Right Time and Frame of Mind for Bigger Boobs! 5"5, 128 Lbs, 31 yo. No kids - 425 Mod+ silicone unders

Thanks to all of your incredible reviews, I have probably gotten about 2 hours less of sleep per night for the past week or so. I just can't stop reading! I've had a conflicted view on breast augmentation in the past, which has changed over the years for may reasons. And this community has really dispelled the unfortunate stereotype of breast implants being the sole domain of vain, body dysmorphic bimbos. This is such a personal journey and I wanted to thank all of you for sharing what is behind your decision (and incision!).

I'll try to return the favor. I'm 31 years old, and have always loved a good set of tits. While I love the shape and look of my breasts (I think they're adorable), they're a little shy. I'm an average build in every regard except, I would say, my shoulders and rib cage. My upper body is very slender in relation to my hips and butt. I like balance, who doesn't? So I'd like my breast augmentation to bring my top in to proportion with my bottom.

I've had a somewhat complicated past with my body image. I was so effing small as a kid and teenager, I couldn't fit in to size zero's until I was a junior in high school. Needless to say the boobs were nonexistent. Yes, I got called flat. Honestly, it didn't bother me that much, and I thought it was a pretty stupid insult. Like, yeah, I'm flat, I'm also the size of an elf, wtf do you expect?

Well, puberty finally hit, and my hips and butt started to fill out. I was a late bloomer, so until I was 17 or so, being teeny tiny was... who I was. It was my identity. I was reserved, pretty, and thin. The sudden deviation from being super tiny tripped me up. I began dieting at 17, taking diet pills, starving myself, exercising too much. Freshman year of college I came home for Christmas break, and people were freaked out. I was 5"5 and 103, which might be normal for some people, but not for my body frame.

Over the next 7 years I hated my body, and at 25 years old really took the bulimia to the next level. It was awful, and guess what? I gained weight. While bulemic. I was literally hurting myself, and achieving the opposite of what I wanted. I finally went to a psychiatrist, and took a hard look at my feelings about myself. The last time I ever purged was when I was 26. I'm 31 now. I think the turning point was right before my 27th birthday, when I was hospitalized for a ruptured cyst. I had lost over a liter of blood and had lost consciousness. I was in the hospital for a week, and sort of had this intense breakthrough on my feelings about my body. I realized, and FELT, that I loved this body, and didn't ever want to hurt it again, and wasn't ever going to hate it again.

So here we are, almost five years later, and I feel comfortable getting plastic surgery because it's not a fix for me anymore. Not that fixing your body is a bad motivation, but given my previous issues, I had to really make sure this was a healthy choice for me.

My thinking is literally: "My boobs are so cute, and they would look fantastic if they were bigger." I don't identify as "teeny tiny" anymore. I want to be womanly, curvy, and sexy. Being a waif doesn't fit who I am anymore. I'm not reserved, I work in a field that requires me to be very fearless, and after faking it for so long, I've actually become fearless.

Anyway! The other part of my story: My sweet boyfriend. The opportunity for the boob job is a result of his offer to pay for them. I've talked at length with him to make sure he's sure about this. We're not engaged, and have no solid plans for engagement, although we talk openly about marriage, children, etc. But in the abstract more so. That's because during the three years we've been together, he's been deployed for six months to Afghanistan (last year) and he's currently 6 months into a 9 month deployment to Africa. We need to have some normal time when he gets back for our relationship! But yes, the commitment is there, I mean, two deployments has kind of given us an idea of that.

He's a major boob guy. I'd love bigger boobs. It's a win-win.

I have a consultation scheduled for Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. with Dr. Hess in Virginia. He offers Rapid Recovery, which is interesting to me. Anyone had that?

I'm a 32B, and all I know for sure is that I want silicone. Beyond that, I'm really just gonig to have to try the sizers and talk to him about what outcomes will look like. My nipples point to the sides. I put up photos so you can see that the farthest part of my breast that sticks out, is farther than my nipples, so I'm not sure what putting implants in will look like. My rib cage is so small I'm worried the implants will end up under my armpits!! If I had to GUESS, I'd say based on everything I've seen and read so far, I'd be going for somewhere between a 325-400. I don't want to overwhelm my small frame, but I don't want to play it too safe and be disappointed.

I'd like to get the surgery in mid-late November, so that will give them two months to settle a bit for the happy homecoming! I'm afraid he won't even look at my face when he comes off that plane, though haha!! He's just going to zero in on his investment. Hey, he deserves it.

