 1, 2020
Beautiful results, they look real and perfect! I got the same style and size implants, hope they turn out as nice as yours. Ty so much for sharing your journey :)
UPDATED FROM pacman85
6 months pre
Some conservative "wish boobs" and my consults
pacman85March 26, 2015
I've had all of my consults now- wow!
I really loved Dr. Chang, we got along well, and she has done tons of cases with conservative results, which is exactly what I am looking for. But her price is super steep ($9300). I'm definitely not trying to bargain shop, but she is $2,000+ over all the other very qualified surgeons I visited in the area.
Dr. Mariotti was my last stop, and I also liked him a lot. He made me feel very comfortable and we looked at a bunch of pictures- most are a little bigger than I want to go, but I feel confident that he would help me select a size for the results I want. We also tried on sizers. It was a little scary! Even the smallest ones seemed HUGE on me. Did anyone else feel that way? His price was around $6300 (imagine all the bras I could buy with those $3,000 savings)
Right now I think I am leaning towards Dr. Mariotti. His office is a lot less convenient, so making 5 trips out there will not be the easiest thing, but also not the end of the world. His price was also more in line with other surgeons, and actually slightly less expensive.
Below I posted some photos of my "wish boobs" - if you are in this size range I would love to chat!
I really loved Dr. Chang, we got along well, and she has done tons of cases with conservative results, which is exactly what I am looking for. But her price is super steep ($9300). I'm definitely not trying to bargain shop, but she is $2,000+ over all the other very qualified surgeons I visited in the area.
Dr. Mariotti was my last stop, and I also liked him a lot. He made me feel very comfortable and we looked at a bunch of pictures- most are a little bigger than I want to go, but I feel confident that he would help me select a size for the results I want. We also tried on sizers. It was a little scary! Even the smallest ones seemed HUGE on me. Did anyone else feel that way? His price was around $6300 (imagine all the bras I could buy with those $3,000 savings)
Right now I think I am leaning towards Dr. Mariotti. His office is a lot less convenient, so making 5 trips out there will not be the easiest thing, but also not the end of the world. His price was also more in line with other surgeons, and actually slightly less expensive.
Below I posted some photos of my "wish boobs" - if you are in this size range I would love to chat!
Replies (3)
May 15, 2015
Hi! I think it's great you're going around to all these doctors. I only had one consultation (hope I don't regret that decision) before booking my surgery. I did a LOT of research on him before deciding to even call for a consultation lol. And when I met him I felt really excited and with timing and everything, I decided to go with him. We'll see how that goes lol.. I'm also in an area where I'm choosing to be really picky with who I go to because I know a LOT of doctors here haven't worked on my body type before. Mine is also steeper in price than most.
I think what helped me to decide was comparing their Before/After albums next to each other. I had to just look at their overall album and compare the two to see what 'look' I realistically wanted to go for. My PS is also almost 4 hours away from home! But he told me he's had people come to him from all over and he said if there were ever situations where I couldn't drive up, he would use other ways of communication to keep me comfortable. Go with the one you trust most and who's work you would love to see on yourself! :)
May 27, 2015
I think we picked the same wish boobs! I am 2weeks post and very happy with my size so far. I started out a 34A and had 250 saline unders. I felt huge at first, but now I look more like the pictures you posted. I was hoping for a medium B and really hoping not to be a C. I am not sure where I fall in bra size since they vary so greatly, but so far seem to be a full B. I will have to send you a shot :)
May 27, 2015
Hi! I live in Bay Area too - had consult with 2 MDs - Dr Chia Jen Lung Chung and Dr Rajagopal both in SF. I like both very much but decided to go with Dr Chung (laurel heights plastic surgery) because of the look I was going for (more conservative, natural) . i also just felt very comfortable with Dr Chung and her staff from very beginning (Whitney, her care coordinator, is a doll!) Dr Chung spent a lot of time with me in consultation and after - Ive had lots of questions- emailed Dr Chung and received a quick response. My husband went to my consult and gave te thumbs up for Dr chung as well.
My gf saw both of these MDs and she secided to go with Dr Rajagopal. i think it comes down to what is important to you and how uou feel with surgeon. i could have gone with either- but Dr Chung made a REALlY great first impression, so go with your instinct -
Im scheduled gor BA July 2. Best of luck in your surgeon search!
UPDATED FROM pacman85
3 months pre
Scheduled for Sept 4 2015!
pacman85June 2, 2015
I just called to book my surgery- my date is September 4, 2015! Right before labor day, so I can pretend like I'm just taking a little extended vacation :) But I am on a wait list to move my date up in case anything frees up in July. It doesn't quite feel real yet. I've been thinking about boobs non-stop the last few months....soon I will have some! Anyone else having surgery in Sept?
Glad to see your getting several doctor consults! We'd love to see some wish boob pictures if you have any. Keep us posted as you continue your great research!