Trish: Hey everyone, I’m here today on this beautiful warm sunny afternoon, I’m talking with Megan who is based in Western Australia. Now Megan has got a really interesting breast surgery story because she … Oh actually I’ll let her share it with you, but it’s one of those buyer beware kind of stories. So she’s had a bit of a journey with a couple of plastic surgery procedures. So Megan’s going to share all that with us today and ladies and guys out there having a listen, like really pay attention because this can just happen. You’ve just got to really do your research. So welcome Megan.
Megan: Hi, thanks for having me.
Trish: No, thanks for coming along, that’s great. I’m so excited. So yeah I had a chat with you earlier on so I kind of know what’s going on, but just tell us a bit about your story. So basically you had a plastic surgery procedure at a really young age?
Megan: Yeah so I had asymmetry of my breasts, I had one natural breast that grew nicely and the other that just chose not to. So I originally had surgery when I was 16 to correct it and then later on had to have it repeated; that implant ruptured but it was saline so it was not a big deal. I had to have it redone and that surgery sadly is something I rushed into without really doing my homework and was very unhappy with the results.
Trish: Yeah right.
Megan: So yeah.
Trish: So you had to have that surgery done, what to even things up?
Megan: Yeah, so I pretty much naturally, my left breast was about a size D at the time, whereas my right breast just never grew. It was probably a B cup at the absolute most. So I always had to pad that side of my bra, which you know as a young woman is pretty rubbish in all honesty. But yeah so after it ruptured, waited a bit of time, because I was actually a mum at the time, so it wasn’t my priority. Went to have it redone and went to see a surgeon who I’d been told was known in the industry as the boob man. That he was a fantastic plastic surgeon, that he introduced himself as the best plastic surgeon in Perth. So I thought, fantastic, this is the guy for me and I went along to see him.
Yeah so went to see him, yeah asked the questions as you do, told him my situation. Said, look I’ve got this ruptured implant in there, not 100% sure what size it is, I need it removed and replaced so I can have two nice breasts again, thank you. He said, yup no worries, I can do that, not a problem. I asked him a few questions about, being a bit naïve, a bit confused, asked him some questions. The difference between cosmetic versus a plastic surgeon, what’s the difference? What am I mean to be looking for? He just gave me the reassurance of look all you need to know is I’m a great plastic surgeon, which is what I wanted to hear at the time. So I booked it in and went with him.
Trish: Awesome, now I know for a fact that then you found out he actually wasn’t a plastic surgeon.
Megan: Indeed, he is yeah a cosmetic surgeon and I don’t know if I can say what his other specialty is, but it’s definitely not plastics. Yeah.
Trish: Yeah so, ‘Cause I know this happened a little while ago and I think it kind of may not happen as much these days as it did before. ‘Cause how many years ago was that Megan?
Megan: So that was actually almost 10 years ago.
Trish: Yeah, so hopefully it doesn’t happen as much these days but it’s one of those things how you’ve just got to look up the qualification yourself. Although when you had this done you may not have been able to look it up quite so easily.
Megan: No, and social media wasn’t such a big thing as it is now, which is why I’m more than happy … I tell everyone and that’s why I’m talking to you about it today because they don’t always tell you the truth. They tell you what you want to hear, which isn’t always what you need to hear sadly. But yeah, so ended up with quite a botched surgery with him. When I questioned him about it afterwards, all of my concerns were pushed aside. So it’s a bit of a shame really.
Trish: Yeah, totally. Well on the plus side now you’ve actually had repairs done. So tell us about your latest batch of surgery and how we kind of come across you?
Megan: Yeah alright, so the time had come to have that implant finally changed, finished having children, wanted to get both of my breasts looking nice, feeling good again. But this time I was not going to go into it as naively. I actually interviewed four different doctors, so I had my GP refer me to four different surgeons, which I had done as much research as I felt I could do on.
Trish: Awesome.
Megan: On the internet; …
Trish: I’ve got to say I loved that you interviewed them, I just love that, ’cause that’s what you’ve got to do isn’t it?
