I have been thinking about getting breast implants for some years now and eventually I went to a Dr about it the other day.

I was very impressed and learnt a lot as I will list below for others looking at getting this done.

saline verses gell - the old silicon implants were a worry as they could leak and be toxic to the body. The new gell implants are non toxic and even if ruptured don't leak as they are a 'turkish delight' consistencey so still stay in place. They are more natural looking and feeling than saline which are more likely to leak.

Shape- You can gat round and tear shaped. tear shaped give a more natural slightly droopy look but can shift over time and so could look very odd. round implants can look very natural is fully or partially placed under the muscle.

Under or over muscle - Under the muscle can look more natural as it reduces the ridge at the top look. Although is you have a bit of breast tissue yourself anyway over the muscle can be fine as all of them go under the breast tissue. You can also have the top of the implant under the muscle and the rest on top to reduce the ridge look but enhance the protrusion.

Hardening of the implants- Scare tissue forms over the implants and in about 15% cases can cause them to go very stiff. Massage is used to reduce this risk. A way of avoiding this is to use a textured rather than smooth implant.

I am not sure if these options or info. is provided by all Drs as I have really done my research on line and with local GPs to find the very best Dr in my area.

well I have my next appointment in just under two weeks so will keep you posted. Should be having the procedure in about 4-5 weeks. Will let you all know how it goes.

tt

i have been thinking about this as well, its been something i"ve wasnted for a while, n now its something my boyfriend and i are talking about mor seriously. im really not sure where to start. were you given an estimated cost, for everything. what about recovery time? how did you know who would be a better dr to chose? sorry for all the questions its just that this is something major so i want to make sure i get all my ducks in a row so to say

Answers for Jessica

Some good questions, I will try to answer them the best I can.

Cost: Well I'm in Australia so this is Aust. $.
the cost of the plastic surgeon is about $8,500, cost of over night hosp stay about
$2,000 and anesthesiatist $800. I have private cover so some of the hospital and
anesthesiatist I can claim back. Also one of my breasts are a bit bigger than the
other, which is the case for most women and is this difference is enough some of
surgeons costs can also be claimed through private health and public health
system. I am not sure if this is the case in other countries.

Finding Dr: I looked on the web for plastic surgeons in my area. I checked that they were
not only registered with the medical and surgical boards but also plastic
surgery
boards as I heard that some are only registered as surgeons but not also
specialist plastic surgeons. also a lot list there experience and where they
have worked and trained.

I also talked to a few people I knew who had had the proceedure and where
they went and if they were happy. I also visited two local GP's and they both
suggested the same plastic surgeon. The other advantage of getting a referral
from a GP (general Dr) is that you can claim back a percentage of your first
visit to the plastic surgeon , this is the case in Aust. anyway.

Recovery time: I will be in hospital over night. they suggest you pretty much do nothing
the first week, no cooking, cleaning or work as it increases the risk of
blood clots. Then light duties for a week and stay out of the gym etc for
about three weeks. There is post op swelling that can take about a month
to go away.

Hope this has helped. tt

ok thank you very much, yeah im not sure what the difference would be in the states as far as prices n things of that nature. at least i do know a little more than i did before so i wont go into it completely blindsided. again thanks for the reply. if you do end up getting the surgery let me know how it goes

I have an appointment again next Friday with the Dr and then hope to get the surgery done a few weeks after that. Well let you know how it goes.

tt