OK, sorry for the absolute NOVEL. I'll let you all know how the consultation goes!!

xoxo C

I definitely like more of a sloped shape. I'm not sure of course what profile/size will get that result for me, but that's what I'd like to aim for!

I had my consultation yesterday morning with Dr. Hess. I live in D.C., and his office is in Fairfax, so it was about a 45 min. drive, not too bad! Katie, the very nice patient coordinator, showed me to a back waiting room while I filled out forms. After that, Shelly showed me into a room and gave me a robe to change into. Dr. Hess and Shelly came back in and took my measurements, everything from rib cage, nipple placement, base of breast, etc. Most of the asymmetry I have is due to one of my legs being slightly longer than the other, it isn't noticeable unless I point out one of my hips, and shoulder is slightly higher. While one breast is slightly larger than the other, Dr. Hess said it's not enough of a difference to warrant the extra 25 cc in the implant.

He was very helpful, and was thorough in describing the implant, what sort of results can be expected, the procedure, recovery, etc. I never felt like I was being sold anything, it was just a no-pressure conversation. I'm pretty perceptive of other people, intuition I guess, and I felt very at ease with Dr. Hess and his staff. These are people whose judgment I am able to trust, and that's really what you want to get from a consult, in my opinion.

I had brought extra shirts in my bag, but they didn't offer to let me try on sizers. That comes in the pre-op appointment, which is two weeks before your surgery.

Well, I booked the surgery! The quote was as I expected, about $6400 (if paid in cash). I picked the afternoon of Dec. 5 for my surgery, and my pre-op is scheduled for Nov. 17. That's when we'll meet to discuss the size of implant, etc. I paid a $267 deposit for the surgery date.

I'm going to try to eat well and keep up a good exercise schedule until then, I want to make sure I get sized at the weight I'm used to, and amount of breast tissue/fat that's normal for me. I felt kind of bloated this week to be honest, so I wouldn't have wanted to pick an implant with how I'm feeling at the moment.

I did look up rice sizers last night and made ones that were 340cc's. I loved how they look! Although as Dr. Hess said when I asked, he will compensate with an additional 25 cc's or so in addition to whatever size I like, since going under the muscle reduces them a bit.

He also described the profiles as low medium and high, and said he'd go with medium for me probably. Since he was showing me a mentor implant, I'm guessing the low medium high he described correlates to their moderate, moderate plus and high profile. So, moderate plus, I think. Well I'll figure all that out Nov. 17!

xx C

Hello everyone! Work has been extremely busy, otherwise I would have updated sooner.

I finally had my pre-op appointment on Monday (Nov. 17). I was VERY excited, as this was the first time I was going to be able to actually try on sizers. Dr. Hess had already said during the first appointment that he would like to go with a moderate plus profile for me, which I agreed with. My breasts are 13.5 cm wide, so I can accommodate a fair amount of cc's.

Well, we took photos, and then Shelly gave me a sports bra to wear (mine was a little too loose and would have looked weird with the sizers).

Dr. Hess handed me the first pair to try on, and I asked him "so what size are these?" He said "I'm not telling you" and smiled, so I just went with it. As soon as he said that I realized that was the smartest thing to do. I was able to completely focus on how they all LOOKED, without being influenced by the sizes. It made it very easy.

I was able to immediately kind of tell what was too small, what was too big, and what was just right. In fact I picked one size that I said I thought was perfect, and he just silently handed me another pair to try on. I said I thought those were just a TOUCH too big, and he said, ok perfect. The ones I had said were perfect were 400cc, the ones I had said were a touch too big were 425cc. So apparently I have a pretty keen eye. He'll put in the 425cc as a result, to accommodate for what you lose in size going under the muscle.

What I really like about the size is that the 425's are 13.5 cm in width, so it matches up perfectly with my natural width. I feel comfortable that that will give me a very nice, natural result.

I AM however a little nervous about the size. The photos here with the sizers look fantastic from the side, but they look pretty big from the front. But I know that could also be because that's just how they look under a sports bra. What do you guys think?

I'm 95 percent sure these are the 400cc, since Shelly offered to take a photo of me with the ones I like, that I'll end up looking like. So they're not the 425cc.

They did seem to match my butt, I liked the proportion from the side.
I'm technically 5'5, but everyone guesses that I'm taller (who knows, maybe I grew since the last time I was measured. I can't even remember when that was). Even Dr. Hess was surprised when I said 5'5. So, that's just one thing I have to keep in mind in terms of what size will end up working. I was ALSO on the first day of my period, so my natural breasts were a little larger than normal.

There are so many variables! It really gets overwhelming trying to account for everything. I keep telling myself I just have to let it go and trust it will end up perfectly!

