31 year old mother, before: saggy 34D; after: 34DDD Full and Round! Extremely happy with results!! :)

I can't believe it's been almost a year since my surgery. The last year has given me a chance to evaluate my self-concept and why I had surgery in the first place. I have decided not to have any more plastic surgery procedures (other than my permanent bridge for my teeth) even though I have enough money for the tummy tuck I spoke about earlier. I have realized that as we age, have children, and mature, our bodies are not going to look like they did when we were teenagers no matter what we do! I am learning to accept myself for who I am and not grasp for self-worth through outside interventions. Of course, I am still working on this so I have decided to have a dental procedure to fix my teeth that broke during an accident instead of a tummy tuck (they cost about the same amount). A year ago, I would have said "hands down, I am having my tummy done!")

I do not regret my surgery, and I would probably do it again because it has helped with the loose skin and sagginess that plagued me over the last few years. I thought my boyfriend at the time would love my body after surgery, but he began to act indifferent and needless to say, we are no longer together. I think my opinion about myself and the decision to have surgery impacted our relationship, but it was not the deciding factor to split.

My advice to anyone considering breast implants is to make sure you are aware of the risks/complications, think through the surgery and the outcome, and be prepared for a feeling of disappointment after a few months. Many girls will begin to analyze their surgery, wondering if they should have gone bigger/smaller and will contemplate more surgery for other areas. The experience I had was that surgery and appearance began to occupy all of my time and thoughts, leaving little for my children and loved ones. My 12 year old told me she wanted to have surgery when she grows up, and my 7 year old started looking at magazines and commenting how some girls have pretty bodies. This is NOT the impression I wanted to make on my children!! Now it is too late to undo the potential damage. I explained to them that even though I had surgery, it did not make me feel beautiful, and it did not change what is on the inside.

In conclusion, I am glad I was able to work through some of the emotions and self-esteem issues that caused me to seek surgery in the first place. Ladies, be prepared when you make this decision and identify your reasons for wanting surgery. It will not make you more attractive to the public (they won't even notice unless you make a drastic change), your significant other, and it will NOT make you happy! My results have made me feel more confident in some of the clothes I wear and when I am without clothes, but that is all. I had to force myself to stop nit-picking at every flaw in the mirror and to live my life without obsessing over appearance. I wish you all the best of luck for your procedures and I hope every girl that reads this decides to investigate themselves from the inside and make an informed decision without unrealistic expectations. God bless!

PS: IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE PICS, PLEASE SEND ME A PRIVATE MESSAGE. I TOOK ALL MY PICS DOWN FOR PRIVACY REASONS, BUT I WILL SEND YOU BEFORE/AFTER IMAGES IF YOU FEEL IT WILL HELP YOU WITH YOUR DECISION

Sorry for the delayed update, but I have been super busy with work! I saw the doc yesterday for my check-up, and he said everything looks great. The small hole is completely closed up, and the scar appears the same on both sides. It is still pink, but I have been using Mederma on it. The only problems I am having is with tightness in the front part of my armpits (more so on the right than the left). It causes difficulties when I do my acrobatics and feels somewhat like a tendon that won't stretch the way it used to. The doc told me to continue working the pec muscles and stretch every day; he also said at this point I can't hurt it by doing my form of exercise. Just a side note: it feels strange when using the pec muscles because the implant is underneath them. I can make my boobies dance! Lol But it can be a bit uncomfortable to do push-ups and pull-ups (or similar exercises).

All in all, I am very happy with my results and if I had to do it over again, I would in a heartbeat! My breasts DO NOT look perfect, and nothing else in my life has changed because of my surgery. But I have more self-confidence in my appearance. I feel sexier when I don't have clothes on even though I gained a few pounds since the procedure. Now that I can work out again doing what I like, I know that the weight will come off fairly easily. If I could give any advice to someone considering this procedure, it would be to have realistic expectations, do the research, and be prepared for any complications. This surgery was not a walk in the park, and didn't turn me into a sports illustrated model. So many young women think having surgery will make them happy; this idea could not be more false! Happiness comes from the inside, not from your appearance. But if you have realistic expectations, would like to alter your appearance slightly, and you are aware of all the risks involved, then I say go for it!

Thank you all for the love and support you gave to help me through this experience! I could not have done it without you! God bless all of you on RealSelf!!

I saw the doc on Friday, and he said the culture showed no infection and it looks like it's closing up nicely on its own; he won't have to stitch it. I'm worried the scar will be weird-looking after it heals up, but I guess that doesn't matter since it's underneath. He said no underwire or push-up bras for another few weeks which I'm not happy about. Oh well, it could be worse! Hope everyone is doing great! :)