Flat-chested, Looking for Natural Breasts - Reston, VA

I have always been flat-as-a-board (Nearly A in bras). I never was looking for huge breasts, but I wanted something to balance out my shape (nice perky, full breasts). While I had always been dissatisfied with my undeveloped look, I didn't have the resources for the procedure until I was in my early 30s. Do not cheap-out on this; it is worth waiting a little bit longer to afford a better doctor. I work in a professional office, and didn't want the extra attention from people noticing. I just wanted to look better naked. Because I had so little breast tissue, I was worried that not much could be done. I didn't want to get a procedure and have them look fake. I was very nervous about elective surgery, and spent a long time researching before I committed. I found Dr. Weston at the Austin-Weston Center for Cosmetic Surgery, and selected them since they had a number of breast augmentation photos where the "before" photos looked like me. I selected silicone, 306 cc Naturelle implants with areolar incisions. PROS: My breasts look great; they are natural-looking, full, and are a great balance to my shape. The areolar incision meant I have no scars. My recovery was much easier than I anticipated. I had a great experience with Dr. Weston, and strongly believe one of the reasons my experience was so positive is that he is an excellent doctor. I was able to return to work after a week. I would advise planning to have it over the holidays (i.e. Christmas time) when many people are out of the office; great time to recover without a lot of eyes. CONS: Honestly, I wish I had done it sooner. If I had more breast tissue, I might have gone slightly bigger, but my body couldn't take much more without rippling or looking fake. Some of my nipple sensation changed, but this is an expected side effect; the new breasts are so worth it.

I went and had my three month post-op and the office printed my before and after. Sorry for the picture quality, but the comparison is stark! When I say flat-chested, I literal mean no breasts/no breast tissue (just nipple) as evidenced by the photo.

For those of your planning or considering a breast augmentation, here are some tips/recommendations that made my experience a great one.

(1) Choose a good doctor. Yeah, obviously, but it is critical to everything else. I said in my original review: it is worth the wait to save and get a better doctor. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is!

(2) Get a pain pump. It is a non-narcotic, numbing agent that is pumped directly into your chest via drip. It made the recovery so much easier; I cannot imagine the pain if I did not have one. Direct, constant feed for the first three days. Pain meds are only going to get you so far. The pain pump meant I wasn't out-of-it during the week I was recuperating, but still comfortable. Dr. Weston's office sold it at cost to patients, so it made it very affordable since I was paying out-of-pocket.

(3) Get a hotel room close to the site of the operation. My doctor was about 45 minutes away from my home. No one wants to be trapped in a car right after surgery, and there is no need to put your body through that stress. I stayed in a hotel the night before surgery, so I could relax, get the doctor early (I had an early AM appointment), and then return to the hotel to sleep the day. You have post-op the next day, and you want to be close. The two hotel nights should absolutely be part of your budget.

(4) I work in a professional office, and scheduled my surgery date just before the Christmas holidays, when most people would be out of the office, and otherwise occupied. It gave me the time and privacy I needed to recovery without having to take weeks off.

(5) I am very open with close friends about the surgery, but I work in a conservative, professional setting, and privacy and discretion was very important in the work place. However, how do you hide new boobs with people who see you everyday? Since I was going for natural look (If you are going from an A to a D, this is not really feasible, but a more modest increase may work), I created a boob mirage. About three months before my surgery date, I started wearing more scarves around my neck, covering part of my chest (coinciding with cooler weather in the fall ). After a few weeks, I started wearing a more padded, larger bra. After another few weeks with the larger bra, I started wearing an even larger, more padded bra. Not only did it help me get more comfortable with my new shape, but it allowed others to get used to it over time. Scheduling my surgery in the winter allowed for some layering with sweaters and scarves, so the padded boob mirage wasn't overly noticeable. By the time people were back from New Years, the new boobs had been out for two weeks and people had already been conditioned to the new form.