I Got Breast Implants and Then Fell Into a Depression
This article is based on the personal experience of a team member. Some details have been changed for editorial purposes and privacy.
I thought I would wake up from my breast augmentation surgery feeling like a new person.
I had wanted implants for a long time, and I did not realize how much I expected them to change how I felt about myself. I thought I would feel more confident. I thought I would love how I looked and stop focusing on the things I did not like about myself!
Then I had the surgery, and instead of feeling amazing, I fell into a depression. There had been so much anticipation. I researched the surgery, planned for it and imagined what I would look like after I had recovered. Then it was over, and I felt this huge letdown.
Don’t get me wrong. I loved my new breasts! My surgeon is amazing. But loving them did not suddenly make me love every part of myself.
I remember telling one of my closest girlfriends how I felt. She pointed out, in the way only a friend of decades can, that I had gained weight, was having trouble sleeping and spent a lot of our daily chats complaining about both. “Nicer boobs aren’t going to fix any of that,” she told me. She was right. I had expected too much from the implants and needed to find other ways to take care of myself.
In our mid 40s now, perimenopause had become the big bad wolf. And while the weight gain my friend mentioned was only an extra 15 pounds, it was an extra 15 pounds that stuck no matter what I did.
Consultation with Dr. Godley
When I talked to Dr. Godley about it, he asked questions about how I exercised and what I ate. He suggested I might be a good candidate for the Longevity Program at Godley Clinic in Vancouver. At my first consultation, it felt like we were problem solving together. I could feel how invested he was in figuring out why I felt the way I did and why my approach to diet and exercise no longer worked. We talked about managing cortisol (a new concept to me) and whether the intense cardio that worked in my 30s was still right in my 40s.
We had only just started. Nothing had physically changed yet, but I already felt like a new person! My implants had changed one part of me, but it was like renovating one room and expecting the whole house to feel different. This time, we were looking at the whole house. I was being proactive about my health, and it felt like someone had my back. Don’t underestimate how powerful that can feel.
Longevity Program
We settled on a three part plan: immediate treatments, long term care for my health and skin, and what I like to call lifestyle homework.
For the immediate part:
Botox injections for my forehead and jawline
My lifestyle homework focused on movement and stress management:
Walk at least 8,000 steps a day, ideally a 10-minute walk after meals
Wake up at the same time every morning and get some sunlight to help regulate my circadian rhythm (Get better sleep!)
Strength train three times a week using progressive overload (Lift heavy!)
Supplements to help manage my cortisol levels
The longer term plan included:
Periodic IV therapy treatments, including glutathione and NAD+
Radiesse, a biostimulating filler that supports collagen and elastin production in the skin
Three Months Later
It has now been three months since I started the program, and the first change I noticed was my sleep. I stopped waking up in the middle of the night, and I was sleeping more deeply. That alone gave me so much more energy and positivity in my life!
I still love the results of my breast implant surgery. But I understand now why changing one part of my body did not create the complete transformation I had expected. Through the Longevity Program, we are taking care of the whole house: my sleep, stress, movement, health, skin and appearance.
It is still early, and we are still figuring out what works for me. But for the first time in a long time, I do not feel like I am fighting against my body or trying random things on my own. I feel supported and hopeful.
If you are interested in combining aesthetic medicine with longevity care, I encourage you to book a consultation with Dr. Godley in Vancouver or Abbotsford.
