Consultation with the Lady at the airport –  What you should know about Breast lift

The other day as I sat in one of the Airport restaurants, flipping through a magazine while I waited for my flight to Abuja, I noticed a lady sitting adjacent to me flipping through her phone and stealing glances at me.

After few minutes, she looked up from her phone and blurted out

“Dr Laser?” before I could reply, she went on to say…” of Grandville…? The plastic surgeon?”

Oh boy, I knew there was no escaping on this one. I had no choice but to answer in the affirmative

“yesss”

“oh my God! Oh my God! I’m finally meeting with you, I follow you on Instagram” while she dramatized I silently hoped she would simply just say hi and go her merry way leaving me to enjoy my peace and quiet. Well that did not happen as I watched her change her seat to sit right next to me.

“eh ehn!” she said with an air of triumph “now that I have met you in person, my prayers have been answered today”.  She opened her phone and show me the image of a model “ Dr Laser, I want this  body! …..and by the way, my name is Sope…so how do I get this body, these boobs in particular?”

Oh no, I thought, not here and not now, I was tired having done 3 surgeries back to back in our Lekki Clinic, I needed some time alone. I thought of a way to discharge her. So as nice as I could muster, I told her she needed to come in for consultation in any of our clinics, I couldn’t consult with her here in public.

“oh, ok but can you at least answer some questions”

“well…I guess so” I said, hoping that after a few questions, she would leave me alone.

“So Dr. as I was saying, I’d like to get a boob job. I want it tight and firm again like I was some 16 year old. Besides…I saw a chart on your IG page that showed about 59 people had the procedure done on them in 2018 so I really want to add to that statistics this year. Oya tell me what does a boob job entail”

“well a mastopexy…”

“A what…?”

At this point, I knew there was no way I could shake this lady off. I resigned myself to giving her the full lecture she wanted.

“A Mas-to-pexy, popularly known as Breast lift or Augmentation or a boob job as you like to call it, is aimed at restoring the breast to its youthful look and shape and the nipple-areolar complex to a youthful position. It may involve the removal of excess skin and in some cases breast tissue; with tightening of the surrounding tissue to reshape the breast and reposition the nipple. In some patients, an implant may be required”

“hmm! So after I’m done with the procedure, my breast is going to be tight and firm like a teenager?”

“ hahaha more or less, yes”

“I really want this procedure done on me and I’ve done a lot of reading up. So what technique are you going to use on me, the donut, the crescent lift, the lollipop lift or the…?”

I laughed “you’ve indeed done some reading up. I prefer to use the lollipop lift on my patients. It is a much more neater procedure but other methods could be used depending on the degree of ptosis, that’s sagginess of the breast.  By using the lollipop technique, a straight-line will be made from the base of the nipple down the lower border of the breast. The scar would gradually fade with time (months) but in some cases it doesn’t.”

“So how do you decide the amount of tissue that should be taken out of the breast ”

“Prior to the procedure, markings are made on the breast to identify specific areas that need to be removed and a new nipple position is recreated. A breast lift can be achieved by either reducing the breast size (which requires taking out some breast tissue) or just doing a skin lift in cases where the patient does not have enough breast tissue”

“what happens if the breast does not have enough tissue?”

“A breast implants can be used to augment the breast lift in the same sitting if the breast does not have enough breast tissue”

“hmm…ok oya I’m ready to do the procedure at your hospital, how do I go about it? What are the steps?”

“First you need to book an appointment for consultation….” I rolled my eyes. “even though I’m already giving you a free consultation at the moment…then you need to do some blood test”

“Do I really need to do a blood test before this surgery?”

“Yep, a mandatory blood work is done to certify you medically fit for surgery. However, any other pre-existing medical condition should be indicated and would be further investigated by our team.”

“Ha! So if I’m not medically fit nko, what happens?”

“Nothing happens….there will be no procedure done on you”

“ha nawa o…even though I really need the procedure?”

