POSTED UNDER Breast Lift with Implants Reviews
Check Your Expectations and You'll Have Better Luck Meeting Them
ORIGINAL POST
Check Your Expectations and You'll Have Better Luck Meeting Them
WORTH IT$11,000
(Summary points at the bottom)
I wanted a breast lift since my breasts came in. Growing up I was a 34D-DD, but then I lost over 20lbs and went to a 34 full B- small C; to re-even my shape I decided I also wanted implants. The sagging weight always affected how I moved, what I could and couldn't wear, my comfort throughout the day and night, and my confidence with physical intimacy.
I started saving for the surgery since I was 18 and realized it was possible for me. When I was applying for grad school at 25, I reasoned that it was best to spend the time and money on the surgery before starting the next (consuming) chapter of my life.
I met with two surgeons that friends had gone to for their breast augmentations, but- even with the referral discount- I wasn't sold. I went online and searched through before and after pictures. What was important to me was to find before pictures that looked similar to me with after pictures that appealed to me; that's when I found Dr. Derby at Sarasota Plastic Surgery Center. He had a handful of patients whose "befores" looked like my breasts, and whose "afters" looked like what I wanted.
I also knew it was important to address my expectations- was I expecting perfection or improvement? I knew it was the latter and I made the appointment for the consult. It was $125 fee that would go towards my surgery. I didn't have that money ready at the time, and- embarrassed- I told them that. They were so kind and understanding. After a few days of thinking about it, I knew in my gut that I should go forward and make the consultation with this surgeon.
My only availability was on days that he was in surgery but he agreed to meet with me between surgeries (which I thought was awesome). I was told the consult was comprehensive and scheduled to take about an hour. At the beginning they create a 3D rendering with your images and use that to model various options for the surgery you're considering. Even the implants I tried on for sizing were the highest quality and most accurate. My consultation ended up lasting over an hour (with several instances of him making sure he wasn't cutting into my time and even asking if I needed a break).
Within the first 2 minutes of Dr. Derby entering the room I felt like I was with a friend. He went over options and other things to consider, answered all of my questions, provided me with some cautions, and explained every step of the procedure to me. He gave me all the information I could have wanted, was absolutely fine to repeat anything, and made sure to repeat the most important information even without being asked.
The quote was $11,506 (which included the consultation fee and a scar gel for after the surgery). It was the highest quote I received but I knew that this was the surgeon I wanted to go with (and I hate spending money). I scheduled my surgery for the Friday before Spring Break (March 8).
I ended up meeting with him 2 or 3 more times before my surgery, each time he provided me with important information and addressed any and all questions or concerns I had. Besides waiting, the most frustrating part was having to go off my medication about 2 weeks pre-op. I had been on Vyvanse for over 3 years at that point and learning to function without it again was an adjustment curve. But then the day arrived and all of a sudden I was in their surgery center, going over everything and getting prepped for surgery. My mom was my caretaker for this ordeal and, being a mom, she was nervous about her baby having surgery. Dr. Derby told her that he would call her and give her hourly updates (he did).
After the surgery Dr. Derby said it went faster than they anticipated and everything went fine. Of course, Dr. Derby called later that night to make sure everything was fine and then I saw him the next morning for post-op. Because the surgery was shorter than expected I got a refund for the anesthesia.
The pain was more than manageable. I was swollen for a while (and "high and tight"). I made sure to drink a ton of water and walk around every few hours. Saturday night was relatively cool outside so I went for a short stroll for fresh air and made sure to start gently moving my arms around. I quickly went down on pain meds and was off of them with in a week. I was able to lift 10 lbs or less w/in 2 weeks, jogging and other light exercise after 3, and easing back into the rest of my regular activities after 4 weeks (including swimming in water). Personally, I went back to work the Tuesday after my surgery and worked from 12p-5:30/6:30p through the rest of the week...I had to take the next week off because of overexertion. You just have to really listen to your body, know when to rest and know when you can push yourself (example: I was nervous to start lifting anything over 2 or 3 lbs but I knew that I had to, and that Derby wouldn't have told me that I could if it were a bad idea).
I'm now almost 3 months post-op. The implants have settled. The scarring was never a concern of mine, and was prepared for far more extensive scarring than I have (which is fading even though admittedly I'm not using the scar-gel as frequently as the directions say to, but I'm getting better about it). I have hardly any feeling in my nipples, but I didn't have much to begin with so it really doesn't bother me at all. I absolutely love my breasts. They've never felt like anything but mine (though I was warned that I could feel as though there were strange foreign objects in my body for a short time).
Summary:
> I wanted a breast lift with implants for over a decade.
> I had been saving up and decided it was a good idea to do it before starting the craziness of grad school.
> I selected a surgeon first based on if they had several patients with before pictures that looked like me, whose after pictures looked like what I wanted. Then made sure they had good reviews. (That's key, I've met people who've picked surgeons based on after pictures alone, and end up forming unrealistic expectations because their bodies are different).
> I wrote out all my expectations for the surgery, in terms of the process of going into it, recovery, results, and potential post-op limitations to discuss.
> I had the consultation, made sure I had the answers and information necessary, and set my surgery date.
> I followed all pre-op instructions.
> I followed all post-op instructions (including drink plenty of water and moving around, which helps with circulation and healing).
> My results feel right.
I wanted a breast lift since my breasts came in. Growing up I was a 34D-DD, but then I lost over 20lbs and went to a 34 full B- small C; to re-even my shape I decided I also wanted implants. The sagging weight always affected how I moved, what I could and couldn't wear, my comfort throughout the day and night, and my confidence with physical intimacy.
