31 y/o, No Kids 5'5", 135lb, 38AA to 34DDD, HP Saline 550cc-L/590cc-R, 12.5 BWD

I had a great experience with Dr. Richards and his surgical staff! Dr. Richards was the 6th doctor we talked to and our 4th consult. When my husband and I first considered me getting a BA, we were sure we wanted saline and almost immediately found out about Ideals, which seemed to be the best of all worlds. We knew that all silicone can still leak or break and the FDA still recommends MRIs every couple years for even the newest silicone, which is too expensive for us out of pocket and we didn’t want to worry about not knowing if there is was a problem. If it leaked or came into contact with my body, salines are just safer and had the peace of mind of at least knowing if there was a rupture. Ideals also have the best warranty by far and the baffling and double chamber fix the downfalls of traditional saline. Saline may not be for everyone but it definitely was for us. We live in Southern California, so I had a lot of options. We searched for doctors by who would do Ideals through RealSelf and the Ideals website. I think that narrowed it down to 50 doctors within a 2 hour radius lol. We searched by ratings, result, pictures, experience, etc. We read thousands of reviews and learned a lot in the process. The 2 doctors that didn't make it to even a consult had staff that on an initial call with basic questions were either rude about me wanting saline over silicone or could not answer my questions. The next 3 were respectively either arrogant, overpriced, or burnt out. Two were maybes, but we didn't want to settle. So we searched a little wider and Dr. Richards came up. The next state over (Las Vegas, Nevada) but with So Cal traffic the drive was prettier, easier and took about same time as getting to the other side of downtown LA, but without the traffic! Dr. Richards was the perfect balance of being knowledgeable, friendly, professional, and willing to answer questions. Not to mention just about the lowest price we found! Possibly because of being in Nevada versus LA and having his own surgical facility. He is very quick on his consults and to the point but we always had questions ready, and he never left till all the questions we could think of were answered. His consults are also free and we did our own research so not a lot of time was needed, we spent more time with the sizers, which we were given all the time we needed. The surgeon we visited before Dr. Richards we really liked, but he didn’t have sizers to try and just goes off your wish pic and said just trust him (arrogant). Yet he thought about 200 cc less (than what I ended up getting) was all I needed to get close to my wish pic, which seems like a very inaccurate way of doing things as no one else's body is just like yours to copy. He also told me that bigger boobs are not the trend now... as if that should matter for what I wanted. Regardless of societal trends, if I wanted small boobs I wouldn't be seeing him! And I wasn’t wanting cartoonish big, but proportionate to the rest of my curves. I was not confident that surgeon was going to look out for my best interest as far as size. So no, it did not make me feel comfortable being told to just trust him when he quoted a low cc compared to other ladies with the same stats who got much bigger implants to achieve the result I was hoping for. Richards was a breath of fresh air. He was also always so cheerful and competent which put us completely at ease. He was very clear what he could and could not do. Dr. Richards uses mostly sizers to figure out the size we want but also has 3D imaging availible and can look at wish pics. I was not a candidate for 3D imaging because of my tuberous breasts. He was firm in telling me that for my chest it would not be an accurate image and would just leave me feeling conflicted and I am glad he did. I did a different 3D imaging online and my surgery results are way prettier than what the imaging showed. Dr. Richards was right, it wouldn't be accurate for me and in my case, would do more harm than good. I must say the sizers were pretty accurate for me! Though it is key to have a tight fitting sports bra to try on with sizers, too loose a bra makes the sizers sag and made them feel bigger than they actually were. One surgeon gave me a old stretched out bra and my first time with Richards we guessed too big a band size. Using a tight fitting sports bra held the implant sizers in the right place and got me the look I was hoping for. Next, trying to find out all we could about the surgeon