1) What browser are you using?

A commonality between some support requests indicating that uploading photos does not work for them is an outdated web browser: Internet Explorer 7. That browser is almost 5 years old now — an eternity in browser technology! We’re currently looking into a fix for this issue, but in the mean time I’d suggest taking a few minutes to upgrade your browser and speed up your browsing experience! I like Google Chrome and the new Mozilla Firefox is pretty great too. Both of them are free, fast, and work on Mac, Windows & Linux.

2) What is the file size of your image?

Before uploading photos to websites (including MFI) it is best practice to optimize them (i.e. resize and compress the images to the smallest file size possible without losing clarity) so that the photo will upload quickly and successfully. Files that come directly off of a digital camera are uncompressed hi-resolution images that are optimized for printing. A computer monitor has far less fidelity (72dpi) than a printed photo (300dpi), so you can safely compress the photo without any noticeable loss in quality. This will greatly reduce the file size of your photo and it will upload a lot faster.

3) What is the dimension of your image?

According to our metrics the largest screen resolution being used is 2560 pixels wide by 1440 pixels tall. But that is less than half of a percent (0.49%) of all the people using the site. Everyone else is using screens that are no wider than 1920 pixels. So if you are trying to upload those photos directly off your digital camera that are 4000+ pixels wide, it’s a complete waste of space and bandwidth. Shrinking the photo down to 1920 pixels max will cut your file size in half and it will still be fully optimized for 99.51% of everyone on MFI! Do yourself a favor and shrink those big photos. It will upload a lot faster, display a lot faster and takes up a lot less room, all while maintaining the same fidelity on a computer screen.

In a recent experiment, a lady who was having problems uploading her 4000×3000 image. It was 4,380kb in size. I opened that same image in Photoshop, shrunk it to 1500 pixels in width and compressed it for the web. The resulting image file size was… a mere 438kb. A 900% savings! It uploaded with no problem at all in the blink of an eye!

There are several tools you can use to optimize your photos. Adobe Photoshop is great, but it is expensive. Here are some free alternatives

* IrfanView (easy and fast)
* Paint.NET (powerful)
* GIMP (like Photoshop)
* ShrinkPictures.com (web-based service)

You can also find some more free online editing programs listed in an archived Mashable.com article here.

If you have switched browsers and/or resized your images but are still having issues uploading photos, please contact us via the support desk and report the problem with as much detail as possible so that we can help you try and resolve the issue. If anyone has any tips on uploading/editing photos they’d like to add, please feel free to share in the comments section below. Thanks!

Breast Lift Without Implants: In the past we’ve made it a requirement that a lift include implants, but this does not always match up with patient desire or medical necessity. With the latest techniques such as Auto Augmentation, lifts are producing “perkier” results and can even add volume to the breast.

Fat Transfer/Grafting: This technology has been used for decades in plastic and reconstructive surgery, but has recently been applied on a large scale to aesthetic breast augmentation. The results of this procedure can vary widely (as the body absorbs fat over time), and women should not expect more than a cup size increase. That being said, there have been thousands of successful fat transfer procedures, and we’ve had hundreds of women contact us regarding fundraising. The increase in demand coupled with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) conclusion that fat grafting for breast augmentation and correction is safe, encouraged us to add this type of breast augmentation procedure. We strongly urge anyone considering this procedure to research it carefully in order to understand what kind of results can be expected.

As always we suggest you contact a board certified plastic surgeon to find out which procedure is best for you.

Specific Details and Rules:

1) Surgery reason can be set (and searched for) as Medical or Aesthetic

2) Surgery goals include four (4) procedures to choose from

a) Breast Implants (implant type is irrelevant now)
b) Breast Implants + Lift
c) Breast Lift Only
d) Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation

3) Procedure type will display on profile and be searchable.

4) Surgery procedure changes while fundraising are permitted. Although, any change in procedure type after a goal has been reached (while in Hall of Fame) will need to be approved by MFI management.

5) Raise only what you need! Funds raised above your ACTUAL surgery cost are not transferable to an additional procedure or new account.

