On Saturday, May 30, in front of a hometown crowd at the El Paso County Coliseum and a national audience on ESPN, Stephanie “The Enforcer” Han defended her WBA lightweight world title against Holly Holm and won by decision, improving to 13-0. About four months earlier, she had a breast augmentation at Southwest Plastic Surgery. We sat down with Dr. Frank Agullo, MD, FACS, the practice’s medical director, and with Stephanie, to talk through it.
Stephanie, Why Did You Decide to Do This?
Stephanie: “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time, and I always held back because of the stigma, that you shouldn’t do it because it’s going to affect your performance as a professional fighter. But I’m doing it for myself. At the end of the day, I’m still Stephanie Han. I’m still a world champion boxer, still a police officer, still a mother of two, still a woman of God. It doesn’t change who I am.”
You’re a Mom of Two Who Breastfed Both. How Did That Factor In?
Stephanie: “I’m a mom of two, and I breastfed both of my kids. No one tells you your breasts won’t be the same afterward. I could do a million push-ups and it would not change this. It was probably my biggest insecurity, and I knew this would give me back my confidence.”
Dr. Agullo, What Did Her Case Take to Plan?
Dr. Agullo: The surgery itself was straightforward; she is in great shape with a very healthy lifestyle. The interesting part was her asymmetry, which is typical. On the Chrysalix 3D simulation we planned a 265cc Demi Ergonomix on the right and a 315cc Full Ergonomix on the left, and the Motiva Ergonomix implants move with the body, which gives a really natural, symmetric result. The most demanding part was the recovery. She is a champion boxer and a police officer, and the goal was to get her back to work the next day and back to her training camp within two weeks, and we achieved both.
What Did the Procedure Involve?
Dr. Agullo: We placed the implants with the Motiva Preservé technique. We make a small incision in the fold, create the pocket above the muscle and behind the breast gland, with no cutting and no electrocautery. We use a balloon to open the space, so the pocket is defined by the breast’s own ligaments, which means we preserve the nerves and arteries and do not need a mesh. It was conscious sedation, the whole operation was less than thirty minutes, and we used EXPAREL, a long-acting local placed between the ribs that numbs the breast for the first three days. She woke up talking, with no pain, able to raise her arms over her head, and went home within an hour.
Stephanie, What Was the Recovery Like?
Stephanie: “Dr. Agullo said I’d be fully recovered after two weeks, and I didn’t believe it until it happened. Maybe a little discomfort for about three days, and after that it felt amazing. It’s been about four months and it truly feels like I didn’t get them done. Today I sparred 12 rounds with no pain, I run seven miles easily, and it feels like nothing, like part of my body.”
She Never Told Her Coach. What Does That Tell You?
Dr. Agullo: I was surprised, but it made for an interesting test, because her coach was blinded to it. He watched her train and spar through the whole camp toward the title defense and thought she was in the best shape he had ever seen. That tells me the augmentation did not get in the way of her performance or her range of motion. And to be clear, the implants did not make her a better fighter. They boosted her confidence enormously, but the point is that they did not affect her fighting at all.
How Did the MedSpa Support Her Recovery?
Dr. Agullo: Southwest Plastic Surgery runs a clinic and a MedSpa under one roof, and the two meet during recovery. ElixirMD uses LED light therapy, which is FDA cleared and one of the more powerful tools we have for bringing down swelling, redness, and inflammation faster. Lymphatic drainage massage moves the edema out, helps avoid fibrosis, and gets patients up and moving sooner, and it feels great. We also routinely use IV drips, because the chance of dehydration after surgery is high, and we can add supplements, peptides, and vitamins based on what the patient needs. It is a holistic approach that makes recovery faster, better, and more comfortable, which matters even more for an athlete on the clock. The broader procedure details are on our breast augmentation page.
Stephanie, How Do You Feel About the Result?
Stephanie: “They’re so symmetrical, so nice and perky. It’s taken my confidence from probably a six to a ten. I feel beautiful, I feel strong, I feel confident. I love them, I truly do.”
Is This Recovery Realistic for Everyone?
Dr. Agullo: It is realistic for most women having a Preservé augmentation on its own. If they are not having anything else done, I expect them back to work within one to three days and back in the gym after about two weeks. If a patient also needs a breast lift, or is having liposuction or a mommy makeover with a tummy tuck, that changes everything, and the recovery is dictated by those other procedures. We plan every case around the patient in front of us. For the full clinical breakdown, see Dr. Agullo’s interview on agulloplasticsurgery.com, and for the editorial version, his post on drworldwide.com.
Stephanie, Any Advice for Someone Considering This?
Stephanie: “This is one of the things I do not regret at all, and I wish I’d done it sooner. Don’t listen to the stigma. You can still be strong, you can still be beautiful, and you can still perform at 100 percent. To all the female athletes, especially women champion boxers, and especially the moms who breastfed, if you have two weeks, you can do it.”
About Dr. Frank Agullo
Dr. Frank Agullo is double board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and completed his plastic surgery fellowship at Mayo Clinic. He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and an Affiliate Professor at the University of Texas at El Paso. He has been named a Castle Connolly Top Doctor for thirteen consecutive years and was inducted into the Texas Super Doctors Hall of Fame in 2025. He is one of the first certified users of the Motiva Preservé breast augmentation system, trained directly by Motiva.
Schedule a Motiva Preservé Consultation at Southwest Plastic Surgery
If you have delayed a breast augmentation because you cannot afford weeks away from training or work, the Southwest Plastic Surgery team can tell you whether Motiva Preservé fits your anatomy and your goals, what implants make sense for your frame, and where the MedSpa side can support your recovery before and after surgery.
Call (915) 590-7900, text 1-866-814-0038, or book a consultation online. Follow Dr. Agullo on social at @RealDrWorldWide on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, @Agullo on X, or @AgulloPlasticSurgery on Facebook. #StayBeautiful
