Mr Shoaib performs every breast enlargement himself and sees you at both consultations and your 12-week review. Alongside his rhinoplasty practice he has a long-standing breast surgery practice, and he publishes his breast outcomes in peer-reviewed journals, including five-year results of the PERLE implant (Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 2026; Mr Shoaib is a Key Opinion Leader for GC Aesthetics, which makes PERLE) and a ten-year series of breast lift with implants (JPRAS Open, 2026). These studies report patients treated by Mr Shoaib and his colleagues at a Glasgow clinic where he operates; individual results vary.
Your Consultation
Two Consultations And Time To Decide
Your first consultation is with Mr Shoaib at 64 Harley Street. It costs £100, which is credited against your fee if you go ahead. He will:
- Talk through what you would like to change and why, and ask about your wellbeing. If he feels surgery is not right for you, he will tell you.
- Review your medical history, medication and any previous breast surgery or family history of breast cancer.
- Examine and measure your chest and breasts, including the width of each breast and the quality of your skin and breast tissue.
- Let you try implant sizers in a bra, so you can see the volume in the mirror.
- Explain your implant, placement and incision options, the risks, and the recovery.
We then give you time to think. In line with the Royal College of Surgeons of England standards, there are at least 2 weeks between your first consultation and your surgery. After your first consultation we send you your consultation letter and consent form to read at home. Your second consultation is with Mr Shoaib on the morning of your operation, when he goes through the plan with you again before you sign your consent.
Questions To Ask Any Surgeon
Whoever you see, these are good questions to ask. Here are our answers:
Breast Implants In London
Shape, Size, Placement And Incision
Mr Shoaib uses Nagor breast implants, made by GC Aesthetics. All are silicone gel implants. The range includes round and anatomical (teardrop) shapes, smooth and textured surfaces, and many sizes and profiles, including the smooth PERLE implant. Your implant is chosen with Mr Shoaib at your consultation, based on your measurements, your tissue and what can be safely achieved.
What Is Decided With You
- Shape: round implants add fullness to the upper breast; anatomical (teardrop) implants are fuller lower down, for a more sloping profile.
- Size and profile: measured in cc and chosen to fit the width of your breast, rather than by aiming for a cup size.
- Surface: smooth or textured. Mr Shoaib explains the difference, including the link between textured implants and BIA-ALCL described below.
- Placement: above the chest muscle (subglandular), below it (submuscular), or dual plane, partly under the muscle. More cover from your own tissue can help the implant look and feel softer.
- Incision: in the fold under the breast (inframammary), around the edge of the areola (periareolar) or in the armpit (transaxillary).
Nagor implants come with the GC Aesthetics lifetime warranty (terms apply), which provides free replacement implants if an implant ruptures or develops severe capsular contracture (Baker grade III or IV). It covers the implants, not the cost of further surgery. Breast implants are not lifetime devices, and you may need further surgery in the future.
Declared interest: Mr Shoaib is a Key Opinion Leader for GC Aesthetics, the maker of Nagor implants. You are welcome to ask about other implant options at your consultation.
Safety And Risks
What You Should Know Before Surgery
All surgery carries risks. Mr Shoaib explains them in person at your consultation, and you take written information home to read before you decide. Tap each heading to read more.
Bleeding And Infection
A collection of blood (haematoma) or an infection can occur soon after surgery and may need a return to theatre. Rarely, an implant has to be removed to treat an infection and replaced later.
Capsular Contracture
Your body forms a thin layer of scar tissue (a capsule) around every implant. Sometimes it tightens, making the breast feel firm, look misshapen or become painful. Severe contracture usually needs further surgery.
Implant Rupture
The implant shell can tear, sometimes years later and sometimes without symptoms (a silent rupture). An ultrasound or MRI scan is used to check, and a ruptured implant is usually replaced.
Changes In Sensation
The nipple and breast skin can feel numb or more sensitive. This usually settles over months but can be permanent.
Scarring, Shape And Position
Scars usually fade but can stay red or thicken. Implants can move, sit too low, too high or too far apart, show rippling under thin skin, or leave some asymmetry. Some of these need further surgery.
Breastfeeding
Many women breastfeed after breast enlargement, but surgery can affect milk supply, particularly with an incision around the areola.