we were trusting my body to, we loved that Richards’ Instagram had so many photos of him spending time with his family and he clearly loves his wife and kids. We felt this said a lot about his character and this didn't disappoint. In fact, it really became a blessing after we decided on Richards and set our surgery date. Two weeks before surgery, Ideals both changed manufacturer, running out of all my possible implant sizes, but also decided to refuse to warranty my implants if I did choose them. My husband had sent them questions about the warranty, apparently that they had never been asked before, and they feared a lawsuit, questioning if we were even real potential customers, when actually we just wanted layman's terms. It was VERY disappointing. We asked because we had just almost bought a 50k roof and after reading the roof warranty (better than even the business selling the product) realized what they promised us and what they were selling was completely different. We were fine with the roof warranty but wanted to know exactly what was covered and not. So buying breast implants, something that mattered even more to us, we wanted to understand what was covered and what was not. We should have just asked Richards. Ideals is an amazing, up and coming company with a wonderful product that is a game changer for the industry. I understand them wanting to protect their business. I wish it had gone differently though and I truly still think Ideal Implants are the best implant on the market and still hope to get them in the future. I still HIGHLY recommend them! Just ask your surgeon your questions or don't worry about the warranty. Apparently, the implant manufacturers are good about standing by their warranty and are pretty straight forward, not like roofing products lol. Or mortgage paperwork for that matter. But because Ideals dropped me, Richards was wanting to drop me too. Thankfully, he called me personally and told me that he also couldn't take the risk on me, but gave me a chance to explain my expectations and actions and he believed me and after one 30min (very emotional) phone call, we were back on track for surgery. We decided to switch to Natrelle Allergan 68HP Saline instead. I hope to be able to convince Ideals that my husband meant no harm and be able to get them next time, but we had no idea how that would go or how long it would take, so we got regular saline instead. We trust God that there was some reason for it, but we didn't want to put off the surgery. But really, how many surgeons would have believed me and given me a second chance? Or called me personally? Or taken the risk of believing a patient when a lawsuit can destroy a business? That's why personal character of the surgeon mattered to me. I wasn't just a number, I really was a person to him who really wanted him to do my surgery because of how highly we thought of him and his ability to do great work. Ok. Then comes surgery day, the surgical staff was amazing! Everyone seemed to be full of energy and in a great mood even though I was the last surgery of the day at 5:30pm. I decided to not do any wish pic and just trusted Richards, he knew I wanted big, perky, pretty breasts. I am so glad I did. He knew I was hoping to get 550’s but I trusted him to fit what he thought was best for my body. I was pleasantly surprised that he put 550 cc in my larger breast and 590 cc in my smaller one! My boobs are now almost perfectly symmetrical for the first time in my life and perfectly proportionate for my body! Surgery went very smooth and Dr. Richards and his staff all said they were very happy with how things went and my results! I was shaking when I woke up but it was part anesthesia and part I felt really cold. It was pretty cute because when my husband kissed me the shaking stopped, so I made him keep kissing me ;) I went back the next day and got the bandage off. I felt more pain than I expected, especially my right side which was the smaller breast that got the bigger implant, so he decided to have me come back the next day just in case. No problems what-so-ever! I got one small bruise which healed very quickly and at one week I still have just the prettiest breasts I could ever imagine. They are riding high and I was told no bra at all to help them to drop, and they get softer and prettier every day. Cadia was my patient care coordinator and though we saw she got some negative reviews online, and can be a bit awkward, she does really know her stuff and does a good job! I would definitely recommend Dr. Richards and his team!

