I had never considered a boob job as I liked my breasts; I was proud of how perky and symmetrical they were and I was happy with my DD size.
But a couple of years ago I got into the best shape of my life, losing two stone of body fat, and along with that, I lost the vast majority of what was once on my chest.
I was struggling to fill a B cup and no matter how padded the bra, I was unable to create a look of volume. In bikinis, my ribs protruded from the cups where soft, ample bosoms once were – and I didn’t like it.
Getting my breasts enlarged was an obvious consideration; my flat chest made me hugely miserable. I’m a part-time model and conscious of how I look – plus, I was in a position where I could afford a more drastic measure to boost my body confidence.
While undergoing surgery is a big decision, breast augmentation is still the most popular plastic surgery procedure in Britain by far, with more than 8,000 women going under the knife to enhance their cleavage last year.
The implant is usually placed either above or below the muscle. Above the muscle means it’s less invasive – the implant is placed on top of your pectoral muscle and below the skin. This can look more ‘fake’ on slender girls with thinner flesh on their chest. Meanwhile, under the muscle means longer recovery time as the muscle needs to be cut, and the implant is placed behind or partially within the muscle. This choice can mean your implants stay perky for longer and your breasts will look less false.
Incisions can be made either in the crease under the breast, around the nipple or through the armpit. Then you’ve got ‘ccs’ (volume) to choose, as well as projection (moderate to high profile). Surgeons can comment on the cup size and ‘look’ they think you’ll achieve with each implant – but they cannot categorically state what cup size you’ll be post-op.
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Once I’d been for several consultations, I’d decided on my surgeon and the type of implant: moderate profile, and a small-medium size that would restore DD cups on my fitter physique. I was excited.
In what was to be my recovery room, I got into a hospital gown, put on compression stockings and waited for my surgeon to come and mark me. As soon as he drew on where my implants would go with his dark blue pen, things seemed off as the markings were certainly not representative of a symmetrical, central alignment. However, I trusted in his expertise and my excitement resumed. He left and soon after, my anaesthetist came in to inject me with general anaesthetic. The anaesthetist and I were nattering away about something banal and lighthearted when all of a sudden, I was out.
Next thing I know, I was awake in the recovery room, high as a kite and feeling extremely giddy – and in no pain at all. I could see two luscious mounds below and I was dying to have a look. To my delight, I was allowed to see them straight away – they were not in any dressings except a little tape over the incisions under the breast.
From bed, I unclipped the front fastening of my post-op bra – a beige, soft garment you’d see on a nursing mother or elderly lady – and I was, well, quite confused. One looked bigger than the other. One was far out to the side and one was closer to the middle, just like the surgeon’s original markings, which were still on my chest. I asked the nurse straight away why my boobs looked odd. She simply said they would settle into place and not to worry as they’d just been put in.
I pushed them around a tiny bit (you really must be very gentle and not do this straight away). I wanted to see if they would move or position in better – or what I thought was better. There was little to no give with any pressure and no permanent movement at all – and they haven’t moved to this day. The reason this bothered me so much is because I thought my boobs were perfectly symmetrical before, so how could he get it wrong? The good news is, probably thanks to the codeine painkillers, I was in little to no pain while my body recovered. My mum had to help me wash for a few days though as I couldn’t lift my arms.
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For some months after my operation I went for follow-ups with my surgeon to assess my healing and, more importantly to me, address my concerns about the implant placement. I was told there was no difference, but was eventually referred to an independent surgeon who confirmed a 2cm difference and even recommended a rectification procedure. But my clinic said the difference is too small and I should learn to love them because compared to many boob jobs, they’re good. This did not seem right or fair to me, but fighting my case had drained me and I dropped it for a while. In the end, I was happy to leave it altogether and get on with my life.
Reading my story might sound like a pretty bad way for things to turn out, but over the past two years, I’ve come to really love my enhanced boobs. I’ve looked at many augmentations on Real Self – a fantastic plastic surgery forum – and think that mine are actually pretty good. They look fantastic in clothes and have given me a big confidence boost. Plus, two years on, they’ve settled and I’ve gained a couple pounds which makes them appear more even.