Anaesthetic
General anaesthesia carries its own small risks, including reactions to medication and, rarely, blood clots. Your anaesthetist assesses you before surgery.
BIA-ALCL
Breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is a rare cancer of the immune system that can develop in the scar capsule around an implant. It is not breast cancer. The MHRA, the UK regulator, reports 1 case per 12,187 breast implants and tissue expanders sold in the UK (data to 31 December 2024). Almost all cases have been in women with textured implants.
It usually shows as a fairly quick, painless swelling of one breast from fluid around the implant, on average 7 to 10 years after surgery, and is usually curable when found early. The MHRA does not advise removing implants if you have no symptoms. Contact us or your GP if a breast swells or you find a lump more than a year after surgery. Read the MHRA guidance on BIA-ALCL.
Breast Implant Illness
Some women with implants report symptoms such as tiredness, joint pain, anxiety or "brain fog". The MHRA says it is not known whether implants cause these symptoms, and some women report feeling better after removal. Read the MHRA information on breast implant illness.
What Mr Shoaib’s Published Research Shows
In a study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal (2026), 738 patients had PERLE breast implants at a Glasgow clinic where Mr Shoaib operates and were followed for up to five years (median 34 months). After breast augmentation alone, 0.5% of patients developed capsular contracture, 2.2% had an implant-related complication, and 2.5% had needed further surgery for an implant-related problem by five years.
An earlier study of 374 patients from the same clinic, with an average follow-up of 18 months, reported no capsular contracture (Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum, 2023).
Both are retrospective studies from one clinic, including patients treated by Mr Shoaib’s colleagues, and follow-up is still shorter than the lifetime of an implant. Your own risks depend on your health and the operation you have, and Mr Shoaib explains them at your consultation. Declared interest: Mr Shoaib is a Key Opinion Leader for GC Aesthetics, which makes PERLE.
Implants Are Not Lifetime Devices
Implants can last many years, but they may need to be replaced or removed at some point. A patient guide from the UK breast and plastic surgery associations (ABS, BAAPS and BAPRAS, 2021) puts the chance of needing another operation at about 1% a year, around 10% after 10 years. For what happens if further surgery is needed, see our terms and conditions.
The National Implant Registry
We record your implant on the national Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry, so you can be traced and contacted if there is ever a safety concern about a product.
Breast Screening With Implants
Keep going to your NHS breast screening appointments. Tell the radiographer you have implants: extra X-ray views are offered, because implants can hide some breast tissue. Mammograms are considered safe with implants.
Surgery Day And Recovery
Your Week-By-Week Guide
Breast enlargement is a day case at Harley Health Village, 64 Harley Street, a hospital regulated by the Care Quality Commission. Recovery is different for everyone. The timings below are typical and depend on your implant placement; Mr Shoaib confirms them for you.
- Surgery dayYour second consultation with Mr Shoaib, then about 1 hour of surgery under general anaesthetic. Most patients go home the same day, by complimentary chauffeur within London. You must not drive for at least 24 hours after a general anaesthetic, and should have a responsible adult with you for the first night.
- Next dayMost patients can return to desk work from the next day if they feel comfortable. Avoid lifting your arms above shoulder height.
- First few daysTightness and soreness, managed with the pain relief we prescribe. Wear your support bra day and night and sleep on your back.
- 72 hoursYou can usually drive again from 72 hours, once you can wear a seatbelt and make an emergency stop comfortably.
- Day 7Your post-operative review with our nursing team, to check your wounds and recovery.
- 10 daysYou can usually start to sleep on your side.
- 2 weeksLight exercise, such as brisk walking and gentle cardio.
- 6 weeksReturn to full exercise, swimming and heavy lifting. Your support bra is worn for 6 weeks.
- 12 weeksYour review with Mr Shoaib.
- 4 to 6 monthsThe implants drop and soften into their final position. One side may settle before the other.
- 6 to 12 monthsYour final review, included in your fee.
One breast suddenly swells or becomes very painful, you have a high temperature, or a wound becomes red, hot or leaks fluid. Message us straight away on our 24-hour online messaging service; if you cannot reach us quickly, or the swelling is getting worse, go to your nearest A&E and tell them you have had breast surgery. If you have chest pain, breathlessness or a swollen, painful calf, call 999.