Megan: Yeah, and I actually made it pretty obvious, like I told them as well. I remember one particular surgeon who was very charming, talking to me as though when we do the surgery this is what we do. I just said, look I’ve just got to tell you I haven’t made my mind up, I’ve seen two surgeons, I’m seeing another one later on today so you know, don’t try and sell it to me. Or don’t try and talk to me as though this is a done deal. But yeah I think that kind of checked him a bit, made him realise his place.
Yeah but no, so I actually took a good friend along with me as well, ’cause I work in the health industry now and I took a good friend along with me who was a nurse, or is a nurse, on a plastics and reconstructive ward in a tertiary hospital here. So I sort of knew that she would know a little bit more what she was, the important things, that if I missed anything that maybe she would pick up on. So that was really nice having someone with me, but yeah so interviewed these four different surgeons and the last guy that I saw was the surgeon I went with. I was just so impressed with him, I kind of knew going into it just looking at what I’d found online about him, what I’d heard through colleagues and things about his work ethic and the way he treats people and his patients, but also the people he works with. I knew that he was a top contender, and then when I; …
Trish: We can mention his name too, by the way. He’s a bit of a rockstar.
Megan: Oh good, yes. Yeah Mark Hanikeri’s his name, absolutely fantastic guy.
Trish: Great, what did you have done? What did you actually have done with him? Like what were the procedures?
Megan: So in the end what I had done is I had the humongous implant removed from the right breast, and that had actually ruptured and caused quite a lot of damage to the existing breast tissue, so that had to wait for three months until I could have it re implanted. My left breast, which after breast feeding and what not had reached my belly button, so I had that one, what he called a self augmentation. So like a lift but then using the existing breast tissue, ’cause there was a fair bit of it, it was just in the wrong spot. Back into a nice rounded breast tissue shape, so basically a breast lift on the left, the ruptured implant removed on the right and then just in January I had that replaced. Just because I think he’s a bit of a perfectionist, Mark Hanikeri as am I, and really wanted the most out of it, we actually put a smaller implant on the left hand side as well just so that both breasts would have that similar shape. ‘Cause as you know breast implants it’s a different shape to a natural breast.
So yeah, so now I have these two great breasts that have just given me so much more confidence. I don’t think … He actually said this to me, I’ve probably never had two such great looking breasts my whole life, and it’s true.
Trish: Yeah, and so when … I know you’re saying he’s a great surgeon, so what was it about him that made it great? Tell us a bit of your journey, like so you booked in for surgery how long after?
Megan: So when I saw him, it was funny because I’d seen this … Another surgeon the same day but before lunch and he was very charming and very suave, told me everything I wanted to hear, but I knew deep down that what I wanted to hear wasn’t what I needed to hear. Then with Mark he was very honest with me, like ideally it would have been great if I could have had this done in one surgery, walk in with the breasts I was unhappy with, walk out with breasts that I was happy with. But he was just honest with me and explained the process and the risks involved. I just really appreciated that and even though I think at one point I turned to my friend and I was like, oh he’s being a bit mean. But mean’s not the right word, but he was just so brutally honest with me and it was exactly what I needed to hear. So I just knew straight away that I trusted his experience.
Trish: Yeah, oh see ’cause the others, the other guys said do it one procedure but you … But Dr Hanikeri said he’d rather do it in two procedures because?
Megan: Because to risk the blood supply to that nipple, you know to do it in one procedure he didn’t think that, that would actually … That I would risk losing that nipple, which would you know be a whole other process. Just the recovery and everything, his recommendation was to do it in two surgeries and he was the first surgeon to actually say that. But deep down it’s sort of what I already felt like that was the way to go.
Our recording with Megan unfortunately stopped here, however we have included pictures of before her surgery with Dr Mark Hanikeri (you can see the misshapen implant) and then the pictures after Megan’s first surgery, and then after her final surgery with Dr Hanikeri. Megan is thrilled with her results and we agree – you look fantastic Megan, and we hope your story is a warning to all the ladies (and gents) out there to make sure you’re choosing a fully qualified and experienced surgeon. If any of you would like more information about Megan’s story feel free to email me at [email protected].