Do you constantly find yourself looking at pictures of celebrities wishing you had their perfect body? While maintaining proper diet and exercise can bring you closer to your goal, it can’t do everything.

Sometimes you may find that your biggest complaint can’t be fixed without plastic surgery. Maybe you think your nose is too big or your boobs aren’t big enough!

Out of all the plastic surgery options, the most popular is a boob job. In fact, almost 300,000 breast augmentations take place every year in the United States. So, if you’re thinking about getting larger breasts, you’re not alone.

But there are some things you should know before you go under the knife. Keep reading to learn more.

1. Try Before You Buy

Although boob jobs are very common procedures, you’ll still want to do your research before setting up a consultation. Think about how big you want your ideal boobs to be.

But don’t just leave it up to your imagination. When you go in for your consultation, you can ask for sizers. These are samples that you can place under your shirt to see how you would look in varying breast sizes.

Some plastic surgeons have invested in the newest 3D technology, so you can see your potential new boobs on the computer as well.

2. Be Flexible

Getting a boob job is a big surgery for most people, so you want to make sure you get what you want.

However, any type of plastic surgery is an art form. Everyone is different, so what worked for your coworker or favorite celebrity may not work for you. Your surgeon will help advise you on what would work best for you personally.

3. You Can’t Go Too Big Too Fast

The whole point of a boob job is to finally get the large chest you’ve always wanted, right? Well, don’t get yourself too excited.

You can’t go up several cup sizes all at once because your body and skin will need time to heal and adjust. Drastically changing your chest size may take a lot of time and several surgeries. Instead, be prepared to only go up two sizes with your first surgery.

4. You May Need More Than One Surgery

Even if you feel pleased with a one or two cup size increase, you may still need future surgeries.

Many women end up getting another surgery. The reasons vary, but include implant leaks and wanting a larger chest. Changes in the body, such as pregnancy and weight loss may also cause you to want a follow-up surgery to better craft your breasts to suit your new body.

If you’re not sure you want more than one surgery, do some extra research. There are a lot of questions to ask about breast augmentation, so find a certified and experienced plastic surgeon to do your consultation.

5. You Might Get Back Problems

Have you ever heard some women with larger breasts complain about their back? Real and fake boobs can be very heavy and force your back to work overtime just to stand up straight.

Since fake boobs weight roughly the same as real boobs, expect that you may experience some back problems by enlarging your chest.

6. Go for a Teardrop Shape

When you think of fake boobs, you may be thinking of overly large and unnaturally round boobs. Traditional implants are what can give some boob jobs that unnatural round shape.

However, the goal of any plastic surgery is to look as natural as possible. With this in mind, new teardrop implants have been designed to more closely mimic the shape of natural breasts.

7. You’ll Need Special Clothing to Wear at First

Before you go in for your surgery make sure you’re prepared with the right clothing to wear afterward

Underwired bras cannot be worn for the first few months as it could impact the healing process. Instead, you’ll need a few special recovery bras to wear for the first month or two.

You’ll also need to get some loose-fitting clothing to stay comfortable while you’re recovering. If you want to look good while recovering – don’t worry! The basic t-shirt is a fashion statement and can be worn loose around the chest.

8. You Can Get Your Nipples Done Too

Is breast size not the only thing you’re unhappy with? Many women feel self-conscious about their nipple size as well – especially women who experienced nipple growth after pregnancy.

Nipple jobs can be done as a separate surgery, or they can be combined with a boob job to fix both at once.

9. Consider Going Natural

Are you only interested in adding a little extra volume to your breasts? If you have some stubborn pockets of fat, you may be able to kill two birds with one stone.

An autologous fat transfer can move fat from your tummy to your breasts, meaning you can enlarge your breasts using natural fat from your body. However, it can only increase your breasts so much. You may still need an implant to achieve the size you want.

10. Recovery Time is Fast

As with any surgery, you’ll need to plan to take some time off work while you recover from your boob job. However, the good news is that most women only need 5-7 days.

While you can go back to work within a week, you’ll still need to treat your new boobs with care for a while.

It can take as much as one month for all the swelling to disappear, so you’ll need to abstain from vigorous exercise during this time. You may even consider getting a body massage to relieve some extra tension.

11. Be Prepared to Lay Around During that Recovery Time

Just because the recovery time is quick, doesn’t mean it’ll be easy.

Your breasts will feel extremely sore, and you may spend some time groggy from pain medication. Before your surgery, make sure you get your home ready – clean your house, buy quick snacks, meal prep, and prepare your living room or bedroom for an all-week movie marathon.

Spend this time sleeping so you can get back on your feet when the week is up. If you have trouble sleeping, try some insomnia cures to make sure your body is getting the sleep it needs to heal.

12. You May Have Trouble Breastfeeding

If you plan on breastfeeding in the future, you should tell your surgeon about this during your consultation. Some breast augmentations involve an areola incision. With this type of incision, you’re risking that your gland and areola complex may become disconnected.

However, many women who get boob jobs don’t need an areola incision. So, you still may be able to get a boob job and breastfeed in the future.

13. You Might Lose Feeling in Your Nipples

Another possible downfall of getting fake boobs is a loss of feeling in your nipples.

There are a variety of things that could cause this even if you don’t get your nipples resized or an areola incision. If you have any concerns about this, you can ask your surgeon more about the risks and how they will try to avoid this outcome.

14. It May Affect Breast Cancer Screenings

While breast augmentations are very common, they aren’t for everyone. If you have a family history of breast cancer, you may want to abstain from a boob job. This is because they can hinder proper breast cancer screenings.

During a typical gynecologist visit, your doctor feels for lumps and bumps. However, an implant may make it harder to discern whether they are feeling an unusual lump or part of the implant. Implants can also stop the x-rays from getting a clear picture of the breast during mammograms.

This can be a concerning side effect for all women, regardless if there is a family history of breast cancer or not. Many women opt to place their implant behind their muscle. Doing this means the implant will be less likely to interfere with physical examinations and mammograms.

Of course, talking to your plastic surgeon is your best course of action to come up with the right plan for you.

15. Get Regular Checkups

Breast implants are designed to last a long time, but they don’t last forever. Both silicone and saline breast implants can rupture or leak which can cause serious damage if left untreated.

Some warning signs include breast pain, tenderness, or a change in your breast shape or size. However, not every woman has these symptoms. For this reason, you should consider scheduling regular checkups to ensure the implant stays intact.

MRIs are an effective way to see if there is any damage to the implant, plus they’re a great way to screen for breast cancer as well.

What to Know Before Getting a Boob Job

A boob job is the most common type of plastic surgery in the United States, but you shouldn’t go into it without giving the procedure some serious thought. Make sure you research the procedure, find a good plastic surgeon, and ask all your questions before committing to surgery.

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