Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Style and beauty

Looking for style advice? Chat all about it here. For the latest discounts on fashion and beauty, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

Boob job

65 replies

Wrenner · 16/03/2012 09:39

Helo all - wanted to get some opinions on any mums who have had boob jobs and if they would recommend them? I've been considering this for a while as my breasts are completely screwed after two babies And breast feeding. Really damaging my
confidence. I know it's such a massive procedure though and one I wouldn't undertake lightly!

OP posts:
SilkStalkings · 16/03/2012 09:46

Screwed in what way?

I actually prefer my postbaby boobs! They were Page 3 whoppers before and now men look me in the eye, I attract attention for other reasons but can be anonymous if I want. There are downsides to having boobs that want to leap out of your clothes
Is it really your boobs that have damaged your confidence? Could you be focussing on them as a way of avoiding another issue that really needs facing? Maybe more painful/scary mentally than a boob job? Lots of post baby issues can hang around a long time, from Post Natal Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (yes it does exist!), PND, basic identity crisis from changes to family role, entire body image etc.

OhThisIsJustGrape · 16/03/2012 09:48

I've always wanted one, even more so now that I've breastfed 4 babies and really don't have enough left to fill even the tiniest of bras.

However, a friend had hers done a few years back with Pip implants. She has just had to have them removed due to the recent scare surrounding them and is devasted at what she is now left with. Psychologically she is in a worse place now than she was before having them done. Her skin stretched so much to accommodate the implants, even though there were only a C cup, her breasts are now savvier and emptier than before. Plus extra scarring :(

Her and her DH have mazes out credit cards to pay for the removal (NHS wouldn't do it as scan showed no leakage, they said though that scans don't always show it and given the health probs she was having it was likely there was some leakage), she doesn't dare have new implants and couldn't afford it even if she did.

So, in conclusion - well done if you've got this far! - what would put me off is not having them done initially, its what would happen if something went wrong and I had to have them out. I know my friend wishes she could turn back the clock.

OhThisIsJustGrape · 16/03/2012 09:50

saggier and maxed out credit cards. Blardy iPhone!

Original poster
Wrenner · 16/03/2012 10:02

I meen 'screwed' as in there is just so much excess skin there! I can lay on my back and they are flat and I can pinch the skin and the skin remains puckerd. It's not some vanity thing like I Want massive breasts because I really dont but I dont want breasts that crumple and I can pull about 2 inches of excess skin. I understand what you're saying and I think it is just the breast issue. My relationship is seperate from it I think (although that's not great). I'm 25 and just want to feel confident. I've got stretch marks and saggy skin on my tummy but it doesn't bother me one bit. That's what scared me about it, infection and the scarring etc.. I feel so sorry for your poor friend!!! Sad

OP posts:
SilkStalkings · 16/03/2012 14:00

Boob jobs do seem to be a lifetime's commitment, it's not going to be just the one op.

UsedToBePretty · 16/03/2012 14:08

No personal experience, but I have a friend who had hers done and she has never looked back. Hers was pre baby and it was down to very low self esteem. She really did look out of proportion, with very wide hips/big bottom, and a very small upper body with literally nothing there - AA cup.

I have another friend who had hers done post baby, but it was a reduction and uplift, so no implants. This is a much more complicated procedure with visible scars, but again she is happy, though she did get an infection afterwards and had to rope in lots of people for childcare for weeks afterwards.

I have pretty huge boobs myself, and I am interested in getting a reduction, but I'm just not sure if I am happy taking the risk.

Have you tried firming creams, massage etc. How long is it since your last baby? I have found that mine have plumped up a lot compared to the year after having my ds.

Original poster
Wrenner · 16/03/2012 20:53

My oldest is 3 and youngest 1. Are massage creams any good? Surely not for stretched skin? It does put me off the life time commitment! I couldn't get it yet anyway because your not meant to lift that much and with a 1 year old I'm always lifting! Wink

OP posts:
Bangtastic · 16/03/2012 20:59

Oh I feel your pain, I am exactly the same. But mine is due to a 6 stone weight loss and the after effects of being so overweight for so long. Stretched skin all over, not just boobs. No amount of bio oil/miracle firming creams is saving it!

If you can afford it, and fully understand and accept the risks, then do it. If I had the spare cash right now, I wouldn't think twice.

UsedToBePretty · 16/03/2012 21:03

The creams will definitely help to improve the elasticity in your skin which will help it to spring back. Honestly, mine were just as you described for about a year after birth and now there is no excess skin at all. Drinking lots of water and taking a skin vitamin like perfectil or imedeen will help too.
It's worth a try at least.

LolaAnn · 16/03/2012 21:59

Does anyone have any experience of breast feeding after having implants? I'm totally flat with huge hips and have always longed for bigger boobs but want to BF and future babies I may have...

MyChildDoesntNeedSleep · 16/03/2012 22:15

Implants only last about 10 years, so you'd be having them re-done every ten years for the rest of your life. There's the financial implications of that...not least what happens if you don't have the money when it needs replacing. If you can't replace it, you'd be left with a bust that looked much worse than what you started having the procedures for.

