Patient Surprised by Staff and Results - Newport Beach, CA

I first started on my journey to find a new set of boobs over 5 years ago. At that time I had several consultations both in Beverly Hills and the Los Angeles area. I never fully felt comfortable with the doctors or the procedure at that time as I was still fairly young. I waited until I was in my mid-twenties and the time finally came that I was ready to commit to the procedure. I felt comfortable and positive that the enhancement is what I wanted. To give you an idea of me build I am 5'3", petite but somewhat athletic, with a small A cup, and fair skin. I have never gotten a cosmetic procedure done on my body before, and have only gone under anesthesia for my wisdom teeth removal and a small medical procedure when I was young.

I did my groundwork on the procedure, pros, cons, costs, recovery time, etc. I asked a few people about their similar procedures in regards to size, saline or silicone, and their experiences. Then I started to look for doctors. So again, I scheduled several consultations. My first consultation I scheduled with someone that I assumed that I would not go with. The reason being, is that I wanted to get my feet wet and see how an initial visit would go. It gave me a grasp of questions they would ask me, questions I should be asking, as well as how I would want to feel towards the doctor and the office. If you are not one to jump the gun, I highly recommend this approach as it will make the decision so much easier when you go to Dr. Elam.

To be honest I did not expect to go with Dr. Elam, as I thought I would end up picking another renowned doctor in the area. She was female, and I assumed that this would make me feel more comfortable with my procedure. I found Dr. Elam through other reviews and thorough examination of his work. At Dr. Elam’s I worked with Jody (the patient coordinator) during the preliminary phase, and I cannot say enough good things about this woman! She is such an energetic human being and truly cares about all of their patients. She was always accommodating to make sure I could get times that worked well for me, as I would be traveling a distance. To put it mildly they blew the competition out of the water. My consultation was thorough, and it put me at ease. We looked over pictures, and Dr. Elam listened to what I wanted, and he explained what was actually attainable. I wanted a natural look, perky- as Jody always says. Not too large, or fake looking. Something that gave me cleavage, but still fit in my frame. Dr. Elam explained that due to my areola size, only a certain size of silicone would fit within my body. What really sold me is that he said we would pick a few sizes and whatever fit during the procedure is what he would go with. He makes the judgment call based on what I wanted and what was best for my body. I can tell you from experience that no other doctor said this to me. If I had wanted to go to a D they would have shoved that inside my petite body with small breasts. I appreciated the honesty and the authenticity that they showed me. I still went to my other consultations and they didn't even compare. I did not expect to have that ah-hah moment with a doctor. I expected to have to make a decision based on several factors. But I ended up going with what just felt right, where I felt the most comfortable and cared for.

My second visit was when I went in for blood work and we finalized the details of the actual procedure. I took my mom, she is as thorough as me and would be the one there when I had the procedure. She had even more questions, all of which were answered without any hesitation or unnecessary fluff. Dr. Elam examined by breasts again and we discussed my options, he was honest about where the incision should go realistically, and had even spoke with other doctors about my sizing. He gave me his genuine advice, stating if you were my daughter this is what I would tell you. I never questioned him, as I knew he was doing what was best as a professional, and of course he was right. Mom gave her seal of approval, and surgery was scheduled.

During pre-op we were given a very specific list of instructions and were told to call ANY time if we had questions. They gave me advice on what to eat and not eat to help with swelling and bruising. Also, they stated what to bring the day of to make everything easier. They even gave me a care package so that I did not have to worry about some of the items (mouthwash, clean wipes, throat lozenges, crackers, scarf- handpicked by Jody, and more). I would have never expected a doctor's office to put this much effort in to guarantee my every need was taken care of. This is how they treat everyone, with the utmost care, whether you be a first customer or returning customer, they treat you like family.

On the day of the operation, I was definitely a little nervous. I pretty much could not wait to be put under so I did not have to think about it. There was a part of me that just wanted to say nope, I don't think so, you can have my deposit. But, obviously I went through with the commitment. After coming out of the surgery Mindy (the R.N.) was right there to make sure everything was okay and to ensure I was feeling fine. Both RN's Mindy and Kari were there for me throughout the whole process as well. They always had positive attitudes, and I felt like I had my own family taking care of me. After leaving the office they checked on my every few hours. The anesthesiologist called and so did Dr. Elam. They spoke with my mom and always checked on how I was feeling and made sure I was having a normal recovery. True to their word, my mom had to make a late night phone call because she was nervous about me feeling nauseous, and Dr. Elam called her back and made her feel reassured that it was fine. He also gave her instructions on how to monitor me, and if anything changed to call and bring me in at any time.

Everything ended up being good, and the next day I had my follow up. After getting the okay, I recovered back at home. Every two weeks I came back down at the request of the doctor. Dr. Elam likes to monitor the recovery of his patients very closely. Yet again, no other doctor's office was this thorough when giving me a break down of follow up visits. Other offices discussed one or two follow ups sometimes not even needing to see me until a month after the surgery. I found this to be odd for this type of procedure considering the numerous amount of things that could change. This is not how Dr. Elam’s office operates. Dr. Elam made sure everything was healing accordingly the next day and then every two weeks after that. He checked to see that no capsular contracture was occurring in order to catch it early, and that stitches were staying in place for the right amount of time. My stitches were only removed when he thought they were ready. Each visit a few more came out. At one point I did not even know I still had any, which attests to how good his work is. Being fair skinned I was extremely worried about the scarring and they gave me all the appropriate information and medication to ensure the scarring was undetected as much as possible.

Now that I am a few months out I can say without hesitation I could not be more ecstatic that I did this procedure. Never did I expect this procedure to go this well, or my boobs to look and FEEL this great. I literally feel like they are my boobs. I cannot feel anything inside my body. I can touch and grab without feeling anything other than what someone would expect to grab in touching a natural breast. They just feel as if they have always been a part of me. I wish I could express to someone how normal it feels, like there is not a foreign object in my body. I had expected to feel the bags inside me, and that my breasts would not feel completely natural, not true at all. There is no rippling on the sides, the scarring is light, but it is so small and I expect it to only get better as time goes on. I have full sensation in my breasts. And of course they look amazing!!! I have had several other girlfriends get their boobs done over the last few months and years. And they all have complaints about various issues, how they look, how they feel, sizing, rippling, scarring, or uneven scars. They all seem to think that this is just a normal part of having breast implants. Let me tell you it’s not. They say don’t expect perfection, but with Dr. Elam you will get what I consider to be a close to perfection as any doctor can provide. I can say from having seen other women’s augmentations, not that it is a competition, but mine are better. I feel extremely validated with my choice to go with Dr. Elam having gone through this process and seeing other people’s experiences and final products.

If you are considering doing this procedure, do your research and schedule a few consultations. You will know after visiting their office why I took the time to write this review. I cannot express the trust and gratefulness I have towards the entire staff. Every person there has been a joy to work with, but I do have to give a big special thanks Jody and Dr. Elam. Jody for being there every step of the way, answering my every question, and being just an absolutely amazing human being. And to Dr. Elam for making me feel comfortable, and paying such great attention to detail to ensure I got exactly what I wanted from this operation.