BOOB JOB? | 1 YEAR ON | Q&A, MY EXPERIENCE AND ADVICE

Nowadays, almost all kinds of cosmetic surgery procedures are considered a lot more normal in society. Whether it's something as little as lip fillers or as big as a Brazilian butt lift, no one really seems to bat on eyelid anymore... ABOUT TIME. I strongly believe that if people want to change something that they don't like about themselves then they should go for it. If you can change something that makes you lack confidence then why not??? Do it and don't care what others might have to say about it... As long as it's safe and well researched, you do you boo.

When I was growing up, I used to think that girls who got their boobs done weren't the classiest of girls and only got them done to either impress the opposite sex or to kick start their dream job as a glamour model but as I've gotten older, I now know this is hardly the case. Although you do get some girls like that (which there's nothing wrong with), it's now very common for us "normal" girls to get it done too.

A lot of you reading this post will mainly be interested in what I have to say, as you're thinking about getting the same operation. Some might be a little nosey because it's something I've only recently started sharing on my social media and also, it's not really something a lot of people are open about. However, some might be reading this and be totally against either the procedure itself or the fact I'm sharing everything and if that's you then please don't read on, you're simply wasting your time. This post is to purely help those who are possibly wanting this procedure in the future and to give them a little insight on what exactly the whole experience was like for me; both good and bad. *Please bear in mind that my experiences and final outcome could be different to yours as everyone's bodies are different and react in different ways. Also, it depends on what type of implant you get/what surgeon you have etc.*

I'll start off with a Q&A where I asked people to message me through my social media with any kind of questions they had and I'll go as in depth as I possibly can, talking about my experiences and own thoughts. After, I'll upload some before and after pics and also write a list of the things I would consider buying before your operation and things to bring the day of your op too. Hope this helps, I know it definitely would have helped me!

xoxo

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Q&A

WHY DID YOU DO IT?

Before I had my boobs done I was simply lacking in confidence. Whether it was with the opposite sex or wearing certain clothes, I just wasn't comfortable. You know those super padded bras you get from Primark that say "Extreme Boost! 3 Cup Sizes Bigger"??? Those were my go-to everyday bras. I would have much rather have been super uncomfy wearing them all day everyday than be mistaken for a 12 year old boy. Also, the older I got, the less "womanly" I felt. I felt that everyone started to look more and more like adults and I was stuck in a time machine with my iron board of a chest hahaha. Some people can really pull of the small boob look but that life just wasn't for me...

WHAT BRA SIZE WERE YOU BEFORE AND WHAT SIZE ARE YOU NOW?

Before my op, I wore a 32B but deep down I knew I was more of an A, but I refused to buy or wear A cup bras. The only 32B bras that fit me really well were any Primark ones, other brands made me get that very noticeable and awkward gap (especially when lying down), unless they were well padded. After my op, I'm now a full 32D/small 32DD (depending on the brand).

WHERE DID YOU GET THEM DONE?

Transform Cosmetic Surgery Group (Edinburgh clinic). WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE SURGERY GROUP YOU WENT WITH?

After doing some research, I decided to go with Transform because it was the company who's reviews I read the most. Their website was also easy to look at which does help because first impressions definitely matter, especially in this case. When I first went onto their website, I wanted an exact price (I was clueless that there were different implants with different prices etc). I signed up for an online brochure and gave them my contact details where they soon phoned me to see if I was maybe interested in coming down for a free consultation where I could discuss prices and ask other questions there. At the time, I was only curious and wasn't planning on going through with it, but when I was sure, I booked my free consultation online a few weeks later. Also, there are no ties with your first TWO consultations. If you go to them and change your mind and decide this isn't for you then that's fine, even after you meet your surgeon. However, seeing how clean and well looked after the Edinburgh clinic was and how welcoming the staff were, it only made me want to go through with it more!

HOW MUCH WAS IT?