I worry that famous people have had botched jobs, and they can obviously afford the best clinics/surgeons, etc, so it really is 'there but for the grace of God go I'.

Also, what age do you stop having it replaced? 55? 65? 75?

Heswall · 16/03/2012 23:19

Implants do not last 10 years, I've had mine longer than that, breast fed 4 babies since and they still look better than most peoples do before they've had children IMO.
A BUPA hospital is a must, they will put right anything at all that needs correcting and do not use PIP implants, never have. Pay on your credit card too for extra protection.
I think the truth is you get what you pay for, my friends were £2k and look like the typical footballers wives two melons stuck on her chest.
Mine were nearly £8k, the nipple and positioning was done very carefully so I could still BF and are tear drop shaped and look very natural.

Sparklegeek · 16/03/2012 23:35

You no longer have to have implants replaced every 10 years or so, if there are no problems then they can stay in for life. The routine replacement for safety reasons definitely used to be the case but not any more.

LolaAnn my sister has breastfed after implants. (I had mine done after having my 3 children, she had hers about 9 years ago & now has a 3 year-old who she successfully breastfed for over a year). If you are seriously thinking about it I would recommend waiting until any children are well out of baby & toddlerhood as you are incapacitated for a while after, my Mum moved in with me for a couple of weeks!

Any questions, I'm happy to answer!

DinahMoHum · 17/03/2012 07:54

i had mine done a couple of years ago with an uplift, as my boobs had gone from an A cup to an F cup in pregnancy and then back down again, and i basically had two flaps of skin with no breast tissue. I never minded having small breasts, but the shape of them after having children and my weight loss, i felt deformed and the feeling didnt go away. I waited till id finished my family and could afford it. Researched conpanies and surgeons, and eventually had it done. Im really happy with them. Small enough that noone who i didnt tell has really noticed, but big enough that they balance out my hips. I chose a company that had a great aftercare policy and implants with a very low rate of problems. Mine cost 4.2k
I used the company mybreast

DinahMoHum · 17/03/2012 07:56

id suggest waiting till you dont want anymore children though. You can still usually breastfeed with implants, although not after an uplift, but any damage done by pregnancy or feeding, could easily mean youll want them done again afterwards

Original poster
Wrenner · 17/03/2012 08:16

Thanks so much for answers! I've heard about bupa being brilliant! My friend had z tummy tuck via them and results brilliant! How long couldn't you lift for or felt pain all the girls who have had them?! Mine are the same. Went from a d to an e then back to a c, then up to a e then god knows what I am now!!! Creams may be a good place to start but I do dbout the effect they will have on mine! Poor breasts! Also well done on losing 6 stone!!!! Grin

OP posts:
MrsCampbellBlack · 17/03/2012 08:20

I was very seriously contemplating one as 3 dc's and bf for a long time has very much changed my boobs.

However the recent PIP scandal has really put me off. So am just going to buy better bras.

But I totally understand why people have them and wouldn't totally rule it out in the future.

DinahMoHum · 17/03/2012 08:20

make sure any surgeon is baaps (yeah i know) and bapra registered.
Thats the most important thing of all, and avoid the big major companies (transform, HMG, hospital group etc) like the plague. If anything goes wrong, those companies leave you in the lurch, despite what they may tell you at the consultation, or make you jump through hoops

DinahMoHum · 17/03/2012 08:22

it was only the cheap conveyor belt companies that used PIPS, and it was well known in the industry that they had a 70% rupture rate.
I was told about them at my consultation and that was well before the news came out about them. The unscrupulous money making surgery companies just carried on using them because they were cheap, and are now refusing to help the women who they deceived.

perceptionreality · 17/03/2012 08:30

I had one nearly 5 years ago - I had it for the same reasons you're considering it. Honestly, it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Would completely agree with those saying avoid Transform and Harley etc. I went for a consultation there and felt like I was on a coveyor belt. You need to also find someone who is a plastic surgeon, NOT a 'cosmetic surgeon' and someone who works in the UK all year round so that if you have any problems you can go back and get support. My surgeon was fantastic - he did a great job, you cannot see any scarring and the results look better than I could ever have imagined. I also could tell that he cared about my result. He has never used PIP implants.

My surgeon:
www.spirehealthcare.com/southbank/our-facilities-treatments-and-consultants/our-consultants/mr-guy-sterne/

Heswall · 17/03/2012 09:40

To answer the question about recovery, I had mine done on the sat, had sunday in bed and on monday i took it easy with 3 children in the house, by tuesday i was doing the weekly shop driving to and from tesco's.

Original poster
Wrenner · 17/03/2012 09:53

Perception- I live in Bristol - maybe Ur consultant could recommend a Bristol surgeon or spire hospital?? Will get in touch. Recovery doesn't sound that bad either. Were u on pain killers?? Also I have always been put off by the big company's as I asked for a brochure and then got bombarded with calls!! Angry

OP posts:
Original poster
Wrenner · 17/03/2012 09:55

Also how much?? Ball park figure? As I know it can vary for individuals!

OP posts:
Heswall · 17/03/2012 10:06

No painkillers once I came out of hospital, some people obviously suffer more than others but if you can give birth or have a csection most things are a doodle after that.