I truly understand your feelings concerning the size and shape of your breasts. Before I had my two girls I was an "A" cup and after I breastfed my girls I was a "sub-A". I had always had feelings of inferiority over the size of my breasts despite my husband's protestations that "more than a mouthful" was too much. It was solely my issue.

When I was 29, I decided that I wanted breast implants for ME. I did all of my research before I even consulted with a board-certified plastic surgeon.

Let me emphasize that breast implants increase size, but do not necessarily change the shape of a woman's breast. In other words, your breasts will be your breasts except larger. That's exactly what I got - my breasts except that they were larger. I have never once regretted my decision to get breast implants even though I developed a very common problem, called capsular contracture (very hard breasts caused by scar tissue developing around the implants - estimated to occur in roughly 30% of women).

In 2005, I had my breast implants removed and replaced (breast implants are not life-time devices). I was devastated with my results. My implants were practically up to my collar bone and my areolas were at the base of my implants. After 3 revisions with Dr. "X", I decided to cut my losses and see another plastic surgeon. My new plastic surgeon diagnosed the problem right away - "You need a breast lift" which is what I had been trying to tell Dr. "X" who would not concede the fact.

In 2006, I had a tummy tuck, lipo, and a breast lift and could not be more delighted with my results. It was very costly, but it was well worth it!

If you want breast implants because YOU want them, then I would recommend that you read everything you can so that you can make decisions along with your surgeon. There are many factors to consider: size of implant (you risk deformity if you try to go too large), type of implant (silicone or saline- silicone has the most natural feel), shape of implant (round or anatomical), and placement sub-glandular or sub-muscular - (more chance of capsular contracture with sub-glandular - better coverage of implant in sub-muscular in women with little or thin breast tissue).

The psychological aspects of breast implants - Does having a larger breast size make relationships better? No! Do implants make life magically better? No! Does getting breast augmentation shield oneself from depression? NO!

The physiological aspects of breast implants - Do women sometimes have to go through multiple surgeries for revisions? Yes! Do women sometimes wish they had never gotten implants and have them removed? Yes, a small percentage of women go through another surgery to have them removed! Do women risk getting capsular contracture that causes the breasts to become distorted and sometimes cause pain? Yes, according to the FDA approved literature for all breast implant manufacturer's - the percentage of women getting capsular contracture is roughly 30%. However, there are degrees of capsular contracture from I-IV. I lived with Grade III capsular contracture for 16 years and still loved my implants.

Finally, the real cost of breast augmentation! Any woman who is contemplating breast augmentation should have enough money set away in the event that she needs/decides to have another surgery because of a problem. For further detailed information, may I recommend:http://www.implantinfo.com/

In the meantime, what is important now is to get an action plan together on the things you can do to help improve your overall sense of wellness, beauty, and femininity. Laurie