I have a large network of other women Plastic Surgeons, and we frequently converse online.  I put it out there that I was in the contemplation/planning phase for my breast augmentation, and inquired “who wants to do my surgery?!?”  EEK!  Exciting!  Several colleagues offered to be my Plastic Surgeon, but many of them were not local, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Unfortunately, I did not immediately trust anyone locally to be my surgeon.  It’s not that there aren’t proficient surgeons near me, but being a woman Plastic Surgeon who is very particular about the breast augmentation results she creates for her own patients, I knew I wanted a woman Plastic Surgeon.  I looked for someone with the same skill set, experience and aesthetic as me.  (Did you know that despite the majority of Plastic Surgery patients being female, that only 13-17% of Plastic Surgeons are women!?)

I decided on my surgeon at a professional Plastic Surgery conference.  This surgeon had not responded publically to me; instead, she pulled me aside in person at the meeting, and with confidence, told me her plan for my surgery – “not too big, natural result, proportional, not under the muscle, and you’re going to LOVE it.”.  SOLD!  🙂

I was one of the early adopters of the #ilooklikeasurgeon hashtag, helping it go viral in 2015

I have innate confidence in my abilities as a Plastic Surgeon and that comes across to my patients, so they tell me.  I know what I’m good at and I believe I can deliver the breast augmentation results they are going for, after getting to know them “head to toe, inside and out”.  See a day in the life of my practice in this video – did you know I have a YouTube channel?

My surgeon didn’t know me as intimately as I get to know my patients yet, but her surgical plan and confidence was exactly what I needed.  So I made the decision – Dr. Melinda Haws of Nashville Plastic Surgery was my surgeon!

We met formally after recording an education video session together about the science and safety of silicone breast implants at this meeting (very timely) and she conducted a formal physical examination.  Her recipe for my surgery perfectly matched what I would do for myself!  She reiterated the type of implant and volume she recommended (ditto to what I wanted), and that she wanted me to look natural and proportional to keep my slender, athletic frame.  YAY!  She was speaking my language, and I was thrilled and relieved.

Dr. Karen Horton with her Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Melinda Haws

Traveling for surgery isn’t always something I recommend to patients, but for a specific procedure (like DIEP flap or TUG flap microsurgical breast reconstruction), it can be appropriate.  Whenever my patients are planning surgery, and especially if they are traveling for their procedure, I recommend they have a “buddy” who can travel with them and be their helper.  I was honored that my Patient Coordinator and friend Mary Pasache agreed to be my helper for my surgery!

I don’t take myself too seriously, and was so excited to find my surgeon!

It took nearly a year after my surgical consultation to find a time when I could take a week off work, I was willing to take several weeks off exercise (I exercise EVERY day), and when I felt comfortable leaving my family to have a surgical procedure myself.  I didn’t feel a ton of “mommy guilt” – that I warn most Moms about when they are planning a Mommy Makeover procedure – as I had the full support of my husband, I was open with my daughters about having surgery, and I even shared my plan with several patients.

Once we picked the date, cleared my surgery schedule for a week, booked flights and a hotel, it became real…

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