Breast implants and other types of plastic surgery still fascinate the general public—which means that the sudden altering of your appearance may cause plenty of curiosity within your circle of friends and acquaintances. So you shouldn’t be surprised if you’re suddenly inundated with (at least slightly) intrusive questions about your latest enhancement.

Fortunately, there are a few tricks you can use to make fielding (and sometimes, quickly dismissing) those intrusive questions about your breast implants a little bit easier to bear.

  • Be as open as you want to be. When it comes to discussing breast implants and plastic surgery, some people are completely comfortable baring it all (literally)—including answering questions about the cost of the surgery and the reasons they decided to go for it, and even allowing people to touch their breast implants. Others decide that they want to avoid the subject (and the pat down) altogether. Think about how open you’d like to be about your breast implants, so you’ll know in advance whether a potentially intrusive question goes beyond your comfort zone.
  • Consider practicing a few responses before you even get the breast implants. It may be helpful to come up with a few favorite comebacks to the most common intrusive questions: Are they real? Have you had plastic surgery? Why would you get a boob job? And the even creepier: Can I touch them? Some people use humor: “Well, they’re not imaginary!” Others opt for simple and straightforward responses, like “That’s a very personal question, and I’d rather not discuss it.” With a little practice, you will have a perfect, well-rehearsed line to pull out when someone asks a tough question about your plastic surgery.
  • In the lead-up to your plastic surgery, keep the details of your breast implants to yourself. Letting your colleagues and circle of friends know that you’re getting breast implants opens yourself up to larger discussions about your plastic surgery—and since it appears that you’re totally ready to chat about your decision to bolster your breasts, it encourages your friends to ask more intrusive questions about your breast implants. If you’re not interested in giving your entire office the scoop on how many cup sizes you’ve bumped your breasts up, keep the details of your surgery vague, such as “I’ll be away getting a medical procedure done.” It’s a signal that you don’t want to answer scores of questions about the surgery once you get back to work.
  • Find out why they’re asking. Sometimes, the people asking intrusive questions don’t mean to be rude—they just don’t know the right (or at least, less rude) way to ask: “Are your boobs fake?” Try asking the questioner, “Why do you ask?” It may make a nosy person pause to consider whether their question is rude—and will let you get a sense if the person is simply interested in pursuing breast implants herself. (In which case, you may feel more comfortable being more open in sharing the details of your plastic surgery with her.)
  • Consider who’s asking. You don’t have to share the same amount of detail about your plastic surgery with every single person who asks. So go ahead and spill the beans on your new breast implants with your best friends at book club—but feel free to clam up when the stranger on the train or the barista at your favorite coffeehouse decides to ask something really aggressive about your surgery.
  • Guard your boundaries. If someone starts to cross the line—for instance, manhandling your breasts without your permission—don’t be afraid to simply walk away without another word. When it comes down to it, whether your breasts are real or fake is nobody’s business but your own.
  • Be prepared to deal with an occasional naysayer. While many people will be very supportive of your decision to get breast implants, you may come across a person or two who has a negative opinion of plastic surgery—and isn’t afraid to share it, via rude comments and intrusive questions. Don’t be afraid to give the person a quick, “Well, it’s not necessarily for everyone—but it was the right decision for me,” before you give her the cold shoulder.