An Extraordinary Life by Design
In some ways, Patty is not a typical plastic surgery patient. For one thing, she let herself be influenced by what others might think for three years before getting serious about breast implant surgery. But after finally deciding to put her figure in the hands of Dr. Grant Stevens, Patty now says she’s living “an extraordinary life by design.”
Patty’s Community
Although she had been unhappy with her breasts for what seemed like forever, Patty was hesitant to explore breast augmentation. She comes from a tightly-knit Hispanic community, and many people she knows do not yet feel very accepting about plastic surgery. At the same time, because relationships between family and friends are central to community life, Patty says people tend to talk about others. She worried about being judged. “I let my belief system stop me,” she says. “It went on for about three years.”
Family Matters
Patty is also unusual in that, at age 29, she’s the mom of a 13 year old. “Yes,” she says, “I had my son at a young age!” When her son was born, Patty says she really wasn’t finished developing herself. She feels the pregnancy impacted her body even more than it would have if she had been older. She says all her sisters are well-endowed, “and I believe I would have had the same.” Instead, Patty had size B breasts that were already saggy before she left her teens behind.
“Through time, I started noticing different women and how sexy they looked,” she recalls. “I was so self conscious about my bras and bikinis.” Patty had a girlfriend who had gummy bear breast implant surgery with Dr. Stevens and Patty loved the way her friend looked. She wanted to find out more about surgery for herself, but was especially concerned about what her family would think. Her mom advised her, “Do what makes you happy.”
Choosing Her Surgeon
Even though she was already leaning toward working with Dr. Stevens, Patty says, “Of course I did my homework first.” She knew Dr. Stevens had a reputation as a top surgeon, but she spent a lot of time on his website. She looked at the before and after photos and learned more about his experience. Then she arranged her consultation and took her girlfriend with her.
“I was really nervous,” Patty recalls. She was first welcomed by Charlie Sheridan, the practice director, then met with Dr. Stevens. Patty remembers, “He had a very professional manner. He made it comfortable to open up.”
The Big Decision
Patty says she went to the consultation convinced that she should be a small C after surgery. “A key factor was I didn’t want to stand out too much in the Hispanic community,” she says. Plus, she “Didn’t want the porn star boob job.” She laughs, “This is LA! We already get judged enough!”
But Patty kept thinking about her girlfriend’s great looking size D breasts. And the more Patty talked with Dr. Stevens, the more Patty says “she got really excited and something shifted.” She started wondering aloud what it would be like to go bigger. Dr. Stevens told her she could also be a size D and look natural with gummy bear breast implants. Patty remembers she thought to herself, “I’m going to trust him to do his job. He wouldn’t tell me it’s ok to go big if it wasn’t.”
The implants Dr. Stevens ultimately chose for Patty were 525cc. Her procedure was scheduled for Valentine’s Day, a Thursday.
“The Girls”
Patty recalls that her procedure was uneventful. She experienced some discomfort after surgery and it was challenging to have to sleep partly upright. Nevertheless, after minimal pain medication and rest, Patty was back to work on Monday. “I’ve always been a strong woman and I didn’t want to stay in bed,” she says. She had some bruising that took a while to disappear, she remembers, and there was a period of adjustment getting used to “the girls.” But now, she says, her life has completely changed for the better.
Patty explains that the change she has experienced is much more than just physical. She says she does feel more beautiful and more confident, but beyond that she’s ready to live the life she wants rather than do what others might think she should do. “I was ready to live an extraordinary life by design,” as she puts it.
Relationship, Career, Life
She had been engaged at the time of her gummy bear breast implant surgery, Patty says, but no longer. She says she’s in a different relationship now, a very happy one. “My biggest admirer is my man. He loves how I look and makes me feel comfortable in my body. He makes it easy to feel like me.”
Patty also attributes advances in her career in real estate to her newfound self confidence. “My mindset is different; I feel like I can do anything,” she says.
Did her community react to Patty’s surgery the way she had feared? Some people did talk, she remembers, but Patty no longer cares very much. “My supporters are still here,” she says. Most important, Patty says, “I couldn’t be happier, and I attract happy people to me.”
Patty can’t say enough about Dr. Stevens. “In a nutshell, wonderful,” is the way she describes him. “He’s amazing. He’s the most down to earth person you could meet.” Patty appreciates the way he listened to her and walked her through her thought process, and she’s glad she trusted his advice. Though her breasts are large, she says the compliments she gets are for their natural appearance.
Having gone from being hesitant to explore the idea of breast implants to now being proud of her size D “girls,” Patty says, “The only thing I can tell people is to stop worrying about what everyone else thinks and think about your life. Think about living an extraordinary life.”