Ok, I am realizing if I dont post something, I am never going to get my story up on here. So here goes nothing or something lol. Hopefully I make sense. Feel free to ask questons! :)

I first considered the idea of a breast augmentation back in May 2018. My husband mentioned it as some thing that he thought might be good for us but said that it was something I would never do. I had never considered it before but told him I wasn't against it. I have always had small breasts and for the last 10 years a lot of health problems which took a huge hit to my libido, weight and how sexy I felt. I have autoimmune issues, brain injuries, pain, chronic infections, bloating and various issues. I can't exercise much and felt disproportionate to boot. Boobs should at least have the decency to get bigger with the rest of my chub, but no. My boobs are the same size whether I am 118 or 170lb. So, my husband being the researcher that he is, started looking into all aspects of a BA. Implant types, sergeons, recovery, costs and esp risks. We had a LOT of LONG talks and decided this was for us. We went to consults in July and Aug. Going with the last consult we scheduled our surgery for Oct 15, 2018. In my consults, I found out that I have tuberous breasts, uneven size and puffy nipples. Fun. One surgeon said that no boobs are identical and they aim for sisters but mine were not even related. Lol. So sad for my pre-BA boobies. I am content with the rest of my body, which responds to exercise and if I watch what I eat. I have weight to loose but still happy overall. I also felt most sexy in lingere, which hide some bumps, but also made my boobs completely dissappear or left gaping voids in the cup. Talk about a mood killer. So a BA did seem to be right for us. I also had the same gaping problem with normal bras and clothes. I wore a padded bra like most women on here but no bras ever fit, including these. So if I lean over or even looking down my shirt you could see my whole boob uncovered sitting in my cup. My husband told me he saw my whole breast before we even started dating because of this (something I didn't know till our BA discussions). So immodest and such a problem. I wanted to fit into normal bra sizes, and have a proportionate look. My hubby wanted big boobies, not gonna lie, but also never pressured me into it. I figured if I was going to go to all this trouble I was going to pick my dream boobs and knew I wanted to be at least a D cup. My husband has always been a little boob obsessed, even with my small ones and he gave them plenty of attention, so more is just double the fun!
Since I never could find a bra that fit I still have no idea what size I was. Victoria Secret took one look at me and called me a 36C. I called BS. I was wearing a very padded bra. Then they gave me a 34B and shirt on said that will do. No idea is it was actually a good fit plus I have been swimming in the cups of a 34B everywhere else so at best their sizes are wonky. Next I got sized at Soma ...for science/research! and comparison ;) there I was tight in a 36 band and good in a 38 band but the 36A cups fit better. So that's how I guess a 38AA before. However, in one of these photos is a bra I never wore (pink strapless), it is a 34A and the band does fit. It was the only bra I owned without padding for comparison. Here is what I started with...

My surgery prep was a breeze! I did freak out about taking something that I wasn't supposed to like eating too much of a food that would thin my blood or something but I realized as long as I ran my prescriptions by the doc and didn't take the meds on the list of medications not to take I was fine. I even found out surgery day my anathesiologist wanted me to stop one of my medications for two weeks that I had taken up till that morning. No problem. I asked my regular medical doctors about my migraine medications since it is very new and I didn't think it would be on my surgeons list and they said to skip it for 4-6 weeks.
Otherwise I had a couple I know watch my dog so my husband and I could wash the bedding at home and get the doc hair out of the house and car. I stopped my supplements 2 weeks prior, alcohol 1 week prior, and food/water 8am the day of. I started putting lotion on my boobs a couple days pre-op, though I would recommend 2 weeks prior. I forgot. I even cut my husbands hair, which I do every 2-3 weeks. Wont be able to do that for a little while! Lastly, I washed with Dial antibacterial bar soap the night before and again at the hotel.

Since my surgery was at 5:30pm, I didn't have to arrive till 4:30pm which meant we could leave LA that morning, see some sights and check into the hotel before surgery. My surgeon does revisions and emergency surgeries in the morning and first-timers in the afternoon. It was perfect so we didn't have to stay an extra day at the hotel or leave super early. My surgery was in Vegas, so on the 3 hour drive we watched other peoples stories of their surgery and fresh post-op recovery on youtube that I had followed, and got familiar with what to expect, which was very comforting. Then we did some sightseeing before. We saw the fountains and botanical garden at the Belliaggio and walked the mall at Planet Hollywood and got the hubby some food. I only had to fast since 8am not midnight since my surgery was so late, which was nice that I was able to take my thyroid med that morning. I also had to take antibiotics from my surgeon the day before. We had picked up all my meds at my pre-op appointment the week before. I must have read the pre-op instructions a dozen times.... and then realized it said no nail polish. I had just painted finger and toe nails for the surgery and since I figured I wouldn't be able to again for a while. I researched it and it seemed the main concern was fake nails and very dark colors (blue, purple and black) so that the pulse reader that goes on your finger can work. My pre-op nurse confirmed what I found on Google. I took off my finger nail polish just in case but left my toes. Turns out I could have left it all. Darn!

We checked into the hotel and got it all set up for when I got back. I took my last shower with the dial antibacterial soap and changed in to my pj's and sports bra. I was told loose, easy to get on clothes like a exercise sweat suit. The bra seemed pointless as I left in a bandage and no bra. I wore just my undies (wore boy shorts for modesty and a pad as I was going to start my period any min) and the medical gown into surgery.
We left the hotel and arrived on time!