**13 Days Post Op** 325 & 300cc implants with mastopexy through the areola - 23 years old

I am a 23 year old female, about 5'7", 130 lbs, very active and currently wearing a 34B bra size. I've been obsessively reading reviews on this site ever since I scheduled my BA surgery date, and thought it was about time I started giving back! My pre-op appointment is on May 16th and I have scheduled the surgery for Thursday, June 12th. My doctor will be Dr. Shestak in Pittsburgh, PA. I had previously gone to a consultation about a year ago with another PS in Pittsburgh who had done my mom's BA and facelift. He had a fancy office, "attractive" staff, and is a very expensive surgeon. However, I personally did not really feel comfortable with him and decided to seek out another doctor. I had a great experience with Dr. Shestak and his staff, I felt they were very thorough, professional, and knowledgeable. His pricing was also more reasonable, about 2k less than the other doctor who I had seen. My case is slightly more complex because I am on the border of needing a breast lift along with my BA. Luckily, my doctor thinks that he can correct with issue with an implant only. I believe my mild breast ptosis was due to my weight fluctuations during high school and college...the 25lbs or so left my breasts deflated-looking with a low nipple line and just overall NOT a cute look. I've never really been comfortable or confident in my appearance, especially when naked...even with my long-term boyfriend. I absolutely cannot wait to have this surgery done and have nice, proportional, full breasts! (I hope)

Now, the sizing issue has really been one of my biggest worries. I believe I am going to go with a silicone implant...my PS recommended a dual-plane placement to give my breasts a bit of a lift. After taking my measurements and asking some questions about my lifestyle, he initially recommended 260-280cc implants. I feel like that is just going to end up being too small or hardly noticeable. I'm conflicted, because I am a very active person (I'll be running my 3rd marathon next week!), but I don't want to put myself through this and not be satisfied with the result. I tried on the 304cc sizers and liked them, but I didn't feel like sticking a sizer in my sports bra was an accurate representation of how they are going to look & feel...so, choosing a size has definitely been an issue for me. I've been searching all over for wish pics and plan on bringing them to my pre-op appointment in May, so hopefully that'll help me describe my desired size to my PS a little better. At the end, I'd like to be a nice full C cup, and still be able to be a decent runner and maintain my fitness. Not sure if this will be possible? Or what size I would need to achieve this? Hopefully some of you ladies will be able to share some size recommendations!

Anyway...just figured that this was the perfect time for me to get this procedure under way. I'm finishing up my grad school, will be done training for my spring marathon, and will be able to stay at my parent's house and have my mom take care of me post-surgery. I'm also moving across the country (PA to CA) later this summer, so it'll be nice to get a fresh start and not have to explain my recent "development" to anyone, haha. Hopefully I'll be able to get out of major packing and unpacking as well ;)

Can't wait to share more about my journey and hopefully connect with some of the lovely ladies of realself. I'll try to share some pictures along the way, even though I hate the way my naked breasts look and try to avoid looking at them.

This past Friday, I had my final visit with my PS before my surgery. I wanted to make sure that we were on the same page as far as the look and size I was going for and also make sure that all of my questions were answered.

The last time I was in, my PS was on the fence about whether or not I needed a lift in addition to the implant in order to achieve a fuller, more lifted look. This time, he told me right off the bat that I definitely did need a periareolar mastopexy, because an implant alone likely wouldn't give me the results I wanted. He also informed me that my left breast was slightly larger and had a greater degree of ptosis, which meant that it may require some additional incisions (partial lollipop lift). I'm not super picky about scars or incisions as I already have quite a few marks and scars on my chest from long distance running-related chafing (I sometimes carry gels/keys in my sports bra when I run, whoops). So that news didn't really bother me. I was mostly disappointed because I wasn't expecting to need this additional surgery at the age of 23, having never had children or breastfed. I'm guessing maybe its just a combination of weight gain/loss and genetics? However, my PS did tell me that my areola would be smaller after the surgery, which seems like a positive.

I'm still moving forward the surgery even though the additional $1,800 for the mastopexy did give me pause. If it makes my final result more aesthetically pleasing and similar to my wish pics, I'll be happy. I've got about 4 weeks until surgery and need to start looking for some post-op care items and recovery supplies. I'm nervous but so excited to finally get this done. I'm also very happy that I'm getting this surgery done now...I was recently engaged and can't wait to see what wedding dresses look like with my new girls :) Time for me to catch up on reading all of your realself reviews! Thanks ladies xoxo

Also, will post some before shots soon.

Just realized I could upload photos directly from my phone. Some "before" pics