UPS AND DOWNS
STANDING next to her mum, sister and auntie, Kerry Sturgess felt the odd one out – with a modest 34B chest.
So, in 2009, the pilates instructor decided to spend £5,500 on a boob job.
9
9
9
Within days, Kerry regretted her decision. And as the cosmetic procedure once loved by celebs such as Katie Price and Pamela Anderson fell out of fashion, she finally had them removed 12 years later.
Kerry, 52, is not the only one going smaller, with Google searches for “NHS breast reduction waiting list” soaring by 800 per cent in the past 12 months.
And plastic surgery clinics here have seen a 97 per cent increase in women seeking breast implant removal.
Kerry, from Finchingfield, Essex, says: “I always felt self-conscious of my breasts and I thought having implants would make me feel and look better.
Read more on boob jobs
“My husband didn’t think it was a good idea but I am strong-minded so I did it anyway. At 40 years old, I had 360cc silicone implants which took me from a 34B to a 34E.
‘NO SEX DRIVE’
“I suddenly had the boobs I had always dreamt of. But I quickly realised I wasn’t happy.
“I’d thought I would look feminine. But my clothes looked worse and I was all boob — the opposite of what I was after.
“I ride a Harley-Davidson motorbike but I could no longer get my biker jacket done up!
Most read in Fabulous
“A couple of days after having them in, I wanted them out. I told myself it was just panic. Then, when I turned 43 in 2012, they ruptured and went hard.”
In December 2021, Kerry had her implants removed on the NHS because she felt they were causing health issues.
She says: “I felt total relief. I wish I did the ‘explant’ as soon as I got them.”
In the Noughties, boob jobs boomed. By 2010, an estimated 8,000 British women a year were getting their breasts boosted.
A decade later and the implant bubble has burst. Prior to Covid, the number of women having breast implants declined by 38 per cent.
Speaking last year about wanting to get her own implants removed, comedian Katherine Ryan, 38, branded the practice an “outdated trend of the Noughties” comparable to a lower-back tattoo.
Other stars including Shirley Ballas, 61, and Michelle Visage, 53, had theirs removed.
Before her explant, Kerry noticed her health had been affected.She says: “I began getting awful symptoms — blurred vision, body shakes, no sex drive and hot shakes. But I put it all down to menopause.
“Then, after three years, the implants became rock-hard. After six years, I noticed more health issues and I still suffer from dizziness, tinnitus and blurry vision.
“I joined a breast implant illness (BII) Facebook group and realised most women had similar issues to mine.
“No one could pay me to go through the process again.”
Breast implant illness is not a medical diagnosis but there are many reports of various health issues associated with all types of breast implants.
A couple of days after having them in, I wanted them out. I told myself it was just panic. Then, when I turned 43 in 2012, they ruptured and went hard.
Kerry Sturgess
Leading cosmetic surgeon Dr Riccardo Frati says: “Breast implant illness is still not a defined syndrome, encompassing a wide spectrum of symptoms.
“These include brain fog, fatigue and joint pain. There have also been reports of a serious medical condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body.”
Silicone implants have been in use for 60 years, peaking in 2013 with 11,135 surgeries here. That fell to 4,023 last year.
Mr TK Sankar, consultant plastic surgeon at The Harley Medical Group, says: “There has been a significant increase in patients seeking a more natural look.”
Twenty years after having implants, Heaven Skincare founder Deborah Mitchell, 56, spent £5,000 getting them taken out.
Deborah, from Telford, Shrops, says: “The fashion is changing. I wouldn’t encourage anyone to have them — unless a girl is emotionally upset and desperately needs them.
“I’ve always had a flat bust and felt concerned about it.
“In my mid-thirties, I was married and used to put chicken fillets in my bra to build them up! I’d throw them into the wardrobe before going to bed.
“One day, my young daughter found one and chewed it. I was devastated. After that, I was determined to get breast implants.
“My husband said, ‘Do you want a new car or breast implants?’ I said the implants, so he bought them for me in 2001. But he was so chuffed, he got me the car too!
“I went from a 34B to 34D. But as the years went on, I gained weight and didn’t enjoy my bigger bust.
“Since having them removed, in September 2020, I’ve lost a stone and my health has improved. I felt sluggish before and my body ached. Now I look much younger.”
Writer Jane Lavery, 52, from North London, had implants in her early thirties. But in September last year she had them removed.
She says: “Growing up, there was pressure to have a skinny body with huge boobs, which was impossible to achieve naturally. At a 32AA, it made me feel inadequate.
“After having a baby at 23 I had trouble breastfeeding and they shrivelled to nothing. I got them done in 1999.
“My implants were only small, 260cc saline, a size 34B, and they fit my frame. But after 18 years, I started to think they were not doing my health any good.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Read More on The Sun
“I’d put on some weight and I felt a bit matronly. I also suffered from a host of undiagnosed autoimmune disorders, which were found to be linked to the breast implants.
“Having the explant was a catalyst for so many things. I lost half a stone because I was able to exercise more. I feel full of energy and young again.”
9
9
9
9
9
9