Breast Implant Removal: Stories

For years I was never happy with by perky 36B boobs. I thought since I was 18 that I wanted to get breast implants. My older sister had them and I thought it would make me feel more confident when wearing a bathing suit. My left boob was larger than my right boob, but to many people they said they could not notice it. Fast foward to 2 years ago, April 2010, I made the decision to get Breast Implants, it was kind of a on the whim situation. I went and only had 1 consultation with the dr and I went thru the dr my sister had both of her surgeries thru and many of her friends. I informed the dr I was unhappy with the fact that my boobs were not the same size and that I wanted larger ones. I said I wanted to be a full C, but he suggested a D would fit my body frame better. I am 5'2" and weighed about 135. I took his advice and booked my surgery date.

For the past two years I have never truly been happy with my implants. I am currently at 36D and they are just too large. I have mentor smooth round saline implants, my left is 380CC and my right is 320CC, placed above the muscle with the incision on the bottom half of my nipples. It is hard to work out, run, find clothes that fit properly. I am not stuck with the reality of "what have I done to myself?" I was depressed and didnt know where to turn, so I started to research possibly getting a implant revision to a smaller size. All I want to be is back to my perky 36B boobs I was born with. At the time I did not realize you could completely remove your implants. After much research and reading multiple stories on this site, I have decided that the route I want to go is to remove the implants completely, and hopefully be able to escape the route of a breast lift. I really do not want the scar. I am 27 years old, only had the implants for 2 years, and never been pregnant. I am hoping that my skin elasticity is still good enough, to where my boobs post explant will bounce back to where they were prior. I have my first consultation on May 17 with a dr in Valencia, recommended by someone on this site, and another consultation with a different dr on June 6 in Beverly Hills. Ironically, my boss is have a breast implant revision with smaller implants as well as a lift thru the dr in Beverly Hills.

I just want to thank everyone for sharing their stories on here, because it truly has helped me to know I am not going thru this alone. I am planning on having the removal done mid July. I will post updates regarding every step of my journey.

So it is 2 days from my first consultation with a PS to see exactly what my options are regarding getting my implants removed. I am so anxious and really wish I could have the surgery before mid July, but due to being in a wedding in July I dont think I will have enough time to fully heal, but we shall see. If I am able to get them out sooner without complications regarding previous planned vacations than I definitely want to do it. I will update everyone with what the doctor says after my consultation. I believe the waiting game is the hardest part once you have finally made up your mind on what you want to do.

So I had my consultation yesterdaywith the dr in Valencia that was recommended to me by someone on this site. I walked in super nervous and pleasantly only waited about 5 min before I was taken to a room to meet with the doctor. This was already starting out better than my appointments with the doctor who put them in. I usually had to wait an hour or longer to see him. Once I was taken into the room I was given a book to look at some pics of before and after of breast implant removal and revisions. He had a couple of just breast implants and they looked great to me. I met with the doctor who was very attentive and answered all of my questions. Since I was not properly prepared nor researched accordingly prior to putting the implants in, I wanted to make sure every and all questions were asked up front. The dr said he did not understand why the original surgeon put my implants on top of my muscle, but that by me completely removing the implant my boobs should go back to what size they were prior or even a little smaller. He asked if I wanted to lipo on one of my boobs to make the asymmetry less and I said no, my boyfriend would be the only person seeing my boobs that close. I went to get my quote from his assistant and it was what I was hoping it would be. I told her the date of when I wanted my surgery, and she only had the next day available. She asked if that was fine and I said it was, paid my deposit, and then went and toured the pre/post op room and the op room. I went back to meet with the dr where he explained all of the medicines I will need to take prior and post surgery and he took my pictures. I feel so at ease now that this has all been decided and just have to wait 2 months. Thankfully between 3 vacations and 2 weddings the next 2 months will fly by and by no time I will be back to my normal self.

So my surgery date of explantation is July 20. He said I can shower the next day, which is a nice change from the 29 days I couldnt shower prior, and that my stitches will only be in 7-12 days, which is also a nice change from the 29 days mine were in before. Since he is going thru the same incision, he is going to do a scar revision at the same time, to minimize my original scar since he doesnt like the way it looks. I will update more as the date gets closer.

Well its almost time for the surgery. My surgery is in 2 weeks from tomorrow. I am starting to get anxious and nervous and just want it to be July 20th already so I can be done with it. My surgery is at 2 pm so I will be coming to work for part of that day, I figured itd be better to be at work keeping me busy, then sitting around the house getting more anxious. Also since I cant eat past midnight the night prior I know I will be starving before surgery so Id rather keep busy. :) I picked up my prescriptions last week for the surgery, so all I have left is the waiting game. I think I am most nervous about being put to sleep. The pain doesnt worry me because when I had them put in it was not bad. I cant wait to be back to my natural size and to go shopping for new clothes and bathing suits. I have booked a trip to Aruba in September and hope that my boobs post op will have fluffed up enough to feel comfortable once again in a bathing suit. I hope the time flies by the next 2 weeks :)

So the big day is this Friday, in 4 days. Last night I already couldnt sleep well because I am so anxious to get it done with. I am hoping this doesnt continue for the rest of the week. I dont know if I am more anxious to go thru the surgery or to see what the outcome is. I just hope that this week flys by and that it is Friday night already! This site has been great for me and it is so nice to know you are not alone!