I started saving for the surgery since I was 18 and realized it was possible for me. When I was applying for grad school at 25, I reasoned that it was best to spend the time and money on the surgery before starting the next (consuming) chapter of my life.
I met with two surgeons that friends had gone to for their breast augmentations, but- even with the referral discount- I wasn't sold. I went online and searched through before and after pictures. What was important to me was to find before pictures that looked similar to me with after pictures that appealed to me; that's when I found Dr. Derby at Sarasota Plastic Surgery Center. He had a handful of patients whose "befores" looked like my breasts, and whose "afters" looked like what I wanted.
I also knew it was important to address my expectations- was I expecting perfection or improvement? I knew it was the latter and I made the appointment for the consult. It was $125 fee that would go towards my surgery. I didn't have that money ready at the time, and- embarrassed- I told them that. They were so kind and understanding. After a few days of thinking about it, I knew in my gut that I should go forward and make the consultation with this surgeon.
My only availability was on days that he was in surgery but he agreed to meet with me between surgeries (which I thought was awesome). I was told the consult was comprehensive and scheduled to take about an hour. At the beginning they create a 3D rendering with your images and use that to model various options for the surgery you're considering. Even the implants I tried on for sizing were the highest quality and most accurate. My consultation ended up lasting over an hour (with several instances of him making sure he wasn't cutting into my time and even asking if I needed a break).
Within the first 2 minutes of Dr. Derby entering the room I felt like I was with a friend. He went over options and other things to consider, answered all of my questions, provided me with some cautions, and explained every step of the procedure to me. He gave me all the information I could have wanted, was absolutely fine to repeat anything, and made sure to repeat the most important information even without being asked.
The quote was $11,506 (which included the consultation fee and a scar gel for after the surgery). It was the highest quote I received but I knew that this was the surgeon I wanted to go with (and I hate spending money). I scheduled my surgery for the Friday before Spring Break (March 8).
I ended up meeting with him 2 or 3 more times before my surgery, each time he provided me with important information and addressed any and all questions or concerns I had. Besides waiting, the most frustrating part was having to go off my medication about 2 weeks pre-op. I had been on Vyvanse for over 3 years at that point and learning to function without it again was an adjustment curve. But then the day arrived and all of a sudden I was in their surgery center, going over everything and getting prepped for surgery. My mom was my caretaker for this ordeal and, being a mom, she was nervous about her baby having surgery. Dr. Derby told her that he would call her and give her hourly updates (he did).
After the surgery Dr. Derby said it went faster than they anticipated and everything went fine. Of course, Dr. Derby called later that night to make sure everything was fine and then I saw him the next morning for post-op. Because the surgery was shorter than expected I got a refund for the anesthesia.
The pain was more than manageable. I was swollen for a while (and "high and tight"). I made sure to drink a ton of water and walk around every few hours. Saturday night was relatively cool outside so I went for a short stroll for fresh air and made sure to start gently moving my arms around. I quickly went down on pain meds and was off of them with in a week. I was able to lift 10 lbs or less w/in 2 weeks, jogging and other light exercise after 3, and easing back into the rest of my regular activities after 4 weeks (including swimming in water). Personally, I went back to work the Tuesday after my surgery and worked from 12p-5:30/6:30p through the rest of the week...I had to take the next week off because of overexertion. You just have to really listen to your body, know when to rest and know when you can push yourself (example: I was nervous to start lifting anything over 2 or 3 lbs but I knew that I had to, and that Derby wouldn't have told me that I could if it were a bad idea).
I'm now almost 3 months post-op. The implants have settled. The scarring was never a concern of mine, and was prepared for far more extensive scarring than I have (which is fading even though admittedly I'm not using the scar-gel as frequently as the directions say to, but I'm getting better about it). I have hardly any feeling in my nipples, but I didn't have much to begin with so it really doesn't bother me at all. I absolutely love my breasts. They've never felt like anything but mine (though I was warned that I could feel as though there were strange foreign objects in my body for a short time).
Summary:
> I wanted a breast lift with implants for over a decade.
> I had been saving up and decided it was a good idea to do it before starting the craziness of grad school.
> I selected a surgeon first based on if they had several patients with before pictures that looked like me, whose after pictures looked like what I wanted. Then made sure they had good reviews. (That's key, I've met people who've picked surgeons based on after pictures alone, and end up forming unrealistic expectations because their bodies are different).
> I wrote out all my expectations for the surgery, in terms of the process of going into it, recovery, results, and potential post-op limitations to discuss.
> I had the consultation, made sure I had the answers and information necessary, and set my surgery date.
> I followed all pre-op instructions.
> I followed all post-op instructions (including drink plenty of water and moving around, which helps with circulation and healing).
> My results feel right.
SamanthaLeigh's provider
Replies (4)
And thank you!
I didn’t go in with a number of CC’s in mind; I knew I wanted at least full C and no more than full D. But even a DD on my body might only look like a C on, say, one of my friends. It depends on the shape of your frame as well. To determine the specific CC’s I had to try on sizes and even then my surgeon and I decided that he would choose the specific implant size from a small range when I was on the table.
I have sub-muscular silicone implants but I told him not to tell me the specific CC’s. It’s in my file somewhere but I don’t know the actual number. I know it’s in the 400’s but my friend who is just under 5’7 wears a similar bra size as me but her implants are in the mid-upper 700’s.
A previous consult I went to used a bra that was way too big for me and dropped in regular ‘ole circular implants for me to pick a size. It was a sh*t show and gave such an inaccurate idea that if I had gone with that surgeon I would have gone with a much lower CC.
It depends on the shape of your body (your shoulders and shape of your rib cage), and the profile of the implant (at least if you’re going with silicone, but the profile of implant should also be selected based on your shape/size/stature).