Fat Transfer: Stories

I have had silicone breast implants for alot of years. Got them when I was young and stupid. Honestly I don't regret getting implants, but if the medical advances were there then that we have today I probably would have choosen a different path. I had implants put in because I had assymetrical breasts and the implants corrected that. I was very happy with my implants for alot of years. The last 10 years not so much. They got very hard and found that I had capsular contracture of Baker IV. So out they came. Now I am back to square one again with assymetrical breasts. One breast is a small A and one is a full A. So once the implants were out the plan was to let the breasts heal for 6 months and then do fat transfer to the breast. I am using the same ps for the transfer that did my explant.

I am scheduled for surgery on March 8, 2013 for the fat transfer to the breasts. I started using the Brava system 10 days ago. It takes alot of commitment to put those domes on every night. The first few days were pretty rough. I got very sore where the domes adhear to the skin and even got a few small blisters. To help with blisters I started putting Aloe Vera Gel on each time I took the domes off. But as each day passed they got easier to wear. I wear them about 15 hours a night. I am determined to get enough of expansion so as to have good results.

The Brava bra is not your ordinary bra and believe me you don't even want to answer you front door with it one. If my doorbell rings I will act like no one is home. My hubby took some pics and I will be posting them. You will get to see what the domes look like plus how it expands your breast. Most of the expansion to start is swelling.

The Brava work to expand the breast so to create space for the fat to go into. It also helps to create blood flow to the area so that once the fat is tranfered it has a better chance of survival. We defiently want as much fat to survive as possiable.

I am really looking forward to correcting my breast issues without having a foreign object put into my body. Been there done that.

Thought I would upload some pics of what the Brava is all about and what it looks like. Last night could hardly sleep because of itching under the domes. About drove me crazy. But I am determined to wear these things as much as possiable so to have good results with the AFT.

It has been 2 weeks now since I started wearing Brava. It seem almost like second nature not putting the domes on. It's built into my daily routine. Once I get home from work I have my domes on by 5pm and they stay on untill 8am the next morning. I average 15 hours of wear a night. Over the weekends I wear them 24/7. I put them on last night (sat) at 8pm and they will stay on untill monday morning at about 9am. They will come off for the day and go back on monday night by 5pm. I was told Dr Khouri's protocal was for 24/7 wear over the weekend as much as possiable, so that is my my plan, to wear them as much as I can. When I take them off Monday morning I will have a continnious wear time of 37 hours for this weekend. I should see my serious size increase by monday morning. I am trying to get the smaller breast up to as large a size as I can before the fat transfer. The more space the ps has the more fat he can inject.

I was very intimidated by the Brava when I first started it, but now, not so much. I will post a new pic of the progress of expansion at the end of 3 weeks wearing the Brava.

Here is a pic after 37 hours of continuous wear of Brava. I would love results like this once the fat is transfered. Boobs look really awsome in the morning when you take the domes off. You loose some of it by the time you put them back on at night.

Well its been 22 days since I started wearing the brava. So far it's not to bad, it has its bad moments. I have some blisters on the top of each breast from the domes. I thought I could put a band aid over the blisters but that didn't work. The band aids made it that the domes wouldn't suction and create a good seal. I used the cloth type band aid, maybe I need to get the plastic type, they may work better . It's worth a try. So for now I just grin and bear it when I put my domes on. When the domes come off it is such a relief, I have been putting antibactrial ointment on the blisters Shea butter lotion over the entire breast, especially where the domes adhear. After about 2 weeks the domes started to loose there tackieness. I had one night I couldn't keep a seal at all, so I contacted brava again and they were to send me a new set of domes out yesterday and said I should have them tomorrow. Maybe the new domes will take some of the pressure off the blisters. One can only hope.

I started cycling 3 x a day for 1 to 1 1/2 hours at a time. On my marathon wear day ( when I don't have to work ) I cycle alot more. The brava coach that I spoke to the other day said cycling was very important at this stage of the game. She told me to wear my domes for 20 hours at a time on the weekends, taking them off for 4 hours just to shower and clean the domes, then they go back on. I thought this would be hard wearing them all the time, but it really isn't as bad as I thought. You can do certain housework wearing these things, but not everything. Who likes to clean anyway. You just need to hope that someone doesn't decide to come visit you. I'm not sure what I would do in that case. Probably wouldn't answer my door. Wouldn't want to answer the questions.

