Bethany always loved the way she felt in her own body—confident, feminine, and empowered. But after having her first child, she considered cosmetic surgery for the first time. Pregnancy had taken its toll, leaving Bethany feeling self-conscious about her figure:

“Prior to having a baby, I would have never considered changing anything on my body, but in life there are unpredictable changes that happen to our bodies that can make us feel as though we have lost a part of ourselves.”

Fighting fires takes courage and skill, and impressive physical fitness. So when firefighter Angel was blessed with a beautiful set of twins, she admits to being discouraged to find pregnancy had really “done a number” on her body. Confident in her role as a firefighter (and now a mom!), Angel decided to reclaim her figure and regain her fitness. A friend recommended she come to La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre to discuss a tummy tuck and liposuction with Dr. Brahme. From the moment she finished her consultation, Angel knew she had found the right doctor to help her achieve her goals.

Do you remember your teenage years and all those insecurities? Being a teenager is difficult enough as it is—now imagine if your body develops unevenly. LJCSC patient Brittany had to cope with all of that at once.

At about age 15, Brittany noticed a significant difference in the development of her breasts. She began to research her options for breast augmentation surgery as a way to even up the size of her breasts.

Although she was bothered by the contrast in her breast sizes, Brittany was apprehensive about a surgical procedure. She also recalls, “Because I was an athlete, there never seemed to be a good time to have it done.” Despite her concerns, Brittany eventually decided to pursue her breast surgery.

Self-transformation takes confidence and courage. Many people know they want to look better, yet hesitate when it comes to plastic surgery.

But if you ask LJCSC patient Bette what she recommends, she’ll tell you: “Don’t walk—run … and get it done!”

Initially, Bette wasn’t sure it was time to have surgery. She still had personal weight loss goals, and she was worried she might have to lose the weight before having a neck lift. She decided to come in for a complimentary personal consultation with Dr. Michael Roark about the sagging skin on her neck.

Mary is a nurse who chose La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Center for her procedures. It’s always a compliment whenever nurses or even doctors choose our practice—as they often do—because it shows that they recognize our dedication to quality patient care and proactive communication.

Mary’s story is about losing weight to regain her self-confidence. As a nurse, Mary knew the significant health benefits of losing weight, but, as she said, “It’s a very long, hard road to lose over a hundred pounds, especially the old-fashioned way.”

There are many motivations for considering cosmetic surgery. For Audrey, it was recovering after the loss of her husband. She also moved to San Diego to be closer to her son.

As Audrey dealt with her husband’s death and her relocation, her appearance changed. Looking in the mirror, she noticed her eyes were “so tired and wrinkled”. She decided she wanted her former confidence back.

Audrey called LJCSC asking to see Dr. Johan Brahme about an eyelid lift and a tummy tuck, too, “From there, I made what I truly believe was the best choice I’ve ever made”. Audrey felt confident and “excited” when she left the Centre. She knew she’d selected a great surgeon who really listened to her.

Living in the California desert has its perks. Pool season lasts for 9 months. Unfortunately, for some, pool season can be anything but fabulous. LJCSC patient Lisa recalls her “exhausting” battle to keep covered up… when she preferred to be basking in the sun.

Giving birth to two children within 15 months of each other changed Lisa’s shape. She recalls “living in a sports bra 24/7” and feeling out of place at the pool. Her biggest challenge was the significant transformation in the shape and size of her breasts, causing her to “feel self-conscious and embarrassed.” She finally decided to do something about it.

Susie had wanted cosmetic facial surgery for a number of years. “My mirror was no longer a friend of mine,” Susie said. “I didn’t like looking at loose skin, especially under my chin. Also, I have lots of energy and I didn’t want to continue to look older than I felt.”

Her son was getting married. What mother of the groom doesn’t want to look better in pictures? After making the decision to explore her options for looking younger, Susie’s challenge was that many things were going on in her life all at the same time. There was a vacation, a new grandson, quitting her job to be the “Granny Nanny” for him, and time to heal before the wedding.

