Video
Voiceover:
21-year-old Sarah came to see Dr Christian about her lack of breasts.
Sarah:
I’m worried I’ve got the chest of a boy.
Dr Christian:
Wow, right, okay. What size are you?
Sarah:
Um, smaller than an A.
Voiceover:
He reassures her there’s nothing wrong biologically, and sends her to see Yannis Alexandridis to discuss her options.
Dr Alexandridis:
It’s quite common that women do not develop big breasts. Normal variations depend on a lot of things; they depend on your family background, they depend on the hormonal background, um, and the overall build, um, but again I want to stress that there’s nothing wrong with that. But is this something that has affected you psychologically, do you think?
Sarah:
It affects me every day, just getting changed in front of the mirror, getting changed in front of my partner, um, I don’t feel comfortable taking my little boy swimming, being in a bikini, um, because I don’t feel comfortable wearing one.
Voiceover:
Sarah is currently smaller than an A cup, which is well below the national average breast size of 34C. After further discussion, Sarah opts for surgical implants.
Dr Alexandridis:
We have to be careful not to go on a very big implant. My decision making is depending on your anatomy, on how broad you are, how tall you are and how much breast you have. We cannot make it too wide, because then the two breasts will touch each other or can actually rub on your arm, so it would not be very comfortable for you.
Sarah:
Okay.
Dr Alexandridis:
We will do this operation under general anesthetic.
Sarah:
Okay.
Dr Alexandridis:
Usually this operation takes between one hour, an hour and a half, and it’s done as a day case.
Voiceover:
It’s the day of Sarah’s operation, and Dr Alexandridis marks her up in preparation. It’s a relatively quick procedure, and Yannis starts by making a small incision at the base of the breast.
Dr Alexandridis:
Now I’m going through the breast tissue, to make a place for the implant. We need to create a space to put this in. We are separating the breast tissue from the wall of the chest. So the key is to create a nice round pocket.
Voiceover:
He then washes the pocket with a special solution to minimise the chances of infection. It’s now ready for the implant.
Dr Alexandridis:
We’re going to squeeze the implant through the small opening. It’s soft and elastic so yeah, it allows it to become small and go through. So next step, I position the implant in the right spot, there we go. And we’re going to close the scar. We’ll put a double layer suture, so it heals very well. With time it becomes a small wrinkle. And because it’s placed right underneath the breast, it looks like the crease that the breast creates.
Voiceover:
He then moves on to the other side and repeats the procedure.
Dr Alexandridis:
I make sure with my hands and my fingers that the implant is in the right position, exactly where I want it to be.
Voiceover:
With both implants in place, Yannis lifts Sarah up to check the symmetry.
Dr Alexandridis:
After checking, uh, how the breasts look on both sides, from different angles, um, I’m happy with the shape, the roundness, uh, the position. So I can start closing on this side too.
Voiceover:
Steri-strips are placed as an extra barrier to infection, and help the skin to heal.
Dr Alexandridis:
Yes, it went very well, and there were no problems, and her breasts are natural-looking. It’s a good size for her, so I think she will be very happy.
Voiceover:
Four months later, Sarah’s back to show Dr Christian the results.
Dr Christian:
Sarah, welcome back. How long has it been since the operation?
Sarah:
It’s been about four, five months.
Dr Christian:
And you had no complications afterwards?
Sarah:
No, none at all.
Dr Christian:
Good. No bleeding, no infections?
Sarah:
No.
Dr Christian:
Excellent. And are you happy now?
Sarah:
Very happy.
Dr Christian:
You are.
Sarah:
Yes.
Dr Christian:
Is it what you had hoped?
Sarah:
Definitely.
Dr Christian:
So what size are you now?
Sarah:
I’m a 30D.
