Following a major life change, like the end of a marriage, women may find themselves ready to take their own needs into account. Enter the divorce augmentation, where recently divorced women seek breast augmentation as a means to prioritize themselves, meet their own goals and maybe even show off what their ex has lost. There are particular considerations in a divorce augmentation that may differ from a typical breast implant process, including the consultation and the recovery. This is everything you need to know before getting a divorce augmentation.
Featured Experts
- Daniel A. Hatef, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Nashville.
- George Sanders, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Encino, CA.
- Jeffrey Antimarino, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Pittsburgh.
- Henry Mentz, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Houston.
- Larry H. Pollack, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in San Diego.
The Divorce Augmentation Is a Chance to Start Over
Divorce isn’t just a major life change, it’s also an opportunity. And as women move forward into a new chapter of their lives, breast augmentation can offer a serious confidence boost with lasting impacts.
“My post-divorce patients communicate to me that they are very uncomfortable showing their breasts to new dating partners,” explains Nashville plastic surgeon, Daniel A Hatef, MD. “They haven’t been with someone new in many years. When they were single, their breasts were youthful and perky. The years of age, pregnancy, breastfeeding, etc., had not taken their toll. So they are extremely unconfident and it affects their desire to have fun and explore life with someone new.”
Encino, CA plastic surgeon George Sanders, MD adds that in most cases, divorcée patients also tend to be more focused on aspects of breast augmentation like comfort and longevity. “I find that when a woman is single, she tends to think about her augmentation in the longterm,” Dr. Sanders explains. “They want to know what the result will look like in 10 or 20 years, and they tend to lean toward smaller, more natural-looking augmentations that prioritize their comfort.”
What Women Want: Trends in Breast Augmentation
These days, there’s a noticeable shift towards more natural-looking results. “There’s definitely a movement toward proportion and subtlety,” explains Pittsburgh plastic surgeon Jeffrey Antimarino, MD. “Patients are less interested in an augmented look. They want elegance, balance. Something that looks natural, not fake.”
While women aren’t necessarily going for a large increase in breast size anymore, implants remain a very popular choice for revitalization. They just tend to be more subtle.
“I’ve seen a decrease in the desire for larger implants over the last year, with more patients aiming for the ‘ballerina’ or ‘Pilates body,’” says Houston plastic surgeon Henry Mentz, MD. “We see many patients choosing to go up only a half or full cup size instead of several cup sizes.”
During the consultation, your practitioner will walk you through your options. That includes what results you can expect with implants versus fat transfer, the size range of implant that will fit your frame, your choices of implant, and what you can look forward to in terms of recovery. And these days, practitioners have access to the latest technology to ensure you love your choice of implant.
“Selecting the right breast implant is a highly personalized process that takes into account a patient’s body structure, aesthetic goals and lifestyle,” says New York plastic surgeon and contracted Natrelle partner, David Shafer, MD. “To help patients make the most informed decision, I encourage patients to use advanced tools like the Natrelle 3D Visualizer App, powered by Crisalix, which allows them to see potential outcomes based on different implant options.”
And depending on your age, getting the desired results may require a lift in addition to an implant.
“These patients typically all need more than just volume,” Dr. Hatef adds. “Mastopexy, or a breast lift, is almost always a key part of the equation. Age, pregnancy and breastfeeding all stretch the soft tissues and attenuate the fibroligamentous system of the breast. This results in a lack of projection, or a ‘flat’ breast, with no upper pole fullness, ptosis of the breast tissue and descent of the nipple to a position on the breast that is too low. Mastopexy, in addition to volume, alleviates these issues and returns the breast to a more youthful appearance.”
Counseling the Divorce Augmentation
For women who are recently divorced, the consultation may also touch on the patient’s reasons for augmentation. This mitigates the potential for buyer’s remorse down the line.
“When a patient is in the middle of a major life change like a divorce or the death of a spouse, we prefer to slow down,” Dr. Sanders says. “That kind of change in their lives can lead to impulsive decision making, so we prioritize making informed decisions and giving patients the time to see things clearly. It’s important not to rush someone to make such a significant decision when they’ve just gotten out of a difficult relationship or gone through something traumatic.”
Dr. Hatef notes that his consultations with divorcées try to get at the heart of their reason for augmentation. “Patients who are going through a divorce need to make sure that their decisions aren’t a reaction to what they are going through,” he says. “If their desires for a change in their appearance are new, then I suggest they take some time before they make a commitment. If the desire for a change is something that they have had for a long time but couldn’t do because of a controlling partner or financial restraints, then I think that it’s a good time to proceed.”
When you strip away impulsive choices, Dr. Sanders explains that women seeking a divorce augmentation tend to fall into two major categories.
“In my experience, there are two kinds of women who get a divorce augmentation,” Dr. Sanders says. “There’s the patient that is interested in a revenge body and proving to their ex what they’ve lost. And there’s the woman who has been considering this for quite some time, but the circumstances were never right.”
For both types of patient, the divorce augmentation represents a chance to prioritize themselves and to make a positive impact on their self-esteem.
Recovering from a Breast Augmentation Post-Divorce
Women who are living alone or are newly single need to have a stable support network for their recovery period.
“Patients undergoing these operations need support while recovering,” Dr. Hatef says. “Simple activities of daily living like housework, personal hygiene, getting to the bathroom, preparing food, are all much more complex and sometimes impossible.”
“For the first few days, your chest will feel tight and you will feel pressure until the pocket starts to stretch,” explains San Diego plastic surgeon Larry H. Pollack, MD. “During this period lots of rest and little movement of the upper body, other than range of motion, is recommended,” he adds. “I also emphasize sleeping on your back, slightly elevated and not on your side, as this could cause swelling or bleeding.”
Divorcées, particularly those with grown children, may find themselves somewhat isolated socially. That makes it even more important for practitioners to walk through what kind of support they’ll need post-op. “The good news is that most of my patients that are post-divorce have very active friend groups,” Dr. Sanders adds. “Those friendships are critical for their post-procedure recovery.”