Mothers and daughters have always shared a special bond. It’s as much about family dynamics and handed-down recipes as it is about shared experiences and perspectives. For Kelly and her mom Becky, that bond grew recently to include the choice of plastic surgery..

Kelly wanted a breast augmentation, and Becky decided to finally get the facelift she’d been thinking about.

Ginny had a facelift ten years ago. She enjoyed her more youthful look for many years, but time and gravity took their toll. She wanted a “refresher” but her doctor had retired. As luck would have it, she ran into her surgeon, Dr. Merrel Olesen, at a duplicate bridge game. Ginny immediately asked Dr. Olesen what to do. He agreed that she was ready for a touch-up and recommended her return to LJCSC.

Kieu, married, and the mother of one son, fits the “Mommy Makeover” profile perfectly. She had excess skin on her tummy that no amount of working out could fix, “I exercise regularly and stay on top of my fitness, but I just couldn’t get rid of the loose skin.”

After thinking about surgery for almost five years, she decided to act. “I said, Why pay trainers? Why not use the money toward surgery?” Kieu’s “someday” thoughts turned into action, “It was time for me to look GOOD and feel comfortable in my own skin again. I wanted my old body back and to feel good in a bikini again.”

South Africa-born Susan’s life is never dull. While maintaining a web design business and sailing on the competitive circuit, she is also a single mom. In the last 15 years of living in the U.S., Susan has developed a passion for sailing. She has done everything from LEMWOD to Newport to Ensenada (twice!) in the Long Beach Yacht club, an all-women’s match race on the Catalina 37s.

Susan promised she would have cosmetic surgery done before her fiftieth birthday. When the time came, she kept her promise and decided on a facelift and breast augmentation. Choosing the right surgeon was of utmost importance to her.

Patients often do not consider their family’s medical history when considering breast augmentation. They are often focused on choosing a plastic surgeon, when to schedule the surgery, and how long the healing process will take. However for La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre patient, Joanne, her family history with breast cancer could have a huge impact on her decision to undergo breast augmentation surgery – little did Joanne know where her journey would take her.

Joanne’s search for a board certified surgeon began as many other searches begin, by turning to her family and friends. Her sister advised her to consult a friend who was a La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery employee. Despite a referral from a trusted family friend, Joanne began doing her own research.

Although Taunya leads a very busy life, she always tries to find a little time each day to exercise. Her three children, two boys and one girl ranging in ages from 2½ to 7 years old, all have one thing in common—they were very large babies. “My first two children were 9.5 and 10 lbs. My third child had to be delivered by caesarean two weeks early because of how big my babies grew, and he was already 8 lbs.” The children brighten Taunya’s life in so many ways, but carrying such large babies wreaked havoc on her fit body. “The skin just kept stretching with each pregnancy, and no matter how much I worked out, it never bounced back.”

La Jolla Breast Augmentation patient Kerilyn bubbles over with enthusiasm when asked her she feels about her cosmetic surgery procedure at La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre. You may find it hard to believe that someone could be so excited about breast augmentation surgery until you read Kerilyn’s story.

The youngest of family of petite woman with small chests, Kerilyn decided to have surgery to enhance her breasts.

Before her big move to San Diego, Jaclyn lived in New Jersey her entire life. As she matured, she noticed she had developed differently than any of the other girls she knew. “I don’t know if it is just the way I was built, but I have had sagging breasts from the time I began to develop.” A few things can cause breasts to lose shape, but Jaclyn experienced none of them.

“I never thought I would have plastic surgery. It’s not that I’m opposed to it, I just always felt comfortable with my body the way it was.” Tara’s felt that way for most of her life. She liked the way her smaller breasts complimented her petite body, even when all her friends were having their breasts augmented. However, when Tara and her friend began an intense exercise regimen, her body changed in an unexpected way. “It was like my breasts started to deflate. It happened so quickly that it was really shocking.” Suddenly, her bras and clothes no longer fit her well.

Wendy never had a strong feeling either way about plastic surgery until one night she was watching a movie with her husband and became interested in breast augmentation. Ultimately, she was happy with her body, but felt it could be more balanced. After speaking to her husband about the operation, he was against it, so she let the idea drop.