I am wearing these things as much as possiable so to have the best results as I can. I eat, sleep and breath brava right now. I started out 22 day ago with the left breast being a fuller a A cup and the right breast being a very small A cup. I am now up to a full C on the right and a not so full C on the left. I'm hoping to create as much space as possiable in the smaller breast so to end up at least a C cup once the fat is transfered.

Surgery is 11 days away. Will add new pic closer to surgery date.

Well it's only 6 days untill surgery on march 8th. I am so looking forward to this being over. Wearing the Brava has become a way of life for me the past few weeks. Once the surgery is done then I will have at least 2 - 3 weeks more of wear for 10 hours each night. Received some not so good news today and will have to see if I can reschedule my surgery for a few days later. My husband is stuck in Texas and won't be able to get back home in time for friday. I was hoping that if they scheduled me late in day maybe there would be the chance he would be able to make it time, but I dont think that will happen. So Monday morning I will be calling the ps to see if maybe he can switch me to Monday the 11th and maybe pull someone that was scheduled for the 11th and give them my slot on the 8th. It really bums me out, even though it will only be a few days or so, but i defiently want my husband to be here for the surgery.

Brava has really been an experience with all the skin issues that I have had. The domes dig so much that i have got some blisters and some very dry skin. So I started a little different skin routine. Once the domes comes off in the morning I shower with Shea Butter soap that I make with raw shea butter, jojoba oil, and sweet almond oil. Once I'm done showering I slather up with whipped shea body butter(I make this also) top of the shea butter I put Aveeno baby moisurizer. What a difference this regiment makes. The dry skin is almost resolved along with the blisters, and the red rings from the domes (was starting to think they were going to be permanet) are dissapearing.
The last 2 days it looked like I lost some of the volume that I gained with brava. My coach said to do a marathon wear, she said the volume would come back pretty fast. She thought maybe I was loosing it because my domes weren't sealing good or maybe I needed a little more room in the domes. I can't see me in a XLG dome. I'm in a large now.
Will post pics on final growth before he does surgery and will also take pics after the transfer.

Had to have my surgery date changed form march 8th to March 15th. My husband is stuck in Taxas and won't be able to make it back in time so I called the ps this morning and he was nice enough to change my date to a week later. He said that will just give me more brava wear time so he'll be able to fit more fat in. I'm all for that, I want to do my best to get the swelling up to a D cup so that I can end up a C cup.

Just 4 more days to go till surgery. I'll admit I'm starting to get a little nervious. I put my domes on at 4pm today and will wear them pretty much non stop untill the ps takes them off in the operating room. I will take them off for about 2 hours tomorrow to rum some errands and then they will stay on untill sometime friday. The dr will call sometime on thursday to tell me when I need to be there. This morning I had swelling to about a small D on the left breast and a full C on the right. The goal is to get the right up to a D so that I can end up C cup.

Doctors office called to tell me I need to be there at 12:30 tomorrow. I'm a little nervious. I've been wearing the brava for 6 weeks now and am so ready for this to over with. I pray I get the results that I am hoping for. As long as the assymmetry is corrected and I can add some volume I'll be content with that. If there is still some asymmetry then I will probably go for a second round. Not sure yet.
I'm hoping I can get the brava on after the fat transfer, I'll need to wear it for 2-3 weeks after. Took the domes off yesterday for a hour to shower and had a hard time shoving by boob back into it,(the larger breast was that full)
Will post pics in the next week.

Well yesterday was surgery day. All went well. The sorest part is my boobs. Has to be at the doctors office at 12:30 and it was 1:45pm untill they came to take me back to surgery. They told my husband that it would be at least 5:30 to 6:00pm untill they would be done with me, because of how slow they have to do the lipo so the fat is good.

My anesthesiologst (ignore spelleing) way so nice. He explained to me that I would be awake for the lipo but asleep for the fat transfer. I felt the needle go in for them to numb the lipo area. That was definetly the sharpest needle I have ever felt. They said you had to stay awake for the lipo so you could turn youself on you side when the needed you there. Then before I new it I was asleep and then I was awake and ready to go home.

As far as I know they took 600cc out of the stomach and 500 cc out of each hip. That really helps with the getting back in shape. They nurse said they put 350cc in the larger breast and 400cc in the smaller breast. He was going to take a little from the thighs but decided not to, I guess incase they need to tweek the smaller breast thats where they will take it from.