The question that everyone wants to know the answer to... Transform offer you 3 different kinds of implants; 2 different types of round ones and a teardrop one. I decided to go with the teardrop shape to make sure they look as natural as possible. Being the most expensive implant they have, the procedure cost £5300. You are already insured for 2 years but have the chance to pay an extra £200 to get them covered for another 8 years on top of that, which to me is a great deal and would be silly not to get it. So, altogether the operation cost £5500.

HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO PAY FOR IT? UP FRONT OR FINANCE?

When I was researching everything on breast augmentations and knew it was something I wanted to do, I still didn't tell anyone yet and was 100% willing to pay for it myself. I was planning on paying for it through finance as I didn't have that kind of money all saved up. When I finally told my mum about it and persuaded her that I was dead serious, a few days later she told me that herself and my dad were going to pay for it. I WAS SO SHOCKED. If anything, I thought they'd be against it and use the whole "you're perfect the way you are" malarkey. However, my mum knew it got me down when I would try on clothes and couldn't wear a lot of them because of my lack of boobs and she was happy to pay for it if it was something that would make me feel so much more confident. My dad is still my dad at the end of the day and didn't really want to know much about it but I still had his full support.

DID YOU EVER CONSIDER GETTING IT DONE THROUGH THE NHS?

When I was planning on paying for it myself, I decided not to try and get them done through the NHS. I had two reasons for this. The first one being that I felt guilty. It wasn't like I was depressed or couldn't leave the house because of it. I could have lived fine and well without a boob job, I just wanted to live and feel a bit better. I don't know it's a difficult thing to try and explain but I felt as if I didn't have a right to ask for a free boob job being in the situation I was in. The second reason was that I thought private clinics had the best of the best surgeons and the NHS were a bit below privatised hospitals/clinics. Obviously I wanted my operation to go really well and wanted perfect results so therefore I completely ruled out the NHS. TURNS OUT that in fact the NHS is such a competitive workplace and it's a struggle to get a job in there, especially for a plastic surgeon anyway because the standards are so high. I then found out that the surgeon at Transform I ended up choosing also works for the NHS too!

I don't know if that was just me being shallow or stupid (probably both), but you're asking for an honest answer so here it is! In saying all of this, as my parents were willing to pay, my mum wanted me to try and get them done with the NHS first because if I can then why not? It would save them a lot of money. After seeing my doctor and telling her how I was feeling she just referred me to the private hospital in Dundee so it ended up being a waste of time (however it might not be for you!!)

WHAT SIZE OF IMPLANTS DID YOU GET? 295g. I asked Transform for that size in CC terms as some of you may be more familiar with that however they said they no longer use that term and it's now in grams.

DO THEY LOOK NATURAL OR CAN YOU TELL THEY LOOK FAKE? Personally, I don't think they could look more natural. I was pleasantly surprised at my results because I had no boobs to begin with so I thought the implants would be obvious, making them look noticeably fake but they don't!! As I didn't have a lot of breast tissue, my surgeon told me I'd have to get them done under the muscle so maybe that helped them look more natural... I don't know. The ONLY time they look fake is when I stretch my arms back and make my shoulder blades touch but that doesn't bother me in the slightest. DID YOU GET UNDER OR OVER THE MUSCLE? I'VE HEARD UNDER IS VERY SORE AND HAS A LONGER RECOVERY, IS THIS TRUE? As mentioned above, I had to get my implants under the muscle because of my lack of breast tissue. I too heard people say that under the muscle is a lot more painful and takes longer to heal so I was SO scared about it. Also, it's not nice to imagine and still makes me feel a bit sick. Personally, I didn't find it sore at all. There was discomfort but that was expected. Obviously I can't compare it to over the muscle but under was totally fine with me. For the longer recovery part, I was told to take 4 weeks off work, however I felt ready to go back to work between the second and third week but stayed off for the full month to be safe. PLEASE REMEMBER that my pain threshold and recovery time is going to be different to others and it all just depends on your own circumstances and experiences but I just wanted to answer this question to maybe give some of you a little reassurance if you are getting it under the muscle. WAS IT SORE?

