Dr. Lindsey's Newsletter #50: What I've Had Done - How I Met My Plastic Surgeon

As a plastic surgeon, I meet patients daily who are seeking change—whether to enhance their confidence, reclaim their bodies after life-altering experiences, or simply to feel more at home in their own skin. What you may not know is that I was once in their shoes, and that journey is what led me to where I am today.

My Patient Experience

Many years ago, I found myself facing a problem that I had never heard of, breast asymmetry. What I did not know at the time was that breast asymmetry is very common and many women undergo surgery for breast asymmetry. I was not alone in this problem, but I felt alone. I felt alone as I struggled to find sports bras and swimsuits that disguised my ever worsening asymmetry. As I developed, it only became worse. I grappled with insecurities that began to overshadow my sense of self. It became all-consuming and I began to look away from the mirror when I dressed every day. I grew up in a time when the internet was young and there was no opportunity to google “breast asymmetry” and find answers. At the time I had a very vague concept of plastic surgery. I knew that plastic surgeons performed breast augmentations and reductions, but I did not know that breast asymmetry was a well understood process within the field of plastic surgery. Although I was not certain of what options there were, I decided to take a step that would ultimately reshape not just my body but my entire life—I sought out breast surgery. But this wasn’t just any surgery with any surgeon, it was the start of a relationship with one of the greats in our field of plastic surgery, Dr. Rod Hester.

Dr. Rod Hester is a name that is well known in the world of plastic surgery. When I met him and became his patient, he was the Chief of Plastic Surgery at Emory University. He had a reputation for his work with breast surgery, frequently conducting surgical studies and advancing the field. His technical skill was important to me, but what I remember the most was his compassion. When I walked into his office I was a patient filled with fear, hope, and a longing for change. Little did I know that this experience would become the catalyst for my own journey into the world of plastic surgery. Dr. Hester treated me as if I were his own daughter. He explained to me his surgical plan and assured me that he would be using the same implants and surgical technique that he had chosen for his own family members. I felt safe. I trusted his plan implicitly. I told him I wasn’t looking for a dramatic change, I just wanted to feel normal and fit into clothes without making adjustments.

Surgery

The day of my surgery felt like the beginning of a new chapter, one that I had long been waiting to write. Dr. Hester didn’t just change my physical appearance, he transformed something within me. As I healed, I felt a sense of empowerment that was entirely new. I saw myself differently, not just in the mirror, but in my mind and spirit. The confidence I gained was indescribable, the daily shame was gone, and with it came a burning desire to give others that same gift.

But the process was far from simple. The surgical process is complex and anatomy can be unpredictable. Dr. Hester and I navigated these challenges together, and it took about 4 surgeries until he was truly pleased with the result. Every step of the way he had a plan and was cautiously optimistic. He also mentally prepared me for the likely need for revision surgery. Breast asymmetry often requires multiple, staged surgeries because the breast tissue changes and settles somewhat unpredictably as it heals. He was a perfectionist and I trusted the process. Each surgery was a step closer to the result that he wanted very badly to deliver. There were moments of frustration, and even fear, but through it all, Dr. Hester’s dedication never wavered. He was committed to achieving the best possible outcome, and his perseverance taught me the importance of resilience and precision in this field.

The Oops Moment

Somewhere between surgery 2 and 4 my surgeon changed the type of suture he used in my skin. Previously my sutures had dissolved and there was no need to cut them out. I was about two weeks post-op and I thought man, this suture is really blue and doesn’t seem like it will dissolve. I called the office and they made a rush appointment that day. Somehow my follow-up appointment had not been made and the surgical team forgot to relay to the office that I had sutures that needed to be removed. I will never forget Dr. Hester’s face when he walked in the room to examine me and realized that a permanent suture had been left in my skin longer than planned. He was so apologetic, made no excuses, and conveyed enormous compassion for me as he cut out the suture in his clinic through the skin that was trying to grow over it. The experience wasn’t comfortable but he was there for me as he always was. Humans are imperfect. Surgery is imperfect. Healing is imperfect. Office staff are imperfect. But the sum whole of my experience was an enormously compassionate surgeon with a dedicated office staff that wanted the best for me.