I became so nervous before my surgery I couldn't even write any updates!! I got to the point where I just kinda needed to push it out of my mind so I didn't get too worried. Well, I made it through to the other side and I'm so so happy I did it! The surgery itself was a piece of cake. Although walking in to the OR was nervewracking, it was huge, I was high up on a table, and it was cold. Everyone was so so sweet, telling me they were going to take care of me, and they were happy for me. They put an oxygen mask on me and told me to take deep, slow breaths. Meanwhile they pulled a bunch of blankets I was laying on top of, and folded them back on top of my arms and then under my torso, if that makes sense. It was like I was swaddled, lol.

That was the last thing I remember before I woke up in recovery. While my boobs DID hurt and I felt pressure, I also noticed my upper arms REALLY hurt. The nurse said as soon as I was coming out of anesthesia, I clenched my arms up really hard. Weird!

Anyway, my surgery started about 3:30, and I was in the car and on my way home by 5 p.m. with my mom. We stopped to drop off prescriptions at CVS, and while we were waiting went to Whole Foods to get dinner at the hot bar, because I was STARVING. I felt pretty great!

I've taken a couple vicodin since I got home yesterday and have been on top of the ibuprophen. I'm definitely bloated, and have been drinking smooth move tea! Also, lots and lots of water.

The pain is about a 2 as long as the ibuprophen is working, and the vicodin helps me sleep. I've got a wedge pillow, two more pillows on either side of me, and one under my knees. And I started watching the Good Wife on netflix, great show to binge watch!!

Anyway, as for the boobs themselves, well they are HIGH. But I'm excited to see how they progress. I ended up with the 425cc mod plus silicone, as planned.

This surgical bra is something else, I wish I didn't have to wear it, but at the same time I feel uncomfortable without it! Yikes. My friend said I look like robocop with it on, haha.

My boyfriend said he doesn't want to see them until he's back, because he wants a surprise. He's on deployment right now and will be back mid-February, so I'm hoping they've settled a bit by then!

I'm a teeny bit nervous that they're too far apart right now, but I guess that will improve as they drop into place. I did already have a gap before, so I'm not expecting major cleavage, but at least a little would be nice.

I have a couple random updates... sorry if I end up kind of rambling!!

BACK TO WORK: Whew, first day back at work today. I was pretty self-conscious and ended up wearing my coat any time I went on a break. They still feel high and tight, and while swelling has gone down, they're still definitely swollen.

THE BOOBS: On day four, I'm a little bruised on my sternum, just a light yellowish bruise. I'm rubbing arnica gel a couple times a day on my sternum and on the sides where I have a couple smaller bruises. I have two tender, soft bumps next to my stitches, which are still covered with the steri-strips. I don't think it's the implant... I'm guessing it's normal swelling from some of the internal sutures.
The boobs themselves are beautiful!!! I love them already, and I wasn't expecting to love them for at least a week. One thing that does bother me--but doesn't actually bother me since I know it's too early--is how far apart they are. My boobs were far apart before surgery, and it's true, a BA doesn't change your anatomy, just size. Once they soften up more, I'm confident I'll be able to rock some cleavage with a bra, which is totally fine with me.

They are still pretty hard, but definitely softer today (day four) then they were at the beginning.

At this point, any and all pain is taken care of with ibuprofen. I took half a vicodin last night to sleep, but that's it for the narcotics. I'm unfortunately still backed up, despite nightly cups of smooth moove. So, I've got a bit of a belly at the moment.

POST-OP APPOINTMENT: I have my post-op appointment tomorrow. I was supposed to have it on Monday, but I slept through my alarm!!! I guess I needed the sleep. I can't wait to hear what Dr. Hess says, I've got some questions about massages, types of bra to wear, etc.

RAPID RECOVERY: I've been following the rapid recovery instructions. That meant laying face down for 15 minutes each night right before I went to bed. That probably sounds like torture. After the first 15 seconds, though, I was fine. I think it acts as a sort of passive massage to keep the pocket flexible and help everything settle. And I LOVED the arm exercises, which was simply raising them above your head five times, as if doing a jumping jack but without the jumping. It feels great to do that.

THE BRAS: Today I let myself have a break and wore my coobie bra instead of the post-op bra for a couple hours. That post-op bra is no joke. I don't think it's too tight necessarily, it's just ... a little intense. The last two nights I've woken up at about 5 a.m. and taken it off and slept for another three hours. I'm not totally awake when I do it. This is interestingly enough exactly what I did with my retainer as a teenager when I was supposed to sleep with it on. Some things never change.