Breast Implant Removal: Stories

So glad I found this website! I have silicone 500 cc under muscle implants for 12 yrs. Sooo tired of them now, makes it really hard to work out, jog, horseback ride, anything active. I really want to explant completely... I'm gonna be 50 this year, and I'm just so over looking like porn star boobs!

So I have appt. with my original PS Feb. 8th. I already asked the office staff his surgery schedule & he could perform as early as Feb 21st, which I'm going to try and book. I've already made up my mind to explant, regardless of sagginess outcome. I'm so tired of these heavy things weighing me down, they are 500 cc unders. I'm only 5'4" around 115 lbs. & they look waayyyy too big for my frame. Plus they ache a lot, too, mostly my left one. I have to wear 2 bras to bed, my regular bra plus a sports bra. I feel like I'm suffocating with this huge weight on my chest. I had to give up jogging because of the back and hip pain. And now my back hurts most of the time, even just washing dishes...it's ridiculous.
My concerns are having to have the capsule removed, and using drains. I don't think I have cc, they are pretty soft and pliable. I want to do it with just local anethesia, and hope to use the original scar, areola. Trying to minimize down time.
I think this has been a journey in self acceptance. A hard lesson to learn, I feel ashamed sometimes for all the $$ I've spent. But chalk it up to older and wiser I guess.
Hoping to hurry things along and get back to the new and improved good ole' me!

Wellll.....had the consult with my PS today. He tried to talk me out of it basically, and said my breasts are "absolutely perfect". I agree they turned out fine, no cc or anything. He gave no particular reason why I occasionally experience pain. He would use the original peri-areola incision, no drains, general anesthesia/twilight. He said everyone is disappointed with their results after explant. I don't think he's performed many. But he was kind, and said the decision is of course mine, but said he hopes I don't explant.
I told him I'm just tired of them....the weight, the neck and back pain, not being able to run, be as active, etc., told him I'm over going to the river & wearing pasties. So I'm discouraged. Left the office feeling very bummed.
I made a consultation with Dr. Pousti for Feb 19. Would like to see what he has to say.
Has anyone else used Dr. Pousti, or know someone who did? I see he reviews a lot on here, but the outside reviews/ratings were mixed.
Please help!

Ugh....So I went to another consult today. PS said that because of my age, & size of implants (500), if I explant with no lift it will be "horrendous"...."bags of skin"..... Great, just great. I asked about the "fluffing up" within the first several months or so, and he discounted that theory, and said "what you see right afterward, is what you will get." Ugh... I really don't want a lift, more scars, pain, etc. Crud, now what??? HELP!

DR. POUSTI - Had a consult today, and he's the one. Very professional and believes that I will have a good outcome. He said I have enough tissue, good skin elacsticity, and don't need a lift. Complete opposite of what the other Dr. told me. Plus....he was less expensive!! I will schedule for March...so excited!!

Six days to go now...sooo excited!!! And yet nervous/apprehensive also. I am so ready to move on with a more healthy lifestyle without toxic ticking time bombs in my chest. For over a year now, I've been trying to "go green"....I eat organic, grow a garden, have my own chickens, etc. Plus I make my own lotion, soap, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, I threw out all my Mac makeup because of its high toxicity rating, Then a light bulb clicked about my implants and possibly leaking silicone into my body....talk about counterproductive! I already had it with the pain of these giant things as it was, and that was just the icing on the cake. I wonder if the constant joint pain in my elbows has anything to do with it??? Do these things concern anyone else, or am I just being over-dramatic? Thoughts please, thank you

