24 Years Old, 4 Weeks Post Op - La Mesa, CA

I had my breast augmentation done by the best plastic surgeon Dr Pousti, about 2 years ago. I am still extremely satisfied with everything, how my boobs look, their size, how they feel, I can't even see the scar anymore, and I don't need to wear a bra, it's just perfect! And the staff has been really nice and following up on me still! My breasts def look more natural now that they settled. I totally recommend him to all my close friends and family, and still believe he is the best surgeon! My new body gave me the extra confidence I needed to go after my dreams, and I started a bikini business (Enchanted Bikinis)!

I have been wanting to get a breast augmentation since I realized my boobs were never gonna grow... When I was 17. I really had no boobs, I could nearly fit the smallest bras. But I didn't have the time or the money to do it. I moved to San Diego for good about a year ago after graduating, and have been working since then. So it was finally a good time to do it. I started looking online for plastic surgeons in San Diego last April. I went on yelp and I saw few surgeons with terrible reviews, crazy stories like they would sue their patient for millions of $ for leaving a bad review! Then I would look at their website to see the before/after pictures. I didn't have to go through a lot of surgeons before finding Dr Tom Pousti. I read right away that he was in the top 5 best surgeons in the US. So I went on the website and I loved the pictures. I called the office to schedule an appointment. They were pretty busy and had nothing available before mid-May. I wanted to have the operation done beginning of June so I asked them to let me know if there was any cancellation. Which they did, I came in end of April. I first was confused about the location because I read he had an office in La Jolla but the address was in la Mesa. So I asked about it, and the staff told me he used to have 3 offices but closed 2 of them to focus only on the one in la Mesa. I didn't feel very good about it, I first thought he closed offices because they weren't doing well.
But on the appointment day, I was very surprised, the office was nice, big and nice staffs. This first appointment was about 2-3 hours, which I didn't expect. I first talked to the doctor who had a look on my breast , then talked to 3 patients who had breast augmentation the week before (one straight from Australia and one from NYC), then took pictures of my boobs for size simulation using their 3D software Vectra.
It was very nice to meet patients, they all said it went well and smoothly, 2 of them had a previous surgery with a different surgeon which didn't go well, and seemed to be way more satisfied by Dr Pousti. They told me about their experience, they didn't look tired or anything, one of them showed us her breast and let us touched too, it was such a good job. I was pretty convinced already.
Then the 3D software showed me different sizes of implants, the Dr recommended implants between 225 and 275 cc, saying that my skin was thin and I was skinny so any bigger wouldn't be appropriate. The software was pretty nice to have a preview about the size (not the shape though), and I didn't see much difference between 225, 255 and 275 so I said 275 (I didn’t' want to regret ). Also the staff and the patients kept saying that most of the patients regrets they didn't go bigger so I should go bigger than what I wanted.
I got to try different implant sizes with a bra to see how it looks with my clothes on. I tried 300 and 350, but it was too big to me so I decided 275 for sure.
Then I talked to the Dr again, who asked me about the shape I wanted, and said that I have to show him pictures of breast I'd like to have. He was very nice and took time to go through all my questions. I was told I will have to take a week off work after the surgery, which I wasn't very happy about (I thought I could have the operation on a Friday and go back to work on Monday). Also I won't be able to drive for 2 weeks, and no lifting/carrying reaching up for few weeks so I was freaked out because I use my arms a lot at work (I work in a lab).
Then I had to wait for the quote. A lady brought the quote and said that the Dr really appreciated my husband and I and gave me a $1000 off, I was really happy about that! Then they told me about the credit/payment plans they work with, which was good because even though the discount, it was expensive to me (I remember looking at rates during winter and it was cheaper in general). But I was very convinced and I knew he was the one and didn't want to look further. I told the Dr I really needed to have the operation beginning of June. He then told me that he will make room for me, because if he didn’t have to go home he would be doing that all the time, that’s how much he loves his job he said. That’s actually when I really knew I was taking the right decision choosing him for this surgery. He told he does 4 patients a day, which is way more than the average for plastic surgeon. And that’s true, the more you do it, the more you are experience, the better the results. So yeah I was very excited, a little scared because I never had surgery before but confident.
So I paid the deposit to reserve the date, and scheduled my pre-op appointment 3 weeks before the surgery. They asked me if I was ok to enroll in an implant study, I didn’t’ really want to but since it was important to the Dr, I accepted. I signed a bunch of papers, they went through all the pre-op rules with me, and told me everything I needed to know. Then the day of the surgery, I arrived 2 hours earlier as I was told to, the nurse and the anesthesiologist asked me the same questions about allergies, the staff was very nice, they gave me a gown that was connected to a heater, it was very comfortable… Then Dr Pousti came and reinsured me, he saw the pictures I picked for the shape, and asked me if he had to put a different implant size, would I prefer bigger or smaller. I said bigger. He drew with a marker on my breast. I woke up an hour later and my husband drove me home. Then he told me that I got 355cc implants! I thought it was a joke but it was written on my new boobs! And actually I was really happy. I couldn't see them because I had pads and the surgical bra on but I could see the top and I was excited! But then the rest of the week was really bad for me. I had no pain really, but the medication was too strong on me and I felt nausea and dizziness all the time. Plus I was told to sleep with an angle and not to lay down, and since my bed doesn’t have a recliner, I put a bunch of pillows that kept sliding down, it was super uncomfortable and I had a terrible backache all week long. I had my post-op appointment 2 days after the surgery, and I kept passing out in the office, so the Dr gave me flowers and prescribed me a pain killer less strong. The 3rd day, I still felt so dizzy that I decided to stop all medications. I was feeling so terrible that I was like I prefer the pain than this feeling. And actually, there was not much pain, mainly discomfort on my breast . So I'd say that the worst part of the whole process to me was the side effects of the medication and not being able to lay down.
I came back to Dr Pousti's office 4 days later, I was still a bit tired so I took that Monday off, and the Dr removed the pads and the bra, but not the tape on the scars. There were no bruises or anything, they looked pretty good, and the size was perfect I was so glad he put bigger! He gave me another vase of flowers that was very nice, and gave me the ok to lay down and take a shower using waterproof band aid on the tape. My first day of work was very hard, I felt exhausted all day, but the following day I felt way better. A week later (so 2 weeks post-op) I went back to the Dr, he said I could drive and I could remove the surgical bra and wear sports bra. I tried to drive but the steering wheel was so heavy for me that it took 4 more days to be able to drive. Also the Dr and his staff showed me how to massage my boobs to make the implants go down and have more cleavage. That actually helped me sleeping on my sides. At 3 weeks and a half postop, they told me to come in because I was having some issues (abnormal menstrual cycle, dandruff and rash on my breast). They gave me an appointment the next day I called, it was very nice because I knew the Dr was very busy since he was going in vacation the following week. He said that I was having an allergic reaction, probably to the bra or the strips, so he removed the tape and the scars looked really good they said. He prescribed me oral corticoids. And I got again a vase of flowers because my birthday was soon! I really love going to this office, they are all so nice, especially the Dr, I feel like he really cares, he even answered my call while he was on vacation. I can really tell he does that as a passion and not only as a job. It's so inspiring, I wish more people were like that. Regarding my boobs, well, I am extremely satisfied, it looks just perfect I am so so happy! I totally recommend Dr Pousti for breast augmentation (and other procedures I am sure), I am so glad I chose him, I definitely made the right decision!