I’m lying awake on the operating table, with a screen at shoulder height so I can’t see my body. After a muscle relaxant and local anesthesia, I’m pleasantly calm and chatting with my surgeon.
Still, I am aware that I am being poked as a 1-inch slit is made in each armpit and a small device is inserted beneath my breast tissue.
I am the first British patient to try a new procedure known as “injectable breast augmentation surgery”, which takes just 15 minutes and requires almost no recovery time – or so the fancy marketing claims.
In traditional breast surgery, muscle fibers are cut and large incisions are made under the breast that leave permanent scars. There is none of that here. Instead, a balloon is inserted just behind my mammary gland, but above the pectoral muscle. Once inside, it is inflated to stretch the skin and create a “pocket” in my breast, and then removed.
BEFORE: Erin was the first British patient to try a new procedure hailed as “injectable breast enhancement surgery,” which takes just 15 minutes and requires almost no recovery time – or so the slick marketing claims.
AFTER: Erin’s breasts have gone from a small B cup to a softly rounded 32C.
A compressed implant is then “injected” using a pressurized device specifically designed to precisely place it. Once inserted through the opening, the implant expands to fill the “pocket” – and that’s it.
My surgeon removes the screen and lets me see my new breasts, which have gone from a small B cup to a slightly rounded 32C cup. I am immediately pleased with my appearance.
With this new procedure, called Mia (which stands for Minimally Invasive Augmentation) Femtech, you can only go up one or two sizes and it’s primarily intended for those with a natural A to C cup.
Next, I’m put into a pressure band to help reduce swelling, told I’ll have to wear it for a week (no showering), and sent home. I’ll also have to wear a support bra for three weeks. From start to finish, including being greeted with a box of chocolates and a complimentary Swarovski necklace, my “lift” has lasted about an hour.
However, don’t think I made this decision lightly or that I was swayed by the shiny necklace. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a boob job my entire adult life.
As a teenager, I looked forward to my breasts developing, but that never happened. To simulate curves, I wore 32C bras with lots of padding that left a gap in the front. I became adept at rearranging myself to create the illusion of cleavage. Strapless tops and strappy dresses never worked for me, because I never went braless. And wearing bathing suits always seemed like a challenge.
It became second nature for me to turn around while undressing, even in front of my husband, Rory, even though he assured me that I was perfect just the way I was.
Erin writes: As for our kids, we explained to them that Mommy was getting new boobs, which they didn’t find very interesting, but were very excited to announce it to everyone else!
I spoke to a clinic about the possibility of surgery when I was in my twenties, but was advised to wait if I wanted to have children as there could be complications with feeding and my breasts could change.
And so it was: after having my two children, who are now three and four years old, my breasts lost all the volume they once had. My profile was almost completely flat and the chest muscle was more prominent than the breast tissue.
So this year I decided to take the plunge. Why couldn’t I spend the next 40 years feeling completely confident in my body? Why couldn’t I do something just for me?
But when I started the consultation process, I was put off by the reality of what it’s like to have traditional implants. You can’t lift anything for eight weeks of “downtime” and you have to take time off work; with two small children, that just wasn’t feasible. Rory was also concerned about any surgery that involved general anesthesia.
A Mia spokesperson said clinical studies conducted by her team show that more than 6 in 10 patients can resume their daily activities the same day, and 9 in 10 can do so within the first two weeks.
It’s unlike anything I’ve ever had done before. I do get Botox from time to time, but where I live in Guildford, Surrey, I’m not in a group where we mess around a lot with fillers or surgery. At 32, I see shows like Love Island as a warning – those girls look a lot older than they are. My biggest fear was that my breasts would look somehow unnatural. That’s when my clinic suggested Mia, pointing out that it has a limited recovery time, only local anaesthetic, leaves little to no scarring and gives a very natural result.
This calmed our fears and, knowing how excited I was, Rory supported me throughout.
I work full-time for a housing association and had savings to pay for Mia’s operation, which costs between £10,000 and £15,000 (traditional breast enlargement costs around £8,000).
As for our kids, we explained to them that Mom was getting new boobs, which they didn’t find too exciting, but they were very happy to announce the news to everyone else. Their acceptance instantly alleviated some of the stigma I felt.
My friends were fascinated by the idea of an injectable implant, but they also warned me that I would basically be a guinea pig. It was the first time my surgeon, Mr Adrian Richards, had performed the operation.
Still, many women in other countries have had Mia, which was designed by a Swedish team and first used in Japan in 2018. The company behind the device says the only reported problems are from women who were unhappy with the size of their implants and replaced them with larger ones.
The day of the operation everything went well and I am delighted with my augmented breasts.
But I would say that the downtime is not as minimal as Mia’s “get on with your busy life the same day” marketing would have us believe.
I wouldn’t call it pain, but I would call it discomfort for a week or two. It swells up and you have to sleep half-sitting to help drainage. And when the anesthesia started to wear off on the second day, I felt swollen, sore and tender, which wasn’t helped by not being able to lift my arms above my shoulders for a few days.
I couldn’t even lift my children off the floor: any effort exceeding ten kilos is prohibited for two weeks.
However, I was back to driving on the second day and exercising carefully after two weeks. The most bothersome thing was a twinge under my arm that kept pulling and itching for a week or two.
Now, a month after the operation, I am back to normal except for the small scars under my arms.
I feel like these are the breasts I was always meant to have and I can’t wait to wear my bikinis on our annual holiday to Dubai in November. My husband agrees that my new breasts look like they “belong” to me. He loves seeing me so confident.
They also look like real breasts: soft and flexible, and they move naturally. The company that makes Mia claims the implants have a “biocompatible” surface, so the body doesn’t create scar tissue around them. They also have a “diamond shape,” so my breasts look full, even though the implants are small.
The company also claims that unlike many traditional implants, I’m unlikely to have to replace mine for ten years. Still, they recommend an ultrasound at that time to check for complications. If I do have to replace them, Mia’s same technique can be used, they say, to suction out the old implants and replace them with new ones.
I suspect no one would know I had boob jobs if I didn’t tell them, because I’ve spent my life faking what I have now with padded bras.
The only difference is that now I feel very happy to look in the mirror when I get changed, knowing that I will like what I see.
For more information about Mia Femtech, please visit adoreal.com
Told to Ingeborg van Lotringen
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