41 Y/o Breast Lift with Explant of 17 Y/o Implants - Fat Transfer from Belly to Breast - East Lansing, MI

I have been meaning to do this post ever since I hit the 3 month mark but time has just escaped me. I can hardly believe it has been almost 4 months already. I feel like I even have lost track of my recovery because at this point, I feel 100% completely normal and healed and quite frankly sometimes find it hard to believe that I even had a surgery a few months ago.

It has honestly been since about the 4 week mark that I really have complained of anything other than some minor itching here and there. Many of my visual hangups I was having previously have subsided. I am constantly remarking how much I love them and what a great job I think that he did. I used nothing but paper tape on my scars consistently for the entire 3 months that was suggested. I think it did a fantastic job. I have absolutely no complaints regarding my scars aside from a small area on my nipple that is healing slightly behind the rest of the skin due to scabing. There is still strange bump on the left outer edge underneath that I don't quite understand. It continues to itch on occasion and I will likely ask the doctor to check it sooner than the 6 month mark if that continues.

If something becomes of that, I will report again sooner but otherwise I will update again in a couple of months after my 6 month check up.

I am thrilled that I made the choice to do this procedure. The boobs I have now are honestly the boobs I had really desired all along when I went for the implants in the first place. If that is one piece of wisdom I can share going forward is: Do the lift instead of the implants if you are contemplating between the two. It will save you some money :)

Today's visit was pretty routine. Doctor said things are healing great and that he thinks the scars are going to turn out very nicely due to the taping. He said he could tell that I am consistent with my tape. He removed 2 sutures today. One that has been sticking out forever and bugging me so I was glad to see that go. The other was on a spot that i had not noticed was quite raised and swollen until I arrived at the docs. I knew it was itchy as was the other suture site and I could feel that it was raised slightly but I had assumed it was just scabbing since I am tapped all the time and can not actually see it. Once the tape was off I started inspecting the area and realized I had the same suture issue on the opposite side as well. At this point this one was sticking out as well so I was even more relieved to have to one gone after seeing the swelling. He assured me it was just irritation from that suture.

Things I am currently not liking:

I am still kind of hung up on feeling as though the left hangs lower but I do feel it has become less noticeable. I am either getting used to it or some swelling is still subsiding. After seeing the suture swelling issue on that side today, I am more confident that I have a ways to go.

My right nipple. For some reason I never even noticed this until changing tape Tue night but, my right nipple seems oddly shaped now. Almost as if I stretched it somehow during healing. It's no longer round to me, it seems oblong. On both sides when looking straight down, I see some slight indenting on the inside of each nipple. I hope it's that scabbing still holding the skin funny.

The doctor's response to all this is that he doesn't agree and I just need to give it time. Lots of time. I agree one month is nothing in the big scheme of things so I will remain positive and hope my areas of concern improve with time!

First I will discuss all of the good stuff. Recovery has been really great. I am basically back to feeling like myself. I am back to all of my usual activities except for shooting shotgun. Even though I was cleared to do so, the thought of something kicking back onto my boob just doesn't sound like something I am ready to see if it is comfortable doing yet. I am sleeping really well. I was cleared to sleep on my side again. Even though this is the case, I find myself still starting my night on my back. When I do turn on my side during the night I am very self aware about it and I try to not stay on one side for too long. Only because it makes me feel as though I am putting too much pressure on them and I am still paranoid of my incisions opening. Regardless, I am sleeping comfortably and it is a restful sleep so that is all that matters. My tummy is no longer tender. There is still some lumpiness but it is very minor and seems to improve every day.

Now on to my complaints. The itching has been relatively uncomfortable. It is not constant but when it starts, it is always right on the lower incision line and I am not really comfortable scratching in that area so I kind of just suffer. It is pretty short lived though so only about 15 min at a time will it be irritating and only maybe 1-2 times a day. I also still have a suture that is poking out of the skin. I had initially trimmed it hoping it would come out soon on its own but it is still there all short and stubly constantly poking out. The more I heal, the more I also notice that the left is not only larger but it sits lower as well. Now I understood that there was some asymmetry prior and he even said that they won't be twins but will be sisters BUT, I would think that something as far as where they sit is totally within his control. I had a lift so why would size difference effect where they sit on my chest. Obviously I am not a doctor so I could be totally wrong. Maybe the asymmetry does create that problem. I also started to worry that maybe the left has some fluid build up which is causing it to continue to be larger and hang lower. I sure hope not because I do not want needle aspiration but this would probably be my number one complaint esthetically. I noticed the really large pleat I had around the right nipple is much better than last week. The tape that was on 2 weeks ago had been holding it together in a way that really accentuated the pleat temporarily. When we changed tape this week I noticed it was a lot less significant and I think the only reason it still sticks out from the other pleating is due to the scab right at the location pulling at it. Not pleased with any pleating but most of it is very minor other than that spot and I still have a lot of faith that time will really smooth things. I know from this site that with stuff like that it often just takes patience. I'd like to believe the same about the height difference in my boobs too but I am having trouble giving that as much faith. I know we are much more critical of ourselves than anything and perhaps this difference is completely unnoticeable and negligible to most but with that said, I shouldn't have to just be happy with the idea either. There is also a strange ridge of fatness on my tummy. I am guessing it is simply an area above the area he did the lipo so it doesn't quite blend with the rest of the tummy.

Now I feel it is very important to say that regardless of my minor hangups, this is a decision I am completely happy to have made. It feels fantastic to be free of the implants. It feels even better to not have gigantic breasts. I would do it all again without hesitation even if it meant uneven breasts. Lets hope though that is not the case and that this is just a minor bump in the road.