Well,....I can now say I safely made it to "the other side"! The actual procedure wasn't too bad, I didn't have any capsules, the implants were intact, no drains were needed. But I'm bandaged up with a compression thingy, so I look like a mummy & can't even see what I look like till the end of next week at my follow up appt. with PS. Darn. But I will take that instead of drains! And my wonderful PS told me yesterday that he feels I will be pleased with the outcome, just to give my body time to heal, both emotionally and physically. So I am cautiously optomistic!
The worst part of yesterday was feeling sick afterward. Pain meds and I do NOT get along apparantly. I only took one vicodin & was ruined for the day...ugh. The anti-nausea med did nothing to help, either. So I'm just taking tylenol instead. I'd much rather be in a little pain than be sick!
Last night was kinda rough, despite being completely exhausted I had a hard time falling and staying asleep. Hopefully tonight will be better. I feel more like myself already. Still pretty painful and sore, but manageable. I don't know if I have a high pain tolerance, or it's just not that bad, lol.
Thank you so much to all the wonderful ladies on here for your kind words of support and encouragement. It has helped tremendously in my journey back to my Real Self!

Well....it's been a few days post explant now. The guaze and dressings were making me sooooo itchy so I had to take them off and I just put on a sports bra. Things were like I expected them....Ittybittyagain lol! A little worse for the wear, considering being stretched out for so long, so I cannot complain. I actually feel lighter, walk a little taller, no so weighed down anymore, feels great. I haven't taken any tylenol since after day 2, pain isn't bad at all. So glad it's over.
I got up enough courage to post a few "after" pics, so other ladies can benefit as well. I know it helped me immensely to see pics.
And thank you again for all you wonderful ladies and your words of encouragement, this is an awesome support site!!

Well, here it is....day 12 since explant. I go to my Dr. tomorrow to have the steri-strips removed, I have dissolvable stitches, curious what the scars will look like. I have not "fluffed up" one little bit. In fact, I have un-fluffed (de-fluffed?) I must have been swollen a bit afterwards, cuz they are definitely itty-bittier now lol! I'm still happy, even though I can't even fill out an "A" cup now (it's all hollow on top).
Still, all in all, I don't regret it one second. Positive things I've noticed:
I can breathe easier, no side boob pushing my arms out, I sleep better, no more back aches, nobody stares anymore (probably cuz I don't look anatomically disproportioned anymore, haha)
Wierd/strange things I've noticed:
My arm pit area is kinda like "smooshy" I don't know how else to describe it. Like my skin was stretched so far from the implants that it even was pulling skin from my pit area. And now it's wierd and loose or something. Also, my boobs are now "jiggly" when I walk. I can't remember if my old "real" boobs used to jiggle, cuz I know the implants sure didn't do that haha! Plus, I'm still sore to the touch on the outsides of my boobs (where side boobs used to be). I'm going to ask Dr about it tomorrow. And when I can start jogging again, too.
Did anyone else experience these things?
This journey has helped me to realize what's important in life, and to be happy with who I am. Years of being teased about being flat-chested and low self-esteem is the reason I got them in the first place. Now that I'm older and wiser, I don't care what people think anymore, as long as I'm happy in my own skin. Expensive lesson to learn, but it's behind me now.

It's been 4 weeks since explant. I feel so much lighter and free, it's awesome. Still kinda painful around nip incision, which doesn't appear to be healing well. It's the internal & disolvable stitches, and it feels very thick and hard, and kind of puckering & pulling in. It looks bad. I've been massaging with different oils & hope that helps.
Another wierd development is the fluff factor. I have fluffed on the right, it started at about week 3. However, the left is still flat on the upper part...not a fluff in sight. What the heck. I'd rather be flat on both sides than be lopsided. It's obvious. Ugh. I did have a lot more pain on the right, sore a lot of the time, so I'm not surprised that's the one giving me trouble now. I know it's still early, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for an even fluffing. Still really happy to have explanted though. I've posted more pics to share the journey.

