A mum who treated herself to a boob job to feel confident in a bikini has claimed she was left “beyond botched” and is now too terrified to date. Fishing boat captain Tara Thompson, 55, splashed out $11,000 (£8,700) on a breast augmentation and lift in 2020.
Having raised two children, she wanted to fix her “biggest insecurity” and boost her 36C chest to a 36D. But the dream makeover quickly turned into a living nightmare.
The Hawaii-based skipper suffered a string of horrific complications, including a detached muscle, agonising infections and a nipple that turned black due to necrosis—where the body’s flesh literally dies.
Tara, from Kailua-Kona, said: “I was constantly in a bathing suit because of my career working as a fishing captain. I wanted to give myself that present [of breast surgery].
“The doctor talked me into going larger than I originally wanted. It was my biggest insecurity. It was the beginning of a new chapter.”
While the first op seemed successful, things took a dark turn just months later in February 2021 when her left breast became rock hard.
Doctors discovered a build-up of dried blood, leading to a revision surgery and then a third operation to remove the implant entirely. Days later, the horror truly began as necrosis set in.
Tara said: “The nipple started to turn black. I was shocked. I was very sick at this stage. I couldn’t eat. Two weeks after the third surgery, I told him I’m sick.”
After undergoing tests, the situation became a matter of life and death. Tara said: “[After taking a test for infections] he told me I needed to be on the next flight out or I was going to die. I was told I had three infectious diseases. I was riddled with infection.”
Even after the infection was cleared and the implant replaced, the results were devastating. Tara says the new implant sat near her “collar bone” and left her skin “dimpling.”
The agony didn’t stop there. Tara suffered such excruciating back pain that she couldn’t even brush her own hair. It was later discovered that her pectoral muscle had actually detached from her sternum and stomach.
She said: “I was in so much pain that my crew actually had to help me off the boat so I could lay down on my back just to stop the spasming of my muscles.
“I went from 140lbs to 111lbs, my entire world was just blowing up. I was in daily pain. I was just surviving, not functioning.”
In 2024, Tara finally made the decision to have both implants removed for good. However, the physical and emotional scars remain, leaving the singleton fearful of intimacy.
She said: “I’m single. I haven’t reached that point where mentally I can let somebody see me without a top on. It’s put me off dating. I think I’ve been beyond botched.”
She is now desperate to warn other women about the risks of cosmetic surgery. Tara said: “I’d say to anyone looking to get breast implants, make sure you do extensive research before going into surgery.
“I still have physical pain now. I only have about a third of the strength that I had before all of this. I’ll never get implants again.”
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