Please consult our terms of service for the full website rules and details on returning for additional surgeries.

But what happens when you reach Hall of Fame and can no longer earn more, but due to rate changes you need additional funds? Here is what we recommend at each stage

Waiting for papers:
Do nothing. While waiting the 30 days to download papers you may see devaluation of the dollar, and therefore show a balance remaining to be earned, even though you’re still in Hall of Fame. Don’t panic, it will probably go back up. Do not contact us at this point.

Ready to download papers:
Write us if you show a large remaining balance. We would classify this as more than $100 U.S. dollars under your goal (or +2%). We’ve seen large drops in the U.S. dollar so if you’re even close to these amounts contact us. At this point we can take you out of Hall of Fame to earn the difference, while you send us your papers. Chances are you will reach your goal by the time we finish your review and be ready for payment without any delay.

Post Review Payment Process
When we receive your papers, and conduct your review, if you have finished raising the additional funds (or are close) we will make payment immediately. Important: Due to the above mentioned instability, we will fast track foreign payments. If you see a women receive a payment before another lady who sent papers in earlier, don’t be alarmed or upset. In order to protect against further currency devaluation we will make payments immediately, and not issue a payment agreement for a future date (I did this twice today). Everyone will still get their payments in a timely fashion, you just may notice a bit of leap frogging.

FAQ’s:

Q: Why is MFI’s currency conversion higher than I see on the Internet?

A: Rates you see on sites like XE are called “mid market rates”. What the hell does that mean? Banks make money by charging a higher rate to buy a currency than they paid for the currency initially. This is called the “Spread”. For instance, today XE gave me a rate of 1.625 when sending a wire in UK pounds (from Dollars). But when I went to make the wire with my bank, I paid over 1.677 + a $45 wire fee! This is why model goals are higher when covered on MFI. Sites like XE.com don’t account the banks transfer fees (profit) when customers make currency swaps.

Q: Will MFI cover minor currency devaluations so a model doesn’t have to come out of Hall of Fame?

A: Yes, of course. We do it all the time. The amount we’ll cover depends on the total goal amount. Please contact us regarding your specific situation.

Q: I’ve heard of the ability for banks to lock in rate for future currency transfers. Why doesn’t MFI lock the the rate once a model reaches the Hall of Fame?

A: We would love to lock in rates for future trades. Unfortunately, we have been denied trading accounts at half a dozen banks such as XeTrade, Forex, EverBank, HSBC, etc. This has nothing to do with our excellent financial standing or credit worthiness, but it has everything to do with our business. Providing women with free breast augmentations online somehow makes us high risk, regardless of our financial history.

Q: The U.S. Dollar keeps losing value! Why don’t you buy other currencies that you frequently use, and hold it for future payments?

A: See above. This is something several multinational banks offer, and could be an option for us but we’ve been limited by our business model. Foreign currency holdings would also increase the complexity of our surgery payment process, but we’ll continue to analyze options in the marketplace.

1. Pulling back because you think other people will notice.
Many women are concerned that their implants will look fake and that people are going to notice that they “got work done.”

Implants can look obvious – and like half-basketballs – when they are placed in front of the pectoralis muscle and are covered only by skin and breast glands. With that placement, you can see the outline of the implant all the way around, including the part that’s peeking out of a bathing suit, tank top, or bra. That’s the giveaway.

I always place implants subpectorally, which means that the upper half of the implant is behind the chest muscle and the lower half is behind the breast gland. That way, the part of the implant that peeks out is covered by muscle and skin and looks more natural. Most doctors choose this placement as well.

Patients tell me that their closest friends and family members often don’t notice that they got implants. They do notice that they look better, but they can’t put their finger why:
“New outfit?” “New hairstyle?” “Working out a lot?” “Just back from vacation?”
Unless you tell your friends or wear clothes that shout “I had a breast augmentation!” you can keep it a secret.

