Breast Augmentation by Darlina Acampora

My decision to get breast augmentation in 1999 came after much research of doctors and different procedures. I had lost just about all breast tissue once I decided to compete in fitness at the national level. I wanted to be bigger but was real concerned with looking natural. I expressed to the surgeon that I get really low in body fat when I compete. I didn't want to see the implant and I did not want to go around the nipple as a place of incision. I had seen some botched jobs and was scared to get that done. My last concern was size. I only wanted to be a full B. I wanted people to look at me and still see an athletic body not just boobs!

So he decided that going underneath for the incision and over the muscle would suit me best. I wanted under the muscle but he said it wouldn't allow for the most natural placement. If I've learned anything. . . always go with your instincts and always go a size bigger than you think you want.

Surgery Day: I had not eaten for over eight hours. I was nervous but excited as well. My then boyfriend had driven me to the hospital and was with me while they hooked me up for IV and then gave me something to take the edge off. Last thing I remembered was being wheeled away and asked to count to ten by the anesthesiologist. I don't think I event got that far. Next thing I knew I woke up feeling like I did a really hard chest workout. I was in sore but seeing this hump on chest was great!! I had to sleep sitting elevated for a few days and continued to take pain pills. Overall I felt fine. If you're accustomed to working out really hard and being sore for a few days after, then it’s really not a hard surgery to recover from. (Keeping in mind that I did not have any negative effects from the anesthesia which I've been told in hell.) I went after two weeks to get the sutures removed and began to do light cardio. After three weeks I returned to weights and just listened to my body. If something felt too difficult I waited a little longer to do it. I was back to my regular intensity for workouts within two months.

Fast forward about six months…I was now having regrets. I wished I had gone bigger! In most cases I was still wearing push-up bras and I was starting to see the outline of the implant which I hated. It got worse though. As I was getting ready to compete at the NPC USA Nationals, I had gotten so lean that you could see so much rippling in the implant. It was disgusting looking. I was so unhappy that I wouldn't even wear low cut shirts. It was so obvious that I had had fake boobs. I scheduled an appointment with the surgeon for a check up. I told him that this was exactly what I did not want to see and that is why I had wanted to go under the muscle! He told me that he did not realize just how lean the girls got in our sport. So he said he would do the surgery again at no cost on his end. I did however have to pay for the implants and hospital fees.

So after just nine months from the first surgery, I was going under the knife again. This time I decided to get silicone implants (only available on a second surgery) and to go bigger with the implant under the muscle. Everything went exactly the same. Only the recovery was a little longer because they actually cut into the muscle to create a pocket for the implant. I took a little longer to get back to regular workouts but the pain was no worse than the first time, I was out the next day.

This time I was real happy. They looked so natural people never even knew I had it done. The only person who could see the incision was my boyfriend. Many people would even ask me how I was able to keep a chest while being so lean. It was pretty funny. At this time I was a small C about 275cc if it was saline. (Sizes run different between saline and silicone gel.) I still could have gone bigger because of my proportions. I have a lot of curve in my lower body. My glutes, hips and qauds are very developed. But I was still real happy that even in a bikini people would have to ask if I had real breasts or implants.

Four years later in December 2004 once again I wanted to go bigger to make the most of my proportions. If I had listened to my husband years earlier when I got the first surgery, I would have gotten it right the first time. He said to insist on getting under the muscle and to go with a full C for size. He worked security for an adult club years earlier and said the dancers used to have several surgeries to get the results they wanted.

Anyhow, I went for my last surgery!! This time I insisted that I wanted to be no less than a full D. I kept the same incision site and still went with silicone because I never had a problem with them and they are much more natural feeling. This surgery was a walk in the park. I woke up with a smile on my face and was shopping at the mall within hours!! Okay, that was over doing it as I paid for it the next few days but there was no pain only slight discomfort. I was just really tired from the anesthesia and run down. I was doing cardio at the gym within five days and working with weights at two weeks. Completely back to myself within four weeks.

If I could give any advice to women who are considering surgery…definitely go under the muscle! No exceptions, it is the most natural looking by far. As far as the incision, I know many girls and doctors who prefer going around the nipple. For me that just wasn't an option. I liked them and did not want them touched. However, I have seen some real good jobs done this way. Under the arms was not a choice of mine either because I'm often in tank tops working out. If you see those scars no matter how light they are, you just know why they are there. Lastly, through the belly button was not for me either because I love mine and feared having it not look the same. As far as size, always go a size bigger than you would think you want because once the swelling goes down you'll end up wishing they were larger. I did this twice and finally on the third time I'm completely happy!!

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