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Beautician Kerry Williams had always been happy with the size of her boobs – until she had two children. That’s when her breasts went from a 34B to a 34A. Kerry found herself thinking about having a breast enlargement.
“Fashions changed and it was all halter necks and bikini tops and I thought I looked stupid in all of them,” she says.
“Every time I went out shopping, I was thinking about it. I spent that much money on padded bras that I could have had the enlargement three years ago.”
She hesitated to have the surgery, she says, because she was very aware that this was a non-essential operation. In addition, a previous operation under general anaesthetic had left her feeling groggy and ill for a number of days, and she was wary of another bad experience.
But, she says, when she started to look into it, she changed her mind – especially once she discovered there was an alternative to a general anaesthetic available at the MediSpa Clinic in Cheshire where she was already a client.
“It was a twilight surgery where you have a local anaesthetic as opposed to a general,” says Kerry.
“They numb the area being operated on rather than numbing every part of you.
“At first I thought they were absolutely mad – I thought you’re awake, how spooky is that? – but when I looked into it I was reassured. Now I’m just gutted I never did it when I started thinking about it.”
At MediSpa, Kerry talked to clinic director Victoria Clarke about the surgery, found out about the history and resumé of the surgeon who would carry out the procedure and did her own research on the internet before making a final decision to go ahead. She had been saving since she first decided to have a breast enlargement and so by the time the operation took place, she already had the money to pay for the operation, which cost in the region of £4,500.
She adds, “I also did my homework on the procedure it’s a technique which had been going in Australia and the USA for ages – we’re just so behind here.
“For the procedure they take a lot longer than they do under general anaesthetic. It takes nearly double the time because they have to be so much more precise – but personally I would rather have a longer procedure.
“For me it made a lot of sense. I have two children and I needed to get back to work as a beautician as quickly as I could.”
“I was really lucky – because I got the best advice and care every step of the way.
“As long as you do your homework and find someone you completely trust, it will be fine. I did my homework and found someone I completely trusted, and that’s what everyone needs to do.
“You have to remember that everyone has the same doubts and questions as you do. “You go in with your little list of questions and the surgeon has answered them all before. I think it’s important to write every question down and go in knowing what you want to ask. They are very happy to answer everything and were always telling me to call if I had any more questions.”
Kerry chose MediSpa to have her operation because she liked and trusted the staff at the clinic where she had already had treatments such as fillers. By the time she had decided to go ahead, all of her questions had been answered.
“If you had any doubts they wouldn’t do it,” says Kerry, “and if they did they would be absolutely stupid. At the end of the day you are getting yourself cut open.”
The operation itself took place on September 5, 2005. Kerry arrived at the clinic at 8am and once in surgery, the breast implant operation itself took a little over an hour and a half. Because she was on sedatives and under a local anaesthetic, she was aware of everything that was going on during the course of surgery.
“You don’t see anything because you have a screen in front of you,” says Kerry.
“The surgeon talks to you right the way through, telling you what he’s going to do, and asking if you can feel anything. You are conscious but so woozy. You are in a really nice place.
“It’s like when you are asleep in the back of the car and you can hear everything but you are a little bit out of it. There was a CD playing that I’d brought in and that helped make it a really relaxing atmosphere.”
Once the operation was over she was immediately able to see her new 34D breasts – “they looked really good” – and went to the recovery room for about another hour and a half to wake up, staying there until she wanted to go home.
Medical staff sent her home with antibiotics, muscle relaxant and painkillers, reminding her that she had would feel back to normal straight away because she had been given adrenaline – but that she must rest.
“When I got home I had a lot of follow-up calls from the clinic asking how everything was going,” says Kerry, “if there was any swelling I didn’t like the look of, or any changes.”
This was not a in-and-out lunchtime op, she says, but a major operation – and she puts her successful recovery down to following all of the clinic’s recommendations to the letter.
“I have heard about it being a lunchtime job but that is a mistake – because it sounds like you’re having a minor procedure,” she says. “But this is an operation even though you are awake.
“You feel like you can just start doing things immediately but the longer you rest the quicker your skin will heal,” she says.
“You do have to go home and rest but I was back to my normal life in the next couple of days and I could do everything within reason. You can’t carry heavy stuff like the hoover or children. I had taken the whole week off work thinking I was going to be completely off – but I could just have taken three days off and then booked clients in and done small procedures.”
After the anaesthetic has worn off, Kerry felt some pain, especially at night.
“I’m delighted,” says Kerry. “It has made life so much easier. I’m now just right for my size. I tell everyone I have had a boob job, but they do look normal and if I’m wearing normal clothes, noone has ever said anything.”
Her only regret, she says, is that she waited so long to go ahead.
- When choosing your clinic, remember to look for somewhere that you can trust.
- Everyone has the same doubts and questions as you do. Surgeons are happy to answer your queries as they want you to feel comfortable and at ease with your procedure, as much as you do.
- Write your questions down before your consultation so that you don’t miss anything out and then you know you’ll get the answers you need before you make any further decisions.
- Make sure that you are absolutely comfortable with your surgeon and that you both have the same expectations. Problems arise if the expectations of the patient and the surgeon are not aligned.
- Advancements in surgery are amazing and many procedures can be carried out without being too invasive. However, don’t be mistaken if you’re told it’s a minor procedure, it’s still an operation even though you’re awake, so it still has after affects.
- Remember that you’ve had surgery and that you will need to take things easy for a while after your operation. Don’t rush back to normal activities. Rest.
- You’ll heal quicker if you follow the surgeon’s advice and don’t try to overdo things after the op, even if you feel you’re able to get back to normal, allow yourself time to heal.
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