Sarah Nowak's breast augmentation: she told the whole story herself

As the medical portal myBody.de summarised in March 2017, she had decided on the operation as a teenager: at seventeen she was already saving her full-time salary for it, and shortly after her eighteenth birthday she had her first breast augmentation — at a cut-price provider, for 3,400 euros "all inclusive", with round soft implants of 360 ml.

The result disappointed her, and she described it without glossing over: the implant “wuchs nie richtig ein” — never really settled — sat too loosely and caused pain, visible ripples showed around the implant, and the implants were too narrow for her frame. About her breast in that phase she said: “Ich hatte dann einen kleinen Busen, wie wenn man einen Luftballon aufbläst und die Luft rauslässt” — like a balloon with the air let out. Six years after the first operation she had a corrective procedure: the old implants came out and new, larger ones of 560 ml went in, chosen to fit her proportions. Her conclusion, addressed to others: see a real expert from the start and be ready to invest more — a correction costs more than doing it right the first time.

That is what this article relies on: her own account of her operations. The surgeon of the correction was named in her story, but clinic and doctor names are not repeated here, because the point is her experience, not an advertisement. The exact years of the two operations are not named in the report, so they are not guessed here. What follows describes breast augmentation in general.

A corrective operation is more difficult than a first one — the tissue has already been worked on — and it usually costs more than the saving that made the bargain attractive.

The second lesson is age and stability. She had her first augmentation just after turning eighteen — the legal minimum, but the body keeps developing through the early twenties, and a decision made at eighteen with teenage savings pressure is a decision made fast. Today surgeons emphasise that a breast augmentation should happen when the weight is stable, expectations are realistic and the choice of implant is made for the patient's own anatomy — not for a price list.

The right combination is chosen at the consultation, not from a price list.

• Bring your medical history, including previous operations and the medicines you take; the surgeon decides which tests are needed.
• Stop certain medicines in time: aspirin-containing drugs and some hormonal medicines 1–2 weeks before surgery, oral contraceptives at least a month before.
• After pregnancy, wait at least 6–12 months and until breastfeeding has ended.

Compression garments are worn for 4–6 weeks; swimming and fitness usually return then, strength training after about three months. Implants typically last 10–15 years, after which replacement or another correction is discussed. The timeline below shows the usual stages.

The price is $4,700 and covers result modelling, anaesthesia, the inpatient stay with meals, dressings and check-ups for a full year. More details are on the breast augmentation page and the page for patients from Berlin.

To be clear: City Medical Centre has no connection with Sarah Nowak or her treatment. Her words are quoted here only because she chose to speak about her operations openly.