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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.”

I’m 23 and single.  Dr. Gelman did my tummy tuck 4 months ago.  I thought about it for nearly 2 years because I had a lot of extra baggy skin in my abdominal area and I hated it.  I was heavy when I was younger and a few years ago I managed to lose 75 pounds and keep it off. That’s the good news.  The bad news is that the weight loss left me with loose sagging skin and I felt so self-conscious about it.  I had a 23 year old body and an old woman’s belly.  Not good!  I had to do something about it because I was so sick of worrying and thinking about it, scared of exposing that part of my body and always trying to cover up.

Researching the procedure

I went online almost every day and read what other women had to say about tummy tucks and what their experiences were like.  That’s how I found Dr. Gelman.  I looked at before-and-after pictures of women around my age and told myself, “I could look like this or like that if I get a tummy tuck.”  There’s no way exercise can tighten up stretched out skin and that got clear to me after I tried so hard and it didn’t work.

Making a Choice

I decided to go with Dr. Gelman because he has so much experience doing tummy tucks, he made me feel comfortable and he was very honest with me.  Like, he told me to stop smoking, while two other doctors said it was ok if I continued to smoke even if I was getting ready to have cosmetic surgery.  Dr. Gelman made it clear that I needed to take care of myself and he didn’t make me feel bad about myself.  That meant something to me.

I also felt good about my decision because friends of mine have had tummy tucks, liposuction, mommy makeovers and I know women who have had breast reductions, too.  I see that they have gotten the bodies they want to have and I wanted to feel that way about my body, too.  The funny thing is that after my consult with Dr. Gelman, I found out my aunt had gone to him for cosmetic surgery a few years ago.  She looks fantastic since she had her facelift, but I didn’t know which doctor she had gone to.  She was thrilled that I was going to have him do my tummy tuck because she got a good result and friends of hers who’ve gone to him have, too.

You’re paying how much?!

A few of my friends questioned the price but had to admit that if they had the money, they’d fix what bothered them.  I knew it would cost between $5000 and $6000 and I had $10,000.  I saved up the money and it was worth it.  Anyway, I scheduled the procedure and it went well.  I wasn’t sure what to expect afterwards, but even during the first few days after surgery I have to say I was feeling much happier about my body.  Once I was up and back to my normal routine, I also found out how much fun shopping can be! [laughter]  I can wear things I would never even let myself look at before – form fitting tops, skinny belts, low rise jeans…clothes that show off my new flat belly.

Patience Through Recovery

Recovering from a tummy tuck does take patience.  It takes a couple of months to fully heal, and I thought I’d be up and doing everything within a week or two because I’m young and healthy.  I had to get my expectations in line with reality.  Once I did that, it became exciting to see the positive changes in my body and to know that soon I would be looking the way I’ve wanted to look for so many years.  I want to tell other women or men who are considering cosmetic surgery that Dr. Gelman and his staff were really good to me.  For instance, Laura (the patient coordinator who watched over me before, during, and after surgery) gave me a big hug before I went into surgery.  That meant a lot to me.  Everyone in the office was nice and I got the impression that they know it’s a big deal for each patient even though Dr. Gelman does these procedures all the time.  Somehow they seem to remember that for each patient, it’s the first time.  They go out of their way to put you at ease.

Did it change your life?

My lifestyle changed after the procedure.  My eating habits have changed for the better.  I’m more careful about what I eat now and I’m motivated to work out because I like my new body and want to keep it looking as good as possible.  Overall, I’m just living a more healthy life.

Advice for Patients

I hope my story makes it easier for others to go ahead and fix what they can’t fix on their own with diet and exercise.  My advice to them is to really pick a doctor carefully.  Don’t just settle for the first one you see or the one whose prices are the lowest.  It’s your body you’re talking about!  And take someone with you to your consult if you feel comfortable doing that so you can discuss it afterwards.  Pick a doctor who listens to you and who gives you time to ask your questions…in other words, someone who treats you like you matter.  For me, that made all the difference.

I love being a plastic surgeon. Seriously, I can’t think of a better job. You basically make people happier about how they define themselves. I know appearance can be superficial, but that’s what it is supposed to be – the surface.

When you feel “fat” just because you have a bulge in your lower abdomen after a few kids, why shouldn’t you get that tummy flattened? You will look “sexier” and “more in shape,” clothes will fit better. The result, as patients constantly tell me after a tummy tuck, is that you feel “sexier” and “more in shape.” The “look” does affect how you “feel,” and you deserve that. Go ahead and tell people you just worked out, but you and I know that sit-ups alone won’t pull that tummy back in after the kids stretched the muscles apart.

If you always wanted bigger or perkier breasts, you deserve them. Your current breasts are fine, but if you want a little more, or a little lift, you should get them. Patients tell me they just feel better about themselves when they get that look. I’m not talking about breasts that come into the room five minutes before you do. I’m not talking about the “what ridiculous implants” look.  I’m talking about the “wow, those look nice” appearance of reasonably sized implants.

When you feel good about your appearance, it does truly affect how you feel about the deeper part of your self. It is the rare individual who truly cares not an iota about their appearance. Clothes, haircuts, shoes, make-up all are part of how you present yourself to the world and reflect your own inner beauty.