Dr Christian:
Can I have a look, do you mind? Just to check them. Let’s pop them right down. I mean, the real artistry, I think, of breast implants is to make sure that you get them equal and symmetrical. Because the danger is you put the implant a little bit too high, and actually it’s a question of choosing the right size implant. Did you, were you involved in that decision, or did the surgeon decide for you?
Sarah:
He advised me what he would recommend, and I went along with that.
Dr Christian:
You did. Can I see the scars, which should be underneath, aren’t they. They’re very neat little scars, they’ve healed beautifully. They’re still a little bit pink, that’s normal for scars that old, and they will fade even more. But I mean, they’re not noticeable at all, are they? Um, and do they feel normal, have you got normal sensation in the skin or not?
Sarah:
Not all the sensation. I can feel to about here—
Dr Christian:
And then it gets numb.
Sarah:
Yes.
Dr Christian:
I mean, that numbness really is because somebody’s gone in and stuck a load of instruments in there and disrupted all the normal tissues, and probably damaged a lot of the nerves. That’s inevitable in an operation like this. But they will actually, they’ll grow back again. Good, I’m happy if you’re happy.
Sarah:
I am happy.
Dr Christian:
Good, pop your things back on, that’s great.
Sarah:
Thank you.
20 yr old Sarah came to see Dr Christian about her flat chest. Although capable of producing milk it was so limited it prevented Sarah from breastfeeding her baby. After an examination, Dr Christian is able to confirm that there is nothing biologically wrong with Sarah’s breasts as such, and that there was a minimal amount of breast tissue present. Therefore he sent Sarah to see breast specialist Dr Yannis Alexandridis to discuss her options. After deliberation Sarah decided to have breast enlargement surgery. 7 Months later Sarah returned to show off her enhanced chest to Dr Christian who noted a good job had been done with minimal scarring and that sensation in the breasts would eventually return.
Patient name: Sarah Meiris
Condition: Flat Chest
Specialist: Yannis Alexandrides
Clinic:
111 Harley Street
111 Harley Street
Hospital: London Welbeck Hospital
Length of procedure: Approx 1 hour
Yes
NoComments and Questions
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Where do you buy padded bras? Like the gel pads to make your breasts bigger?
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Im a 34AA and its really getting me depressed. everyone else around me has biger breasts than me and its getting me down. whats the earliest age you can get breast implants and how much would it cost?
Asked on 27 Mar 2012 19:19 by Aimee
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There are many herbal tablets available online. Check all ingrediants ate regulated. Will say on sights. Breast sucsess and firm breast are good. Doesnt affect any medication u may be on. Im a 32a & have started to see some improvements. In fullness
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Hello, I'm a 32A, since I'm under sixteen, could I buy these without my parents knowing of it?
In reply to Vanessa Report this as offensive
Hi sophie. Id check with your parents first. You would need a card to pay for them on the internet. Also as your under 16. Your probably still growing. Id wait till your 18.
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This is unnecessary. If the patient took 15min a day to stretch and retract his foreskin using lube or oil the skin would loosen in a few months.
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i have been to my doctors about my breasts. im only 23 with 2 children and i am a big A cup which is embarresing so i by 32B cups. i hve suffered with deppresion and my breasts are partly to that.
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yup so have i, i hate getting called flat chested , and once i was in a relationship with my boyfriend from the age of 16 till 20 and i wore 34b when im a 32a and when we had sex he dumped me because i was flat chested, i thought that was well out of order.
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I have heard of the injection Macrolane, does anyone know what kind of results it produces - is it better than plastic sugery?
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What size and profile were Sarah's implants and were they positioned over or under the muscle? I can't find this information on the site and it would help me with decisions I'm making for the same surgery.
Asked on 5 Mar 2010 22:25 by Elisabeth
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I would like the same information please.
Posted on 7 Mar 2010 22:04 by Dawn
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This is a good answer
Hi, They were 300cc and were placed partially under the muscle. Hope this helps.
Posted on 9 Mar 2010 15:01 by Sarah
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This is a good answer