Mum was given wonky boob job by bungling surgeon who was later struck off

A mum-of-two who had a boob job thinking it would give her a confidence boost was left embarrassed when the op went wrong – leaving her with wonky breasts for seven years.

Leah Maynard, 35, had breast augmentation surgery in 2013 by a plastic surgeon who was later struck off after a string of complaints.

She had hoped the procedure would boost her confidence – instead, it left it shattered, the Manchester Evening News reports.

“I wanted the surgery initially because I had breastfed my two children and I had lost all elasticity and volume,” she explained.

“I was a C cup before and I ended up a DD, so it wasn’t a massive difference. I just wanted them to look fuller again.”

But, in the hands of a bungling surgeon, who has since left the country, the breast augmentation went wrong.

“The pocket on the left breast had been made too large, enabling the implant to move about. It was very uneven and it wore away at the tissue,” Leah, from Preston, said.

“It completely knocked my confidence and I was so self-conscious.

“It was doing things like going swimming with the children or being on holiday that were the worst – you could see that one breast was larger than the other. It was very noticeable.

“I just thought it would fix itself, but it got worse. It took me years to trust another surgeon.”

Leah, who is a former dental nurse, would cover up wherever possible.

But last year, as she prepared to start a full-time university course, she finally decided to take the plunge and look for a new surgeon to put things right.

“I had time to think during lockdown and reassessed what was important so I decided to do something about it as it was affecting my quality of life,” she continued.

Leah wanted corrective surgery before she started her course so that she could concentrate on her studies without worrying about her body and health.

Leah made an appointment for a consultation at Reflect Clinic in Manchester where she met consultant plastic surgeon Gerard Lambe.

Leah agreed to have the corrective procedure and underwent the op in January with an overnight stay at the Spire Hospital in Manchester.

The original implants were removed and replaced under the muscle, with the previous damage repaired.

Leah, who has a son, 12, and an eight-year-old daughter, has hailed the surgery as “life-changing”.

She advises anyone considering surgery to ‘go for it’ – but to carry out research first. And to not be put off amid coronavirus as extra safety measures are currently in place at clinics.

Gerard Lambe said that building a relationship of trust between the surgeon and patient is a top priority.

“We are very lucky that we can say no to patients that we think have body issues or are not in the right frame of mind, or ‘the right place’ to make a decision on cosmetic surgery,” he said.

“We see them at least twice for their consultation so that they can be sure that they want to go ahead. We also encourage them to ask friends and family and discuss it fully.

“To help them decide on the right sized implants we use virtual reality breast software so they can see their breasts in different sizes and in different clothes to achieve the look they desire.”

Reflect Clinic Director Joanna Lambe also said inquiries about cosmetic surgery procedures had surged during lockdown – with a particular rise in upper eyelift surgery, breast surgery, ‘mummy makeovers’ and labiaplasty surgery.

She added: “Lockdown led to people being increasingly sat at home thinking about and reassessing what they want in life.

“They have spent a lot of time on Zoom or Facetime calls for work or with family, which has made them look at themselves with new eyes.”