To my surprise, not at all. Obviously I was given painkillers to take but I actually came off them between the second and third week. I remember reading a lot of reviews saying it felt like you've just done a heavy chest work out at the gym and I could see where they were coming from, especially after getting them done under the muscle. I could still move my arms about to a certain extent, but I couldn't lift them over my head. I also found it hard to pick up heavier objects, especially with one hand. Another thing I found discomfort in was moving myself up the bed. When I was sleeping, I'd slowly slide down my bed and struggled getting myself sitting up again (which is how you're supposed to sleep at the start). As I couldn't use my arms to lift me back up, I had to wiggle my bum from left to right (if that makes sense) until I was back at the top of the bed. There were some times where I'd wake up lying completely flat on my back and it was quite uncomfy to get myself up, so I'd really recommend to stock up on the pillows to try and prevent this from happening (I used about 5 or 6 normal pillows and a maternity pillow). Please know that these were just things I felt discomfort in and had no pain with at all!! The ONLY time I got close to feeling any pain was walking about outside for the first time... I had to go back to the Edinburgh Clinic a week after my op to get the dressings removed and because I live in Scotland and it was in the middle of November, it was FREEZING. It took about 20 minutes to walk along to the clinic and I had to walk a lot slower than usual because it was such a weird feeling and I was scared. I was literally shaking due to it being that cold and my chest muscles kept quivering/tensing up, which made it on the verge of painful for me. I'm guessing this discomfort was because I got them done under the muscle. I remember I started crying but it was also that time of the month for me so my emotions were most likely all over the place and I'm sure I was also just feeling sorry for myself...

DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR SIZE OR DID YOUR SURGEON? 50/50. I told my surgeon what cup size I'd like to be and he examined me and gave me 3 implant sizes to put into a non padded bra. He was looking for something that would not only satisfy me but also compliment my body shape and make sure my boobs would be in proportion with the rest of my body. I can't remember the different sizes but one size looked a little too big for my liking and I ended up being stuck between the last two so I asked my surgeon what he thought and I ended up letting him decide which size would be best.

I'VE SEEN BEFORE/AFTER PICS WHERE THEY'VE MADE THE NIPPLE SMALLER/MORE SYMMETRICAL AND ROUNDER. DO THEY DO THIS ANYWAY OR DO YOU ASK/PAY EXTRA? I had no problems with my nipples at all so I didn't mention anything to my surgeon and he didn't ask me either. I'm not really sure about the answer to this one but I'm sure if you were to go to your surgeon consultation, he/she will be able to sort something out but I'm almost positive you'd have to pay extra because it is another job in itself. IS IT TRUE THAT YOU HAVE TO GET THEM DONE EVERY 10 YEARS?

I too heard about this and asked my surgeon. I was told possibly. It all depends on how they look after that amount of time. If they still look the same and I have no problems with them then I don't have to. However, if they sag a little from having kids or losing a lot of weight (which is normal for real boobs too) then it would be best to but it's not a must. It's only a must if the implants ripple/rupture or flip but these things aren't common, especially with the implants Transform use. DO THEY EXPLAIN WHAT IT'S LIKE IF YOU HAVE KIDS? IS IT BETTER TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER KIDS TO GET THE OP?

As everyone's bodies are different, there is no exact way for everyone's boobs to look after having kids, with or without implants. I've seen some women who have had boobs jobs well before kids and they look no different after having them, even with them breastfeeding (yes you can still breastfeed!) And others I've seen them drop quite a bit. It totally just depends on your own body. In saying this, I would keep in mind that if you're planning on having kids soon, I'd wait until after having children because if they do drop after not long having them done, you'd just have to pay to get them done again as it's not covered in your insurance. For me, I'm not planning on having kids anytime soon so don't mind paying for them again if they do change. CAN YOU STILL GET A MAMMOGRAM? Yes! I'm obviously not old enough to get one yet but I've heard they're very uncomfortable. I still have the fear that the implant will rupture or flip but I was told by my patient coordinator it was perfectly fine!

