Our Patient’s Blog: Single Mother Who Had Breast Augmentation
Dr. Gelman did my breast augmentation three months ago and my life has changed for the better in so many ways!
I’m a 36-year-old single mother of one teenage daughter and I waited 10 years before I finally made the decision to do something about my breasts. The truth is I was afraid of “going under the knife.” It wasn’t like I HAD to have surgery to be cured of an illness. I just wanted to have beautiful breasts and was worried that having surgery for something just because I wanted it would be tempting fate. The irony here is that I’m a model and it’s important for me to look my best. Yet, year after year I was staring down at a pair of breasts that looked like sagging, hanging bananas and not doing anything about it.
Research the procedure
This past summer, I went online and watched a breast augmentation video clip. Surfing the Web I found Dr. Gelman’s website. I talked to my parents, my daughter, and one of my close girlfriends. My daughter turned out to be my biggest supporter – that was great! She knew how unhappy I was with my breasts and wanted me to be happy about the way I look. That meant a lot to me. I know a number of women who’ve had cosmetic surgery – tummy tucks, liposuction, and breast reduction…and a few who have had mommy makeovers to remove sagging belly skin and excess fat and have their breasts reshaped so they looked like they did before kids. They were all glad they did it. When I saw how much better a couple of my friends looked after breast augmentations; that was my tipping point. I decided to go for it!
The Surgery Consultation
I had consultations with several doctors, but chose Dr. Gelman because I was treated so well by him and by his staff. I had checked around on cost, and their fee was reasonable. I also told him I was nervous about having anesthesia, but Dr. Gelman took the time to educate me and when I realized my concern was normal and that my safety was his number one goal too, I got past my fears. Laura, his patient coordinator, watched over me and gave me information and support beforehand, on the day of my surgery, and afterward during my recovery days. All the women in the office are so nice and are willing to answer my questions. I so appreciate that because I’m someone who is full of questions!
A Smooth Recovery
My recovery went pretty smoothly…I mean, two weeks later I was back on the job doing a photo shoot. I did have a feeling of heaviness in my breasts for 2 or 3 days after the surgery – like an elephant was on my chest [laughter] – and it took me a few days to move around without being constantly distracted by the new, larger breasts on my body! The most inconvenient part was sleeping on my back for a few weeks when I’m used to sleeping on my stomach. But these are minor complaints compared to how much better I look and feel about my body now. It was so worth it!
The Results of Breast Augmentation
I have more confidence, which is the big thing. For example, I wear bikini tops now that I have real cleavage to show off! I never would have done that before. More women stare at me than men and sometimes women aren’t as nice to me at first, like when I go shopping! Seriously, I have an outgoing, bubbly personality and it takes a little longer for women to warm up to me now. I didn’t expect that! In my community, I sometimes think that many African-American women I know don’t take good enough care of themselves – they’re usually too busy taking care of other people. But I work out and I like to be healthy and look good and I think women deserve this. If I could give advice, I’d tell any healthy woman who’s trying to decide if she should have cosmetic surgery so she can feel good about how she looks, “Go ahead and do it…don’t wait and put it off. If this is what you want, then go for it! I’m worth it and so are you.”