Years went by and Wendy was starting over after a divorce, and her thoughts for a breast enhancement returned. “It was something that I had given a lot of thought to, but I finally reached a point where I was ready to stop just thinking about it, and take action.”

Turning 21 is our second step into adulthood. For Larissa, it was a chance to fulfill a dream she had since she was in high school. Like most girls, she went through an awkward stage. She looked to her mother, who had raised her since her father had passed away when she was young, for advice and was confident that she would fill out over time.

“My mom had developed very early in life, when she was 13 years old, so I just figured I would catch up and my breasts would grow.” Larissa was always active as a teenager. She appeared confident on the outside, but was struggling with the fact that her breasts had yet to develop.

Having a patient who puts time and effort into researching cosmetic surgery and physicians who perform the surgeries is music to our ears! La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre is proud of our team of board certified plastic surgeons as well as our AAAASF certified surgical suite, which are all important items to be researched before deciding on plastic surgery.

All of these things are exactly what brought Paula into our offices. “I had been curious about having breast augmentation for years. But when I finally got serious about it, I spent about six months finding out everything I could about the procedure and prospective surgeons.”

Heidi began gaining weight when she was 10 years old. Twenty years and two toddlers later, she decided to do something about it. “Something began to change for me after my daughter was born. Here I was, the mother of two beautiful children, and too heavy and out of shape to keep up with them. Even worse was the fear of not knowing if I would be around to watch them grow up. I decided enough was enough and in December of 2007, I began using walking videos and exercising.”

Getting a breast augmentation for Brittni wasn’t about wanting to increase her breast size, it was about getting her feminine shape she always wanted. “I had the type of body that matured very early. By the time I was in my early twenties, my breasts had already changed shape and I didn’t like what I was seeing.” Now facing what women typically face after children or later in life, Brittni’s breast were less than perky.

From the time Judith was a teenager, she was unhappy with her body. She felt she had a boyish figure, being thin with a small chest. “As I grew up, I never felt like I had a woman’s body and it bothered me all the time. I spent a lot of time trying to hide my body with loose clothing and padded bras and even found it hard to look at myself in the mirror.”

Four years ago, Beth went on a journey to rediscover herself and her body. She began with gastic bypass surgery that led to an amazing 130 pound weight loss. Along with the great accomplishment, Beth also experienced excess skin that most patients with dramatic weight loss experience, which also led to sagging breasts.

Her next step on her journey led her to a breast lift (mastopexy). “I asked friends for recommendations and turned to the Internet to research everything I could about breast lifts. I repeatedly kept coming across La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre in my searches.” After researching information, before and after images and doctors, Beth decided to visit Dr. Lori Saltz, the Centre’s Medical Director.

If Suzanne’s friends and family were to vote someone “least likely to have cosmetic surgery,” she would have been the winner. Never much into primping or giving attention to her appearance, one day Suzanne hit a turning point.

“I would have to say that there comes a moment when you catch a glance of yourself in the mirror and think, who is that old woman?,” she states as she recalls her father affectionately calling her mother “the lion” because of her wrinkles and loose skin.

Is there a “right age” to begin having plastic surgery? That’s something 26-year-old Jessie always wondered. Spending most of her youth and young adulthood playing sports, Jessie described herself as having a body that never made her feel very feminine. “I had this strong, athletic build combined with a very flat chest. I hated that.” Jessie recalls being in high school and imagining one day she would have a breast augmentation to make herself feel better about her body.

Christy knows what a struggle it is to lose weight. In 8th grade, just when life is beginning to throw so many challenges at you, she weighed 225 pounds and wore a size 22. “I’m a southern girl from Alabama and grew up loving food. When I was a teenager, I moved in with my grandparents and started to become aware of how unhealthy my weight was. My grandmother sent me to nutrition classes and I lost some weight.”

There seems to be a point when the face or body in the mirror feels out of sync with inner feelings or desires. Julie remembers experiencing those exact emotions. “I’m realistic. I wasn’t wanting to look 20 years younger, but I knew that my face wasn’t representing the real me.”

