Felix Adamo / The Californian Carol Lisman after breast augmentation.

Carol Lisman drives a Corvette and rides motorcycles and now, her husband jokes, she's "going to look the part."

Oct. 13

Lisman, a 55-year-old Bakersfield business instructor, is getting breast implants after already undergoing a partial face-lift and Botox injections.

Lisman isn't unhappy with the way she looks but has a self-described "adventurous spirit" and so is going from about a 34 or 36C with a lot of padding to a 36 DD.

"I've never had boobs and now I'm going to," Lisman quips.

Lisman's surgery falls under the category of "reconstructive" because she's evening out the sizes of her breasts. She's therefore being allowed to get silicone gel implants, which Lisman says feel more natural than saline.

Lisman is the mother of two grown children. She's long held multiple jobs and feels she's earned the surgery after 30 years of hard work. She's also doing it for her husband of about a year.

"I have thought quite a bit about women having breast surgery after cancer and I feel like a spoiled brat," Lisman says. "I can't help their situation but I want to have fun in life."

Oct. 28

It's nearly a week after her three-hour surgery and Lisman is a little sore because the doctor had to move her breast muscles around to place the implants under them.

The pain was pretty bad at first, Lisman says, but lessens by the day. She returned to work yesterday.

"I don't feel real different. I didn't expect to," Lisman says. "I've been practically deformed my whole life and now I'm not. But I'm still me."

She didn't get much feedback from students or colleagues so she's guessing the change isn't that noticeable. She attributes that to always having dressed fairly conservatively, with scarves and jackets.

Lisman changed her mind and told her daughter about the surgery instead of waiting to surprise her and other relatives at Thanksgiving.

"She was excited about it for me," Lisman says. "She really wasn't surprised. She knows me to have an adventurous spirit."

Nov. 17

Lisman is a tad swollen and it'll take some time for one of her breasts to heal into a natural position but she's pain-free and feels great.

She doesn't feel a big emotional change but there's something different, she says, about being "normal" physically.

Lisman says she still plans to dress conservatively at work and among friends. The "fun" of having undergone surgery, she says, will come when she's out socializing with her husband.

In fact, she says she's going to let her husband decide how he'd like her to dress when they go out.

"I wanted to be as pretty on the outside as I feel on the inside," Lisman says -- and she does.

-- By Christine Bedell

Procedure: Enhance the size and shape of breasts using implants filled with saline or silicone gel.

Length: 1 to 2 hours.

Anesthesia: Local with sedation, or general.

In/outpatient: Usually outpatient.

Side effects: Temporary soreness, swelling, change in nipple sensation, bruising. Breast sensitive to stimulation for a few weeks.

Risks: Lack of implant permanence -- surgical removal or replacement of the implants may be required to treat problems including: deflation; the formation of scar tissue around the implant (capsular contracture), which may cause the breast to feel tight or hard; bleeding or infection. Increase or decrease in sensitivity of nipples or breast skin, occasionally permanent.

Recovery: Back to work: a few days. Physical contact with breasts: 3 to 4 weeks. Fading of scars: several months to a year or more.

Duration of results: Variable. Implants may require removal or replacement.

National average surgeon fee in 2003: $3,375

Lisman cost: Declined to say.

Lisman doctor: Dr. Farzin Kerendian.

Typical overall cost, according to local physicians: $4,000 to $6,000

Sources: American Society of Plastic Surgeons; Dr. Darshan Shah; office of Dr. Farzin Kerendian

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