The Post-Op Healing Process

As a patient undergoing four different breast surgeries, I learned the ropes. I remember the first few weeks that my breast implants felt like they were knocking me in the chin because they were so high on my chest—this is normal. I remember waking up with drains and thinking, “did they warn me about this?”—they did. I remember carefully changing out my steri-strips and choosing to wear them for 6 months to optimize my scar appearance. I remember performing the breast massage religiously in order to avoid capsular contracture. I remember having small wounds along my incision and performing wound care. The small wounds healed very well with time, just like Dr. Hester told me they would.

An Early Education in Surgery

My surgical education began in Dr. Hester’s office as his patient, long before medical school. I learned about the human component and how important compassion is. I felt his compassion. I learned that the human body is complex, that surgery is a powerful tool but it is not a magic wand. I learned that the human body I was born with contains the building blocks for a surgeon to remodel. I learned to respect surgery, breast tissue, and understand important principles like the exchange of contour improvements for a scar. I learned first hand how to take care of scars to optimize their healing. I learned how to pace my expectations and to rely upon my surgeon’s expertise as my own compass through the process.

From Patient to Surgeon

I now reflect on my experience with Dr. Hester with enormous gratitude. I am thankful that as a patient I did not have to carry the burden of knowledge and expertise in plastic surgery. As a trustworthy surgeon, I could implicitly trust his plan that was founded upon a lifetime of education in plastic surgery. There are so many decisions that he made for me in that process, ones that I did not even know about, that set me up for success. I think about this often. He chose breast implant sizes that aged well with me. He chose silicone implants that felt natural and like they were a part of my body. He guided me into surgical revisions that would be important to me in the long run, even when I didn’t have the surgical education to understand his plan.

My patient experience was real. It was perfectly imperfect. I had a real body, real challenges, surgical outcomes that required revisions, and a surgeon that quietly and calmly kept moving my path forward with thoughtful strategies. Dr. Hester worked with me until he and I both agreed that we were thrilled with the outcome.

Fire in the Belly

It was in the aftermath of these surgeries that I felt a fire ignite within me—a fire that would become my mission, my career, my calling. I knew, with absolute certainty, that I wanted to dedicate my life to plastic surgery. I wanted to be the one who could help others find the same sense of wholeness and purpose that Dr. Hester had given me.

This journey wasn’t just about a change in my physical form, it was a spiritual awakening. It gave me clarity about my purpose and a deep sense of responsibility to my future patients. I understood that plastic surgery was not merely about aesthetics—it was about transforming lives, just as mine had been transformed.

Many years after my own patient experience, I was in medical school and learning Pulmonology from an instructor and mentor of mine, Dr. Bruce Innes. He told me that those that are truly called to their profession have a fire in their belly, and that he saw that in me. For the first time I had words to describe the feeling, the passion, the calling that I had for plastic surgery.

Full Circle

In December of 2016 I was rotating as a visiting medical student in the department of plastic surgery at Emory. It was my birthday and I was randomly assigned by the administrator to work with Dr. Albert Losken that day. I showed up for my assignment and scrubbed into the breast surgery case, eager to learn. It was while I was standing there, on December 7th - my birthday, over a decade after my own surgeries, that I realized that I was in the very operating room where my own journey began. I was no longer on the table as a young woman filled with fear, hope, and longing for change. I was on the other side, exploding with a fire in my belly that made my compassion for the patient on the table enormous. I looked at Dr. Losken and said “this is the OR I was in”, and on my birthday he handed me the scalpel and said “Happy Birthday Lindsey, this is your case”. I was given an appropriate role within the case for my skill level as a medical student, and even as small as it may have been - the significance was profound. The world had come full circle.

Today, as I stand in the operating room, I often reflect on my own experience. It’s a reminder of why I do what I do, of the profound impact we can have as surgeons. Each patient I encounter is a reminder of the journey I’ve taken, and it fuels my commitment to providing them with the same care and compassion that once changed my life.

Dr. Hester’s influence on my life goes beyond the physical; he gave me a path, a passion, and a purpose. And for that, I will be forever grateful.

As always, here's to choosing how we age, on our own terms!