Risky Business.

Everyone knows that going under the knife has risks (brain damage, stitches, blood clots), but for some reason, many of these risks are overlooked, perhaps because of cosmetic surgery’s increasingly light hearted portrayal in pop culture. Regina Spencer experienced one of these repercussions—blood clots—and posted her story on a message board:

I noticed my right breast began to swell quickly and the pain was increasing. I tried to touch my breast but it hurt too [much] …The [plastic surgeon] said it was definitely a massive hematoma and he had to do immediate surgery to evacuate it.

Patients also must be aware of surgery specific issues, which can vary, depending on the surgery, and may even appear months after the operation. Six months after Savvy Miss member Lisaebby got her breast lift, something changed (as she posted on a message board). “I noticed I was falling … Well, the sagging only got worse until I had no upper pole fullness at all and my breasts were very droopy—probably even lower than they were from before my first lift. I could feel most of the implants easily and when I lay down they went way out to my armpits.”