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*Disclaimer – There is no guarantee of specific results and results can vary from patient to patient. Our team of consultant plastic surgeons will ensure you are in safe hands and discuss your results at your consultation.
A recent survey carried out by the Avoca Clinic in Co. Wicklow, has revealed the reasons why women opt for breast surgery and the massive impact it has on their lives thereafter.
It their responses, the women revealed:
- when and why they decided to undergo surgery
- their feelings on body confidence and self-esteem
- their struggles with partner intimacy
- the reaction of others to their decision
- post-surgery emotions and toast!
Why Do Women Decide To Have A Breast Augmentation?
A lack of body confidence and low self-esteem appear to be the critical factors for people exploring their breast surgery options. Most of the women surveyed started to become self-conscious about their breasts from quite a young age. On average, most women decided that they wanted to have breast surgery by the time they reached 18 years old.
When asked what three words they would use to describe their pre-surgery selves, “self-conscious”, “flat” and “embarrassed” were the three most common responses. Worryingly, some women also described themselves as “ugly” and “freakish” and “masculine”.
When it came to describing their pre-surgery body confidence, 54% of respondents said it was “fairly low” or “extremely low”. Nearly 30% of respondents defined their confidence as “just ok”.
Body Confidence and the Strain on Relationships
The impact that a lack of body-confidence can have on a person’s well-being can’t be overstated. This includes the impact on their most important relationships. 67% of the women surveyed said that their lack of body confidence had negatively affected their personal relationships.
“Intimacy with my partner was greatly affected because I was so embarrassed to be bra-less.”
While 39% of women reported being “fairly unhappy” or “very unhappy” with their physical appearance when fully-dressed pre-surgery, this shot up to 68% when asked how they felt when undressed.
Confidence Post-Surgery
The survey results reveal that the turnaround in body confidence and self-esteem following breast augmentation is incredible. When asked to describe themselves using three words, the most popular responses were “confident”, “happy” and “sexy” a stark contrast to pre-surgery answers such as “self-conscious”, “embarrassed” and “masculine”.
An amazing 92% rated their body confidence as “fairly high” or “very high” since having breast surgery. 80% of patients said they felt more confident in themselves and better in their clothes, and 75% report feeling sexier post-surgery.
All this new-found confidence is bound to lead to some retail therapy. Our respondents said they couldn’t wait to show-off their new shape in sexy lingerie, low-cut tops and party dresses. Others were excited to go bra-less.
Biggest Supporter
Unlike in days gone by, today’s patients are perfectly happy to share their life-changing decision with their friends and family and in-turn, benefit from their support throughout their journey.
90% of women tell friends and family (3 – 7 people) in advance of having their surgery and not a single respondent received any kind of negative reaction. 89% received “completely positive” or “mostly positive reactions” and 11% received an indifferent response. It seems that a decision like this is now seen as a positive step of self-empowerment or as no big deal, rather than in any negative context.
When asked, who their biggest supporters were throughout their Avoca experience, it was mothers and partners who featured the most – you can always count on your two biggest allies no matter what.
The Avoca Experience
The quality of aftercare proved to be of great importance to women undergoing these procedures.
“When I awoke from my surgery, I was still very groggy and out of sorts, my nurse said I could leave once I had tea and toast and I cried because I didn’t want toast (mortified) so she went and got a yogurt from her own lunch box and gave it to me, how sweet?!”
I Did It For Me
And finally, when asked, “What would be your one piece of advice for anyone thinking about having your surgery?” the dominant theme was “do it for you”.
One woman responded that she underwent breast surgery, “For myself, not society, my partner or any other factors, just for me”, while another said, “Don’t do it because someone is telling you to, do it just for you”. We couldn’t agree more.
Want to find out more about the different breast surgeries available at the Avoca Clinic?
Check out our guide here or contact us on 012014563 or via the contact form on this page.
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