As I finish my 18th year in private practice at Yager Esthetics, one of the procedures I do most is breast augmentation (implants). I have placed many thousands of them, and I feel it is a procedure I do very well. Patient satisfaction is extremely high, but it is not 100%. Unfortunately, it is not due to what I do in the operating room. That would be easy to address.
While I make every effort to educate patients as to the full range of options, the risks and benefits of the surgery, and demonstrate my style of a natural looking breast in proportion to the body, some patients do not listen as well as I think they do.
I spend a long time at the initial consult informing the patient of all the approaches and implant types, as well as pointing out asymmetries and differences between the existing breasts. I let the patient make all the decisions, and then we decide if I am comfortable with those choices. At the preoperative visit, we go over all of this again, and really get into the size.
I have found the best way to gauge size is to show a series of before and afters of patients with similar bodies, and not reveal the bra size. I simply ask if they like the size, prefer bigger or smaller. Once we find this information, I tell them the approximate size they have chosen. I stress the fact that the bra size is not important, it is how they feel when they look in the mirror. With this approach, 98% of my patients are happy.
The 2% who want something else are usually not truly unhappy with the size, but unhappy in life. When the implants do not fix life’s problems, it is easier to blame the surgery than face the issues of bad relationships and personal issues. Even still, I try to help them.
Breast implant surgery in the right patient can transform your physical being, and even lift your self esteem. Size does matter, but being happy with yourself is more important.