Well tomorrow will be here before I know it. I just really want to thank everyone on here, the days leading up to surgery have been easier for me than I had imagined after reading everyones reviews and see the pictures of the progression of the post op pics. I am looking forward to finally being back to my original self again. All I have to do is get thru tonight and part of tomorrow. I will try my best to update tomorrow night, but if not I will definitely update on Saturday. Thanks again to everyones kind comments. I am posting a better view of my boobs now.

Well my surgery is done. I am writing this from my bed at home. My surgery time was upped by an hour. The doctor, nurse and Anesthesiologist all called me last night. I was able to eat an egg and piece of toast before 7 am as long as I had no dairy. I definitely didn't sleep well last night, woke up every couple of hours. I went to work this morning for a couple hours and then came home and showered and left for the surgery center. Once I arrived I changed into my garments for surgery. The Anesthesiologist had some issues finding a vein in my arm to use for the iv. The doctor came into the pre-op room to take my pictures and draw where he wanted to do the incisions. He disnt like the way my scars looked from my first surgery so he did a scar revision to both my boobs. I walked myself to the operating room and they attempted again in my arm and then decides to use my hand. The Anesthesiologist put a mask on my face and told me to breathe in and out multiple times. Next thing I knew I was in the post op room waking up and putting my own clothes back on. I am in minimal pain, I took a sneak peak and my boobs aren't that bad. My nipples are a little wrinkly but I know they'll fluff back up. I go in Monday afternoon for my check up. Will update more this weekend! Thank you again to everyone for the well wishes this site has helped me through this whole journey and I hope to be able to help others . I can say one thing it's nice to touch my boobs and feel softness and no hardness! :)

I definitely barely slept last night, not sure if its bc of being uncomfortable sleeping on my back or from the pain meds or dehydration. I kept waking up every 45 min to an hour throughout the whole night though. I am in very minimal pain and just been icing myself a lot. I cant wait for my boobs to start fluffing but still I am so happy with the doctor and with the decision I made. As a lot of other women have said on here you really do feel free once they are out of you. I have my follow up appointment on Monday and will update after that appointment. I have also posted some new pictures. One which was taken a couple hours after surgery, one that shows pre implants, with implants and post implants and one of the bruise on my arm from them attempting to put the IV in. Thanks again to all the amazing comments this past week wishing me well!

So it's is now 2 days post op, the doctor called me again yesterday morning to check on me. He explained the reason my surgery took longer than he thought was that my left boob my implant came out easily but my right one had a lot of scar tissue and he could tell I had issues w originally healing. He said he cleaned it up for me. The only issue i see is my right nipple its slightly inverted but im hoping it pops back out. Hes gonna check it out tomorrow in my follow up appt. I was able to shower yesterday which was so nice since when I had my breast augmentation I couldn't shower for 29 days. I've been taking it easy, I did go to dinner last night though but that was all. Today I will be accompanying my boyfriend to the grocery store and then we are going to see a movie. I am still so happy I went thru this and can't wait to see how they look once healed.

Had my post op check up with the doctor today. They changed my tape and told me that everything is healing perfectly. I was told I could move to a different bra than what they sent me home in. I chose a Pro Shaper Wirefee Sports Bra and I am proud to say it is a 36 B. Prior to the removal I was a 36 D. I am not 3 days post op, my boobs are firming up more each day. I spoke to the doctor today regarding my nipple and he said it should go back to normal after my boobs have firmed up more. I get my stitches removed in a week and will soon after be able to start working out. I am still so happy that I decided to explant and cant wait to full heal and get into better shape. I am posting an updated picture, you will see my stretch marks I still have from prior to getting implants and the other wrinkles are from the padding I was wearing with the bra. I cant wait to see how things go the next few weeks and months.

I am now 6 days post op and this are going smoothly. I quit taking my pain killers two days ago. The downside of taking them is the constipation. I was sick all day yesterday and didnt go to work. I have now switched to Motrin to help with the pain. I am feeling pretty good and love my natural real boobs. I am posting a new picture 6 days post op and a pic of the bra I got that I love. Cant wait for the stitches to come out.

I am now 12 post op and am absolutely thrilled with the results of my surgery and my boobs. They are almost fluffed to what they were prior to ever getting implants, and the scars have healed wonderfully. I get my stitches removed today, I cant wait to not have to sleep on my back anymore, and be able to fully enjoy a shower. I do however think I have spitting stitches in my left boob, which is what happened when I had the breast augmentation. I shall know more after my appointment which is in an hour. I cant wait to be cleared to work out, so I can get back to my regular self. I am so happy with the decision I made, I just wish I would have had the implants removed earlier and not been so unhappy all this time. It really is crazy how much smaller a person can look without having the huge uncomfortable implants in.

It has now been 5 1/2 weeks since my surgery. I have been working out 6-7 days a week for the past 3 months. My boobs have basically gone back to pre implant state. They are still 2 different sizes, my right is smaller than my left. This used to bother me but now I embrace it and love it. I went shopping over the past couple weeks for swim suits and new bras. I am so happy with the results, my scars look better than they did with the implants in and you can barely notice them anymore. I really am so happy that I went thru with the surgery and am looking fwd to seeing how much more I heal over the coming months. My inverted nipple I was worried about for the most part has corrected itself. If you are unsure of if this is something you want to do or not, I would say go for it!! I get compliments all the time about how my natural boobs fit me so much better.