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In the 60s, doctors began experimenting with silicone and paraffin injections, as well as sponges; methods later deemed dangerous. In 1963, silicone implants were introduced; two years later, the saline implant.

The 70s saw implants being mass-produced and in the 80s, the practice grew tremendously as the clinical experience of plastic surgeons increased. In 1991, debates and law suits over breast implants became prevalent. The Dow Company lost a multi-million dollar law suit when a woman claimed implants caused an autoimmune disorder. By 1992, the FDA banned silicone implants except for in clinical trials. Saline implants, dubbed a safer alternative, began to be widely used. Then, after 13 years, the FDA recently approved silicone implants from Inamed and Mentor.

While silicone came under fire in the early 90s, many plastic surgeons still swear by the product, including the California surgeon who worked on Susie.

"I wasn’t going to go for (silicone), but my doctor convinced me when he had me feel them. They were so baby soft; they felt like a real breast," she said. Susie added that in the past when she had medical problems, and if they had surfaced after the implants, she may have blamed her illness on them.

"I see how (the woman who sued) could think that. But, the research I read shows no more women with implants have auto-immune diseases than whose without them," she said.

Di opted for saline, though she may not have had another option. Her surgery was in 1993, one year after the FDA ban on silicone. She stuck with saline for her second set.

The differences between the two available implant types are how they feel, how they can change and what happens if they burst. As Susie mentioned, silicone are more natural, having a similar texture to breast tissue. They are made of semi-solid gel. Saline is a saltwater liquid, much like you’d find in an IV. Usually, once a silicone implant is in, it is in. The size of a saline implant could be altered by a needle injecting more fluid in, or taking fluid out after the procedure is done.

A collapsed silicone implant would take longer to notice, but one would know immediately if a saline implant ruptured. Since Saline is water, the burst fluid would safely be absorbed by the body whereas a silicone leak could cause scar tissue. However, many new silicone implants are designed to be leak-proof. (See related interview with Dr. Francis Collini.)

Implants are available in two main shapes: round and pear-shaped (also called teardrop). Both Susie and Di opted for the round.

"Teardrops are natural. If I wanted natural, I would have left them alone," she joked, adding that for $5,000, she wanted them "out there."

Most silicone implants are round.

Going shopping for a bigger bra size means enduring anesthesia, pain and even suffering.

"I was scared! I wanted to run," admits doctor-phobic Susie, on how she felt the day of her surgery. "Sometimes I am still scared, having a foreign object inside of me."

Women like Susie and Di first spend time learning about the procedures, deciding what size and type of implant is right for them and preparing for the big day. The mammoplasty procedure will take place at an outpatient center and lasts between one to two hours. General anesthesia is usually used, although sometimes local is given.

There are several variations to breast augmentation surgeries, but a WebMD article provided a detailed summary of a typical procedure.

Whether the implant is filled with silicone or saline, all implants have a solid silicone shell. According to the medical reference website, this is positioned either under the chest muscle or under the breast tissue through an incision made on the bottom crease of the breast, the armpit, the nipple or lower edge of the areola. Depending on the specific type of implant, the breasts are either stitched up or the contents can be added or drained for desired size. Once complete, gauze is taped over the incisions and the breasts are wrapped in an elastic bandage or supported with a special bra.

Breast lifts, or mastoplexy, can be done at the same time to enhance the job. However, many women who have not had breast enlargement have breast lifts done simply raise sagging or dropping breasts. WebMD says this procedure is done by removing excess skin at the bottom of the breasts and areola. Then, the remainder is brought together. This tightens and raises the breasts. This procedure takes about the same time, and is also performed at an outpatient center.

Susie had both augmentation and a lift done, as well as an areola reduction. Because of the third procedure, she had a different technique used: the cookie cutter. They cut out her areola, slid the implant in through that hole, reduced her areola and stitched her back up. Susie’s breasts were actually uneven so she received 400 ccs of silicone in one, and 425 in the other.

There are several painful - yet what some women say bearable - side effects to breast augmentation and lifts, and the recovery process can take up to a month.

"I didn’t feel that bad the first day, but they did not look very good. They were really high. It looked weird," said Susie, explaining that because the implants were placed behind the muscle, the chest area grew tight. "I was crying my eyes out and stayed in bed."

The feeling of regret and pain is normal. Susie was sent home with papers on what she would feel emotionally and physically.

"After four weeks I felt really good and they began to drop nicely. I started to feel really comfortable."

Di also had a rough recovery time, partially and ironically because she was in good shape.

"It hurt like hell," she said. Like Susie, she also had the implants placed under the muscle. "Since I worked out, my muscles were toned and tight. It felt like a MAC truck was sitting on my chest. I did not anticipate that pain."