Like many patients, several years after her first laser procedure, Julie decided that tightening the skin on her face would enhance her appearance. She didn’t have to go far to find the perfect plastic surgeon for her surgery. Julie consulted with LJCSC’s board certified plastic surgeons.

This year, Kim became the bride she had always dreamed of being. While her mother discouraged her from revealing too much cleavage in her gown, Kim was determined to pick a dress that accentuated her newly shaped body. Just two years ago, Kim was so self-conscious of having small breasts that she avoided clothes that drew any attention to her chest. This became extremely difficult when her lifestyle with her boyfriend involved regular trips to the river, desert, and formal events. “I was either in a bathing suit or a formal gown, neither of which I felt comfortable being in.” Coming from a family of females with large breasts, Kim just assumed they would one day grow.

When it comes to plastic surgery, almost every patient has a different story and motivation for deciding when the time is right. For Carla, a mother of five, ranging in ages from 14 to 26 years, she had many reasons. “I think having plastic surgery was always in the back of my mind, but being able to justify spending that money on myself was difficult.” Never one to really lack self-confidence, Carla says two life-changing moments made her change the way she felt about her body. “About 20 years ago I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. The way they performed the surgery left me with this big fold of skin on my stomach that never went away.” Years later, a lumpectomy was performed on one of her breasts, leaving her feeling lopsided. “Luckily the lesion was benign but because they took so much breast tissue, I could never get clothes to fit right.” A recommendation from a friend led her to Dr. Lori Saltz, a board certified plastic surgeon and Medical Director at La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre.

When Allyn decided it was time to get in shape, she didn’t take it lightly. “I worked out all the time and was loving it but there were areas of my body that just didn’t change.” That’s when she decided to get a helping hand through cosmetic surgery. As a forensic crime scene scientist, Allyn does meticulous research, and approached finding the right plastic surgeon in the same manner. “I had already seen two other plastic surgeons and Dr. Brahme was my third consultation… and the third time was the charm.” Dr. Johan E. Brahme, a board certified plastic surgeon, was exactly who Allyn had been hoping to find. “He was so knowledgeable and confident, yet so personable. He validated what I was feeling and showed me how he could help me accomplish my goals.” In addition to Dr. Brahme, Allyn recalls that the LJCSC staff was warm and welcoming. Since many team members have personally undergone procedures, they shared their experiences with Allyn, which she said made such a difference. Allyn had her first surgery, a tummy tuck, with Dr. Brahme in the summer of 2008 and was thrilled with the results.

Jordan, 31 years old, was born and raised in San Diego. She is happily married with 3 children. She made the decision to have plastic surgery because she had a lot of excess skin after her last daughter from breastfeeding.

In Jordan’s spare time, she enjoys going to the river and spending time with her friends and family.

“I spend my summers at the river. I am more confident—now I don’t have to spend months looking for a bikini top to make me look decent.”

Kathryn, 18 years old, has lived in San Diego most of her life. She enjoys being out in the sun, singing, dancing, and shopping. She chose to have a breast augmentation to even out her body proportions and to make her breasts more symmetrical.

“I have numerous friends who have had surgery at LJCSC, and I loved their results and their comments regarding their experience they had at LJCSC. It has made me feel more comfortable in and out of clothes, my self-esteem has gone up, and has given me the confidence most teens lack now-a-days in our society to love my body.”

Shannon, 27 years old, currently resides in Newport Beach. She spends her free time socializing or working out. Shannon had several friends who had their surgery at LJCSC, so she felt confident in her choice.

“Dr. Brahme is amazing and so is the whole staff. I love it. Everything turned out great and I want more!”

Meet Shannon’s doctor, Board Certified San Diego Plastic Surgeon Dr. Brahme

Lauren, 66 years old, lived in Los Angeles for several years of her adult life. She owned her very own hair salon for over 25 years and then moved to San Diego to retire and be near her two children. She enjoys watching movies, reading, and going to the beach—especially to catch the sunsets. Lauren was referred to LJCSC by a friend when she decided to have plastic surgery.

“My neck was always an eyesore for me. I always felt younger than my age.”

When asked how her surgery has improved her life, Lauren replied, “Tremendously.”