by Anonymous Patient
Overcoming Fear & Heartbreak to Reclaim Health
Like many young women, I developed an eating disorder during college, and it gripped my life for eight agonizing years. Throughout that time, I was warned about the potential toll it could take on my body—one of the more lasting effects being loose skin. But when you’re caught in the clutches of something as consuming as an eating disorder, future consequences are the furthest thing from your mind. Survival becomes the singular focus.
Now, at 40, I’m a healthy, vibrant woman who made the personal choice not to have children. Yet, despite reclaiming my health, I’ve spent the last two decades shying away from wearing a bikini, hiding my body during vacations. At 23, in pursuit of an idealized version of beauty, I underwent a saline breast augmentation, hoping to achieve what I thought would make me feel beautiful—a large B cup. But after overcoming anorexia and experiencing rapid weight gain, I suddenly found myself with a 34D bust, far larger than what I had envisioned.
At first, I tried to embrace this new figure, channeling women like Salma Hayek, whose curves I admired. But no matter how much I accepted my chest, I couldn’t shake the unhappiness I felt about my stomach. At 30, I decided to take matters into my own hands, opting for traditional liposuction in hopes of addressing this long-standing insecurity. The procedure helped contour my waist, creating the coveted hourglass figure, but it did little to change the appearance of my stomach. I was left feeling incomplete, as if no matter what I did, I couldn’t find peace with my body.
Life took an unexpected and heartbreaking turn when, at 36, I lost my husband and suddenly found myself back in the dating world, something I had never imagined. As I prepared to reenter this new chapter of life, I wanted to feel confident in my skin. I consulted several top plastic surgeons in San Francisco, inquiring about reducing my 34D bust to something more manageable. Yet, to my dismay, every surgeon told me the same thing—my original implants had created pockets too large for a significant reduction. They could only downsize slightly, but not enough to make a real difference.
As a tech executive, I’ve always approached decisions with precision, evaluating the top vendors and weighing my options carefully. After consulting with multiple surgeons, I ultimately decided to go forward with a breast revision surgery, hoping that a slight reduction would help me rediscover my love for vintage couture, which had been sidelined by my larger bust. However, the results left me even more disillusioned. The scars from the lollipop lift were prominent, my breasts were asymmetrical, and my nipples pointed in opposite directions. It felt like a cruel twist of fate—after years of working toward body acceptance, I was left feeling worse than before. I couldn’t even stand to look at myself in the mirror.
In an attempt to shift my focus away from my chest, I turned to Elite Body Sculpture, hoping that perhaps I could finally fix my stomach and find some semblance of confidence. The procedure was excruciating—far more painful than I had anticipated. I vividly remember the agony of the cannula getting stuck in my scar tissue, and despite enduring the pain, the results were underwhelming. My stomach looked no different, and once again, I found myself avoiding bikinis on vacations to St. Barts and Positano. Twenty years had slipped by—two decades of missed opportunities to feel truly confident in my own skin.
The past year I have been on a sabbatical from work and have been militant about my fitness routine. I did HIIT three times a week, strength training three times a week, and Pilates three times a week. I was also rigorous about taking at least 6,000 steps a day. I felt that if I was going to tackle my body issues, I would leave no stone unturned when it came to my fitness and health, yet despite all this dedication, I still couldn’t find peace with my torso.`
A few years ago, I stumbled upon Legs by Lauren and discovered Dr. Neinstein’s work. I was mesmerized by the transformations he was achieving for women. At first, I was convinced that the before-and-after photos had to be of different people—they were that dramatic. Yet, as someone who had chosen not to have children, I felt unworthy of procedures like a tummy tuck, which seemed reserved for mothers reclaiming their pre-baby bodies. But what about women like me? Women who, for various reasons, have never achieved their ideal body? When I saw that Dr. Neinstein was performing tummy tucks for women post-Ozempic, I realized it was finally time to take a serious step toward change.
At the same time, my body was sending me distress signals. Over the past year, I had been dealing with a litany of unexplained health issues—brain fog, recurrent sinus infections, debilitating pain in my neck and shoulders, and chronic inflammation that no amount of Renata França lymphatic drainage could alleviate. After speaking with my acupuncturist, I discovered that these were all symptoms of breast implant illness.
It became clear that I needed to remove the implants. If I was going under the knife again, I knew this was my chance to address my stomach once and for all. I met with Dr. Neinstein over Zoom, and as a seasoned sales executive, I appreciated his straightforward approach. He didn’t sugarcoat anything, warning me that my sciatica could flare up from being hunched over post-op. But I was deeply reassured by the holistic support system he had built around his patients, ensuring I wouldn’t have to face the recovery process alone.
As someone who had lost their spouse, I didn’t have a partner to lean on during recovery. I also didn’t want to burden my friends, all busy moms themselves, and my family wasn’t an option. Dr. Neinstein’s 360-degree aftercare approach, including his partnership with Radiant Recovery Nurse Care, was a lifeline. I had 24/7 nursing care for the first 72 hours and daily visits for the next week to help with everything from medication schedules to garment changes. Dr. Neinstein himself or one of his colleagues visited me every day during the first week to monitor my progress and ensure everything was on track.
For 20 years, fear had kept me from doing this—fear of the pain, fear of the recovery, fear of going through it all on my own. But with Dr. Neinstein’s unparalleled support, Radiant Recovery’s incredible team, and the help of Lais from Sublime Touch, who provided in-hotel lymphatic drainage, the experience was far easier than I could have ever imagined.
This recovery has been smoother than my initial breast augmentation, far less painful than my breast revision, and even easier than the so-called “minimal downtime” Air Sculpting procedure. Looking back, I wish I had done this long ago. But I truly believe that everything happens in its own time for a reason. Here I am, eight days post-op, feeling nothing short of overjoyed. Yes, I’m still hunched over, and the back pain lingers, but I’m walking around just fine. I feel stronger, more confident, and finally, after two decades, I’m looking forward to the future with a sense of joy and self-assurance I never thought I’d feel.
Perhaps the most miraculous part is that the debilitating neck and shoulder pain I had suffered from for over a year has completely vanished—just one week after removing my implants. It’s incredible how freeing this has been, both physically and emotionally.
Thank you, Dr. Neinstein!