2. Being misled by before and after photos.
The problem with picking your implant size from online photos – besides the fact that the woman might be a different height, weight and starting breast size – is that pictures are often not labeled, and you may not know how far along she was in the healing process. You might be looking at pictures that were taken three months after surgery, when the implants were only 80 percent settled. At this point, they look bigger because they are pressed up high, like breasts look in a push-up bra. When the implants are fully settled at nine months, the breasts will have the illusion of looking smaller, and they’ll look even smaller in clothes. So choosing from a 3-month post-op picture is deceiving.

3. Shopping “cup size” instead of “breast look.”
By and large, (pun intended) women say they want to be a full C cup – but not a D! They have a preconceived notion that a C would proportional on them and a D would be the size of their grandmother’s bra. What most women want is to be in proportion, and they think that means a C cup.

I prefer to call it a C “look,” because bra cups sizes are variable and misleading. A C cup means one thing when made by Warner’s and another when it’s made by Victoria Secret.

To achieve a C “look,” a 5’1” tall woman with a small frame might need a B cup, while a 5’8” tall woman with a large frame might need a D cup.

During consultations at my office, I show prospective patients before and after photographs of women who started out exactly like them in height, weight, frame size, and breast volume. It’s like looking in a magic mirror of the future. Women tell me “too big,” “too small,” and “just right.” They consistently pick the same number of ccs. Each photo notes the size of the implants used, so I know what to order to give them the look they want on their body.

When we’re all done, they ask, “What cup size is that? If I say D, the woman often says, “I don’t want to be a D. Show me something smaller.” This is where they get into trouble. The letter doesn’t matter; it’s the look you’ve chosen, and it looks right to you.

4. Second-guessing yourself, or listening to your girlfriends.
When your girlfriend tells you that her 400 cc implants are too big and you should get 375 instead, cover your ears and disregard her well-meaning advice. The difference between a 375 and a 400 cc implant is less than 2 tablespoons – the amount of oil you’d add to your pancake mix. And unless your friend measures exactly the same as you, you’re not comparing apples to apples.

The solution? Trust yourself, and know that you’ve chosen the look that is right for you.

Dr. Ted Eisenberg is a Philadelphia plastic and reconstructive surgeon whose practice is focused solely on cosmetic breast surgery. He has done more surgeries for MyFreeImplants than any one surgeon in our history of operation. He also recently set a new world record for the most breast augmentation procedures performed in a lifetime. Contact Dr Eisenberg, he is truly a mammary magician!

In the early years of performing breast augmentation I would do what most surgeons do… have patients stuff a bra with different size implants. After doing this for several years I realized that this did not provide a realistic expectation. This only showed what you might look like in a bra and clothing. However, what most woman seek is a certain look to their breasts, without any clothing. So I changed my approach.

In order to provide a patient with a certain result I must understand what visual result is desired. Not a cups’ size. Therefore, I have all my patients provide pictures (preferably of women with implants, no adult men’s magazines) of the look they are seeking. I combine that with information gathered from the examination and make an implant size (cc’s) recommendation.

By not focusing on a certain cup size, but rather the visual result, I have been able to provide patients with predictable results that they are very pleased with.

So before going to the operating room, spend some time and do your homework. Websites like loveyourlook.com are great for finding before and after photographs of breast implant patients. Show these to your surgeon, and make sure he/she understands the look you want and that the implant size is appropriate for your anatomy. This will help assure you a pleasing result.

Dr. Steven S. Carp, M.D., F.A.C.S. is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and has specialized in cosmetic, plastic and reconstructive surgery since 1993.

I received a message from a two-time HOF’er (who often provides great advice in blogs ) the other day who was concerned about some of the newer ladies on the site having a difficult time talking to their doctor about MyFreeImplants. Jason had written an excellent How-To article a while back with tips and tricks on how to talk to your doctor about payment from the site, which can be found here:

How-To: Talking to your doctor about MyFreeImplants

To supplement the above article, I thought it would be a good idea to post a first-hand consultation experience as well. This helpful HOF’er has been kind enough to let me share it as a News post below:

How I brought up MFI to my surgeon’s office.

