Breast Surgery Today: Out To Dinner Tonight

The nation's re-operation rate for breast augmentation is 25 percent. That means that of the 400,000 women who had the procedure last year 100,000 of them will be back in surgery.

"Reconcile reality with desires," say the authors of The Best Breast 2: The Ultimate Discriminating Woman's Resource for Breast Augmentation (Brown Books Publishing, April 2008.) "Every choice you make in this operation -- from implant size to shape -- affects the longevity of the operation."

Redefining patient outcomes is the mission of the author duo consisting of John B. Tebbetts, M.D. -- an internationally acclaimed plastic surgeon with a re-operation rate of just 3 percent -- and his wife, Terrye B. Tebbetts, a patient educator who has managed her husband's practice for the past 20 years. Dr. Tebbetts is also the author of three highly regarded surgical text books on breast augmentation and rhinoplasty. A reality TV show about the Tebbetts' practice is currently being pitched to networks.

In The Best Breast 2, the authors stress the need for pre-surgery research, emphasizing education and quality decision making to avoid surgical disasters. Most women make decisions about breast augmentation based on what they've heard from a friend or read in a magazine. "By doing your homework and preparing for the procedure," says Ms. Tebbetts, "women can find qualified surgeons and evaluate them based on a set of objective criteria -- not on fluff."

The drive to improve long-term results led the Tebbetts to the 24-hour Recovery & Out to Dinner Breast Augmentation. This procedure, pioneered by the Tebbetts, allows patients to return to normal activity after just 24 hours. It's this level of skill that has earned them a re-operation rate that is a fifth of the national average.

Among the topics covered in the book are various medical issues, implant choices, available surgical options and how to prepare for and recover from surgery, as well as how to live with your new breasts. Featured throughout are checklists and tear-out flash cards that women can use during surgical consultations.