Di adds that her second surgery was less painful, with the swelling to a minimum.

"My muscles were used to having something there," she said. "It was easier because I knew what to expect."

Most women will have to go through a second and even third surgery, as implants need to b replaced every ten or so years, and eventually removed.

According to WebMD: The pain, swelling and bruising can last for several weeks.

In seven to 10 days, patients can return to have stitches removed and the scars will start to disappear in a month or so. (Susie reports that she has very light scarring; her appendix scar on her abdomen in much more noticeable. The procedures are designed to make minimal incisions and undetectable scars in well-concealed areas).

Some, especially those who receive lifts, will report a burning sensation in the nipples. Lifts can also cause dry breast skin. Scars from lifts will be wider and can take up to a year to disappear, or could be permanent. After this procedure, most should be able to return to work in a few days. No physical contact with breasts is recommended for about a month.

The reaction, and the

"Are they real?" question

Susie had full-C cup size implant, but with "what she already had" factored in, she fits into a D-cup bra.

The results are more than she expected, and sometimes bittersweet.

"I sometimes feel that I am a little too big - I’m a little torn to be honest! I mean, when you are a D-cup, even if they are real, people question you," she said. "My doctor says it’s perfect for my shape though. I do feel a lot better. I feel like a woman and I feel confident again!"

Di went from a small 34-A to a full-B/small C the first time, and her new set is also full-C cup.

"Sometimes I think I look funny, but not like Dolly Parton or Anna-Nicole Smith. They are proportionate to my body. How natural they look depends on how you dress with them," she said.

Di added that a major difference with fake boobs is that when you take your bra off, the boobs stay in the same spot.

"Many people can look good in clothes, but when they are undressed, the boobs sag," she said, adding another positive side to the implants.

Since Susie had her surgery done across the country and Di across the Atlantic, both say they had similar reactions when they returned to NEPA:

Their relatives and close friends couldn’t wait to take a peek.

"My sister-in-law thinks they are beautiful," Susie said, adding she was able to fool people she just met. "I was at a party with a girl who did not know I had a boob job. She asked if they were real, so I told her to guess. After she felt them, she said, ‘I don’t feel an implant.

They must be real.’" she said.

Di says her family had a lot of fun with her after she flounced off her shirt revealing her new boobs in her new bra.

"It was a lot of humor. They told me I looked like Dolly Parton, asked if my back hurt," she said.

Old acquaintances Susie ran into could tell something had changed.

She reports that she can tell when people are giving her a "are they real look." But she knows they aren’t staring her. They’re just curious, envious or both. Sometimes they ask.

Di agreed.

"I am not shy about telling people if they ask. I take it as a compliment. It makes it worth the money."

The husband’s reaction

When asked if her husband liked them, Susie just had three words: "He’s a guy!" She added that he told her, aside from the wedding ring, they were the nicest thing he bought her.

Di admits her husband did not want her to have the implants, mainly because he feared for her having surgery.

"He loved me before and he loves me after. Well, he loves ‘them’ more after. I think he’d be sad now if they were gone," she said

Even breast implants can’t fight the sagging that comes with age, weight loss or gain or pregnancy. (For this reason, it is advised that women not have implants until they are done having children.) Most people who have implants will have a second surgery to replace an implant, or to have them removed. Susie plans on being a sexy grandmom, saying she thinks aging stars like Sharon Stone and Madonna look amazing.

"(Before the implants) I was 33 and (my breasts) looked like they were 50. Now, I want to look as good as a can for as long as I can.

When I am 50, I may get them replaced, but probably not when I am 70."

Susie purchased a $100 lifetime warranty on her implants which will take care of any complications, as well as replacement implants. Most implants come with a five or ten year warranty to replace them, should a leak occur.

On the other hand, Di says, "They are part of my personality now. I will be the only 80-year-old with fake boobs wearing a low-cut shirt in the nursing home!"

Would Susie recommend a boob job?

"Only in cases like mine. If you are small and just want big boobs, I’d say no. Unless they are deformed, changed or are uneven, just be happy with who you are," she said.

Susie said it was scary because it was risky. But she rationalized that, really, any medical procedure is. "Any surgery is a risk. Anytime you are put under, something could happen."

Di feels that people should only do this procedure for "yourself."

"If you want to make yourself happier, do it. If you want to color your hair or get your nails done because you like the way you look, do it. But, no one is worth changing for - to cut open your body to make

someone else happy?"

Overall, both women feel better about themselves.

"I know I feel sexier about myself when I look in the mirror," said

Di, She added that’d she even consider liposuction next.

*Name has been changed.