When I booked my consult, I contacted support and asked for a MFI payment pamphlet available to the ladies, which I brought along with me to my consult.

I first talked to the office manager, and we went over my medical history. After seeing the surgeon, trying on implants and making our final decision of what type of implants and the amount of cc’s (600 cc’s silicone), it was time to talk about payment.

The office manager asked me if I wanted to finance my surgery through their office. I handed her the payment pamphlet and let her look at it and read through it. She asked my how the site worked. Before answering her, I thought for a minute and said this…

“MFI is a cosmetic surgery financing website who pays for the full surgery amount.”

I had close to $7500 at the time of my consult (I was quoted at $8700). I told her I was going to have to raise my goal on the site. She then kind of looked at me like there was something wrong with me.

“I have $7500 in my account right now. I will have to make up the difference.”

Hmmm…. I explained, without going into detail, that MFI has paid out over $2 million toward implant surgeries, that the site was founded in 2005, and it was a legitimate company.

“How do we get paid?” She asked. My first response was. “I never touch the money, it is held in an account in my name until I have the full cost of the surgery. MFI, upon releasing the funds, will send the deposit and any other costs directly to you.”

“The company will send a certified check to your office when my payment release date comes up. Which if all goes well, you should be receiving it by the beginning of June. If the cost was under $7500 the site would pay via credit card along with all the appropriate identification!” She said it was fine as long as it was all legitimate!

I never brought up exactly how the money came into my account. But I did say: As a social network, people sign up and become friends, they then pay to send messages to the girls and give us lovely donations. At that she said… “Sounds good to me!” She wished me luck and asked me to keep her up to date when I reached my goal.

I never told her the inner workings of MFI. It was enough that she had the information she needed. She now has my payment agreement papers and Jeanette’s email and phone number, if any questions arise. So ladies.. that is how I mentioned MFI to my doctor.

My advice would be to get your consult BEFORE reaching HOF. For a lot of reasons! But also discuss MFI with the patient coordinator at the time of your consult.

My consult did cost me $100 out of pocket, but that is coming off the total cost of surgery. I will never see the money again… But it is what it is. And I am happy with my choice of surgeon and they are happy with my payment agreement!

Good luck ladies!

The cost of implants really depends. Different doctors, different patients, different medical history, different implants, different methods of surgery, different clinics, different parts of the country/world. All of these things factor into the costs.

However, if you are just looking to estimate your goal before you receive your consultation, you may want to check out the following link:

View Average Price By City

These reviews may help you estimate the price of implants in your city, but it is important to get a few different consultations from a few different doctors, in order to find the right doctor with the most accurate price quote for you.

For the purpose of enhancing the pectoral muscles, chest exercises seem less necessary after implant surgery, but are not unnecessary. Neporent explains that continuing chest exercises will actually keep the breast implants looking youthful and lifted for longer.

Implants are either placed on top or underneath the pectorals, and the type of implant procedure depends on several variables such as age, activity level, leanness, and the size of the implant. Regardless of the type of implants, the pectorals are the muscles that hold them in place, and it is important to maintain these muscles so they aren’t saggy and weak.

The only exception to this is if you are into hardcore body building, which could cause an array of problems if the lifting goes overboard. Lifting too much iron could increase the odds of implant displacement or an implant blow out, which is why good lifting techniques are even more important than ever after surgery.

Whether natural or man-made, all breasts perk up when the underlying supporting muscles are in shape. Most doctors will recommend waiting at least eight weeks after a breast implant procedure to exercise, but women who have had the procedure should always check in with their doctor first before engaging in any physical activity.

[ From: www.thatsfit.com ]

Wondering what your bra size is in a different country? Check out this international converter that corresponds to the sizing scale used in your country, and the equivalent sizes in all other international standards:  Bra Size Converter

If you have an iPhone, here is a simple app you can download that also can help to convert your bra size into international sizes:  “a Bra Size Conversion”

Good luck, and happy sizing!