HOW LONG WAS THE PROCEDURE?

My procedure time was 1 hour which I'm sure is the average time for this operation. IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHEN YOU FIRST GOT THEM DONE TO HOW THEY LOOK/FEEL NOW?

Absolutely. I was told by my nurse at Transform that I will feel tempted to look at them as soon as they're done but should try not to because they will look a bit weird and I might be a bit freaked out, but as soon as she said that I had to look at them. I'm the nosiest person ever and my curiosity was eating away at me! I'm not even kidding when I said I felt like crying. They looked HORRIBLE. I remember saying "oh my god, what have I done?" They looked like two melons stuck on my chest and they felt like rocks. My nipples were all puffy and weird too. I now know this was normal but at the time I didn't know they'd look so bad so I was in a right panic! Now, they feel so soft and they move about like normal too! I can only really feel the implants if I press my fingers on the underneath of my boobs but it doesn't bother me at all! WHAT IS THE SCARRING LIKE? DID YOU HAVE TO PUT ANYTHING ON THEM TO MAKE THEM LESS VISIBLE? The scars are barley noticeable. As they're right in the crease of my boobs, I don't ever see them. They're about 2 inches long which is nothing to what I was expecting... How they managed to fit a whole implant in there is beyond me! When reading the reviews at the very start, I saw that a lot of people said to purchase Bio-Oil because it help reduces the redness of scars and over time helps them disappear, however when I asked my surgeon if I should, he said there would be no need to because my scars would be so small and precise, but I can buy it if I want. I ended up never buying the oil and I'm more than pleased with my scars! I'VE HEARD THAT GETTING DRAINS IS PAINFUL, IS THIS TRUE? Luckily, I never had to get drains. I'm not really sure what drains are or why I ended up not getting them but I'm glad I never had to get them as I've heard it's an uncomfortable/weird sensation. WAS GETTING YOUR STITCHES REMOVED SORE? This was another fear of mines because I've never had to get stitches before and I imagined it to be quite nippy when getting them removed. Again, I was lucky and had dissolveable ones. HOW DID YOU FIND THE IV? If I'm being completely honest with you all, THIS was the thing I was most scared about. Not the operation itself, not the recovery or the pain I might get after the op but simply getting the IV in my hand. There was something about getting a needle in the back of your hand that made me shiver and I was dreading it. I kept asking my anaesthetic nurse on the day, "please tell me the truth, is it sore?" HAHAHA he must of thought I was being such a child. When I was put through into the surgery room to be put to sleep, I was SHAKING. Turns out it only nipped for a split second and once the anaesthetic was in I can't even remember counting down. I was out like a light. For those who are worried about that part, PLEASE don't stress. If I found it fine, you will too.

HOW DO BOYS REACT TO THEM? DO THEY REALISE THEY'RE FAKE?

At the end of the day, boobs are boobs for boys and they're always going to see it that way. There has been times where I've worn a low cut top/dress on a night out and some perv has said something to his mates as if I can't hear them but I doubt they'll think they're fake, especially because they look so natural and aren't too big for me.

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS/FAMILY THINK ABOUT IT?

My family have been nothing but supportive throughout this all. My biggest supporter being my mum. Her taking time off work so she can look after me was amazing of her and I don't know what I would have done without her. My dad and brother didn't really want to know much at all which is completely understandable but I too had their full support. My friends were also supportive but I don't think they actually thought I'd go through with it! It just used to be one of these things we'd all pretend to want now and joke about...

HOW DO YOU THINK THE OPERATION HAS CHANGED YOU? NOT JUST ON THE OUTSIDE BUT ALSO YOUR CONFIDENCE?

I can't even begin to explain how much this has changed me. Obviously I look different but I wanted my confidence to change the most over anything else and it definitely has! As soon as I put on my first D cup bra I felt like a new person (cringeeee but true)... Couldn't be happier!!

DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS OR THINGS YOU'D CHANGE? This answer is going to be short and sweet... NOT AT ALL. WOULD YOU RECOMMEND IT? WAS IT WORTH IT? I'd honestly recommend this to anyone. By far the best thing I've ever done and I don't think anything else will ever top it. Not only am I pleased with my results but also my whole experience with Transform. GO FOR IT!

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WANTING THE SAME PROCEDURE? ANY TIPS OR ADVICE ON BEING READY FOR THE OP? The main thing I'd say to someone is "don't worry." It's hard to say that everything will be amazing because if I'm being honest, it might not be. It might be painful for you or you might not get the results you want but if I could go back and tell my worried self, I'd say that it's all going to be worth it and you have nothing to stress about.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY TO YOUNG GIRLS ALREADY THINKING ABOUT SURGERY DUE TO STARS SUCH AS THE KARDASHIANS AND INSTAGRAM MODELS?

I think that plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures should not be some trend to follow. It should be for you and only you. Sure, if you like Kylie Jenner's lips and it's something you've always been insecure about, then there's nothing wrong with getting fillers and using her results as inspo but I don't recommend doing something so serious to your body to fit in with your friends or just because you want to look like someone famous. For young girls wanting work done to themselves, I'd say just wait until after puberty and only do it if it's genuinely for you. For me, I deep down always knew I was going to have small boobs but I wanted to wait until I hit 20 just in case I was a late bloomer. I've been told puberty can continue on into your 20s but I knew the big boob life just wasn't happening for me and I was now an adult and decided to go through with it.

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NOW THE PART YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING TO SEE...

I tried my hardest to pick out the pics that showed my before and afters the best. I wish I had a before pic without a super padded bra on just so you all can see the real difference but I told you they were my go-to's!

BEFORE PICS

*I was wearing super padded bras in these pics except from the bikini one*

AFTER PICS *I was wearing no bra/tape in these pics*

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WHAT YOU NEED BEFORE YOUR OP...

1. A maternity pillow (a V or U shaped pillow). Not only will you need this for sitting up straight comfortably when recovering, it also makes a great pillow for spooning with later on!

​ 2. Anti-bruising pills. Transform recommended these however I kept forgetting to take them and had no signs of bruising so whether they actually work or not is unknown to me however it's better to be safe than sorry! 3. Comfy and cosy pyjamas/dressing gown/slippers. You really need to bring these to the hospital just so you have the best first night possible after your op. Hospitals can usually be quite cold for some reason so its best to wrap up just in case, you can always take them off! 4. Your phone/phone charger or a good book. My overnight stay was quite lonely and boring so thank god I had my phone to keep me busy! I'm not much of a reader but if you are then defo bring a book. There's a digital TV in your room which was fine in the evening but sometimes I was up in the middle of the night and all that was on TV was teleshopping...

5. YOUR NEW BRAS WOOO!! Okay they're only sports bras so they aren't the cutest but you have to bring one of them so they can put it on you after your op. You'll be told this though so don't worry! For those wondering, I bought two so they can be washed. I didn't know what size to get because I knew there was going to be swelling so I bought a 34C and 32D and they were both fine! Remember, the more support the better!! I also recommend choosing the bras that zip up the front to make it easier to put on and off. Mines were bought from M&S.

6. Finally, if some of you are wondering about bringing food with you then don't bother! Transform give you dinner and breakfast if you're staying overnight and you get some good food options to choose from. . . . . . .

So I'm sure I've covered everything about my experience with Transform and undergoing a breast augmentation and I hope this has helped a lot of you decide if this is something you want to do!

If any of you have any more questions you'd like to ask me then scroll up to the top of the page, click the 3 lines then click "contact me" to find my email address and links to all my social medias and I'll happily answer anything that you want to know. Thanks for reading and a BIG thank you to all who took the time to ask me questions, this post wouldn't have been possible to do without you!! xoxo

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