“aunty, your needs are not as important as your life. We in Grandville don’t risk people’s life. And yes, you would also be required to fast for at least 6hrs before the procedure”.

“ah ahn so  I have to fast again?”

“yes fasting is a precaution required for the general anesthesia to eliminate the risk of releasing your stomach contents during surgery”

“hmm”

“You would also need to sign a consent form and your witness will be required to co-sign”

“oookay, so how does the procedure work?”

I checked my time, the flight was getting late as usually. They were about 15 minutes late. I guess I had some more time on my hands.

“This procedure is usually done under general anaesthesia after proper evaluation by our in-house consultant anaesthetist. You will be put to sleep while your heart rate and oxygen saturation is monitored on the anaesthetic machine and other monitors attached.

After the procedure, there would be close monitoring of the patient in recovery room before possible discharge after assessment by our team.”

“How long do I have to spend in the hospital before full recovery, I need to go back to work as soon as possible. I’ll be given only few days off”

“Healing for the average breast lift is about 2 weeks but might be longer. You would be able to go to work after dressing is done on the breast and the patient is required to be at the clinic 4 days after discharge for change of dressing, evaluation and patient feedback (this includes any complaints or challenges post-op). but healing for the average breast lift is about 2 weeks but might be longer”

“Would I be required to visit the hospital for follow ups or….”

“Of course, you would be required to visits on day 4 and day 14 but there could be more appointments if deemed necessary. Drugs will also be given to you to take home drugs would be given for pain and to aid recovery”

She heaved heavily and said “Now! The big question…as much as I want this procedure, I want to know if there are any side effect of this procedure?”

“Well…There could be loss of nipple sensation in a few cases, though very few of our patients have complained about this. The sensation is usually regained in a few weeks-months during healing.”

“is that the only side effect…if that’s the only possible side effect, no wahala as long as I have the perfect boobs…heeeeeeey” she jiggled her boobs aggressively. I had to quickly look around to ensure no one was watching. This lady was attracting unnecessary attention and embarrassing me

“aunty wait….this may not be a perfect procedure however, we in Grandville will give you our very best”

“eh ehn…” she touched her breast softly

“yes…It is also important to know that the breasts are not perfectly symmetrical on almost everyone and we cannot promise complete symmetry.”

“hmm…hmm…” she placed her finger on her chin and seemed lost in thought.

“So…having second thoughts about the procedure…? For someone looking for a very perfect boob, I knew my last statement must have hit a nerve.

“No not really….it’s just that…”

Just then, the guy who was watching out for my flight signalled to me that my flight number has been called “ok! That’s my flight, I gotta go. I gave her my card. Call me Sope when you are ready for the procedure”

I picked my small duffel bag and sprinted towards the departure. As much as I tried to avoid her I enjoyed my conversation with her and was glad that I was able to give her as much information as I could in that short time. I look back and saw her flipping through those pictures on her phones again. I shook my head and laughed wondering if I was ever going to see her again. What a funny character.

NB: to everyone who might be interested in this procedure in our hospital

i) You are required to pay 100% of your total fee before a date is confirmed.

ii) Kindly refer to our cancellation policy if you must cancel for terms and conditions.

iii) We usually take a before and after picture for medico-legal reasons and in some cases, they could be published on our website to create awareness about what we do. However, be rest assured that your face, birthmarks or tattoos will be covered. If you are uncomfortable with this, kindly indicate.

iiii) You are advised to acquire and use recommended support garments as this is important during the recovery process.

1. Do not drive or lift heavy things in the first few weeks of this procedure.
2. A sponge bath is not advised during this first few weeks to avoid wetting the breasts.

vii) You can always call the hospital line or come to the clinic before or after your follow up appointments.

Some complications include: Infection, bleeding, hematoma formation, poor healing of incisions, nipple loss, scarring, over ridding nipple, change in nipple or breast sensation which may be temporary or permanent.

The above complications can be easily managed in the clinic if they arise.

Watch out next week for my next experience.

Grandville Medical and Laser

Where Health meets Beauty