Complication.......
What I thought was fluffing was not. It was a seroma...fluid build-up. I had a feeling something was wrong when my right boob kept getting bigger and bigger. And then was kinda hard & painful, but not too bad. Then the obvious sign was the "wave" effect when I pushed on my boob. So I went to my Dr. today & he had to aspirate it. Horrible! Stuck a needle in my boob & went to work. He said about 40 cc's of fluid came out, I don't know, I couldn't even look. It hurt worse than the amnioscentesis I had many years ago! Plus it took a while.
The worst part is, Dr. said I'll have to do it again, probably 2 or 3 times total.
He couldn't tell me why it happened to me, it just does sometimes. Maybe I over did it.....did too much too soon. Or maybe because my implants were so dang huge (500cc), I don't know, it's very depressing though. And I can't jog for a while again. I go back next week for round two.
So.... ladies waiting to explant, or recent explants, don't do too much for quite a while. I think mine started to swell around 2-3 wks. when I thought I was out of the woods. And I thought it was the whole "fluffing theory". I'm a very active & a busy person, sometimes I guess you have to just take it easy, regardless of what you think you can do. The human body can only recover so quickly.

So it's been 7 1/2 weeks post op. I've had to have the seroma drained two times so far. The 2nd time the Dr. had to go in two different locations, top and bottom to try to get the fluid. 40 cc's both times. And worse still, it keeps filling up, I have to go back on Friday for another aspiration. Dr. said he hopes it doesn't go "chronic" . It's sooo frustrating, because I'm not healing, I'm stuck in limbo. Dr. said not to jog anymore, basically do nothing with my right arm, and it does not help with the seroma build up anyway.
There's been no change with the left boob, no fluffing, still kinda sore when I try to massage around the area.
I've still been wearing sports bra 24/7. I feel like I'm stuck in a rut. Dr. said the seroma may have to be drained 3 or 4 times...ugh. It was really sore afterward, for several days, and bruised, not looking forward to it. Or maybe go in and put in a drain. We don't know why it keeps filling back up. I just want to be able to put all this behind me, and go forward with life, and I can't. Sighhhh. Yes, I'm feeling sorry for myself lol. So many ladies have zero complications, and that's great. But I guess it's a percentage game, and I drew the short straw. Maybe I should play the lottery too!

Eight weeks post op.
I went for my 3rd seroma aspiration a couple days ago, Dr. got 30 cc's this time, so a little less than before. Then he wrapped me in a tight ace bandage and said to wear it for a few days. He said I'd probably have to have a couple more aspirations still. But better than going back to the OR and have a drain put in. Trying to not move my right arm much....so we will see if it helps.
Much love to all my sistahs!

Two and a half months post op....I went last week for 4th seroma aspiration. Dr. poked and prodded till I looked like a pin cushion & couldn't get the fluid, it's deep under the muscle. And even tho I got several local shots, it can't numb the muscle; and boy lemme tell ya it hurt like he**!! Dr. ended up ace bandage compression like crazy, I could barely breathe. My ribs are bruised, really sore...still keeping them compressed.
I asked about lymphatic massage & Dr. said not really for a seroma situation. He said to keep compressed & massage & if it doesn't resolve, we will have to go back to the OR and insert a suction drain. So bummed out....I do NOT wanna have to go under again, I got sooo sick last time, and headache from hell. I just want this to all be over. I can't even jog yet....trying to not really use my arm much. I've been staying home most of the time, only go out when I have to. It's bad enough to be flat chested & have to get used to no implants, but having to squish the holy heck out of the poor gals is even worse. It's awful, and is not ending. It's like Groundhog Day.
I've been so depressed lately, it sucks. I'm feeling sorry for myself, I know....suck it up, I tell myself, it could be worse. I think the seroma may be getting a little smaller tho. A tiny bit smaller....so I compress & massage & keep my fingers crossed. We are supposed to be leaving in our motorhome in a couple weeks and will be gone for a couple months. So despite Drs. orders, (he told me he doesn't want this to go beyond 3 months), I'm sticking to our plans & the seroma will have to do what its gonna do. I've read it could take up to a year to resolve on its' own, so I don't see why I have to be aggressive with the drain procedure.
I will keep everyone posted.....and to all those ladies waiting to explant.....take it completely EZ afterward & keep those babies compressed!