I have a binder that i have to wear for 4 to 6 weeks. Now I know how those women felt back in the day when they wore corests. I have alot of seepage on the lipo spots but they have little round bandaids over the needle spots on the breast. Haven't taken any pics yet, but I will and post them. I have afraid to open the support bra that they put on me. I looked really flat this morning so I opened it so my husband could see the girl and the instatly started to swell up. So i hurried up and close them back up. Hope I didn't ruin any thing.

Still pretty sore today. Hubby helped me clean up some today. I thought I would die when he came near some of the lipo spots on my hips. I will grin and bear it when I put the domes on for the first time since surgery later today. I probably should have done it last night but figured 48 hours or resting the boobs wont hurt. Now I will be as religious about wearing the domes now as I was before the surgery. I want as much fat to survive as possiable. So far we have symmetry, let hope it lasts. Will be posting pics soon.

Had my visit with the ps this morning and he is very pleased with his work. He was very pleased with the outcome. Now lets just hope all the fat survives. The brava domes go back on tonight for 3 days non stop wear. After that I have to wear them for 2 to 3 weeks. My ps said today that he put 350 in the left and 475 in the right. I have to go back on wednesday to have the foam taken off my stomach. They said the foam is there to help the skin reattach to the muscle. I am really looking forward to all this being over. Till all is said and done I will have invested 9 weeks into wearing brava. I don't regret doing it. on't think I would do it agian though. Well time to put the domes on .

Well it's been 7 days since the fat transfer, everything is going good. I am back to wearing the brava at least 15hrs a nights for 3 weeks. I switched out my compression binder for a spanx type garment. Couldn't find actual spanx so i bought something I thought would give me good compression, it's feels nice and firm so I guess it will work. I'll wear it tonight and see how things are in the morning. I posted a few pics today. One is at 3 days out.
I was luck that I didn't bruise much. I normally bruise pretty easy. The breast are still pretty firm. Right now they are at a large C to a small D. I'm sure I will loose some. My ps seems to think that since I was so religious about wearing the brava for pre expansion, and if I do the same after the transfer that I could have a good chance of retaining all the fat. He told me I was going to be the poster child for Brava. Most of his patients don't wear it the way they are supposed to, and then 4 days before surgery he said they will be it on 24/7 and expect him to give them big boobs. It doesn't work that way. I don't have to go back to see him untill 4 weeks. Next appointment is April 24th.
The lipo area is still pretty sore and surprisingly not very bruised at all. He must have really been gently doing everything.
Will post more pics at 2 weeks out.

Its been 10 days since the fat transfer and I feel great. I have a few sore spots on my hips but thats all. The boobs feel really good. Hopefully all the marks from the domes beating me up will go away once I stop using them (2 more weeks yet) I still put Shea Butter on the boobs in the morning when the domes come off. It has gotten so easy to put the domes on each night and I still average 15 hour a night. I've worn these things so much I might have a seperation disorder once I stop . I may have to go to "AA for brava users" haha!
My hubby said he was going to start his own bog . . ."HOW TO SURVIVE YOU WIFE WEARING BRAVA". I told him I'm sure there would be alot of hubby's posting on the blog.
I took some new pics today at 10 days out and will post them in the next day or 2. I LOVE the size of my new boobs and hope that once I stop the brava they will stay. I've gotten very attached to them. Hey, i have a idea, maybe one night of brava wear a week will help me retain it all. Nah, don't think I could wear brava any longer than the ps says I have to. But then again if he would have said I had to wear it a whole month after, I would have. Just looking forward to a Brava FREE life. Coming Soon!

It's been 12 days9(close enough to 2 weeks) since the fat transfer and just wanted to update some pics. The last pics were at 3 days after. I am very happy with the results so far. Am still using brava a night for awhile yet.

It's been 3 weeks since my fat transfer to the breasts. I am still wearing the Brava domes of at least 13 hours a night. Last night it was hard to keep a seal, the smart box ran so much I had a hard time sleeping.
I am schedules to go back for a checkup with Dr L on April 24th. By the time I see him again i will have 11 weeks invested in wearing brava daily. I really do think that the wear time that I put in will play in the fat that my breasts retain. I have been wearing brava now since February 3rd for a totoal of 9 weeks so far. I thought it would be harder to wear the domes than it is. I have just made it a part of my routine each day to put them on at a certain time each day.
When the transfer was done the breast were very sensitive a firm, this lasted for a few weeks. The breasts get softer and feel more like your own as the days pass. Today they feel so soft. When they started to soften up I got a little worried and thought that the fat was turning to oil and was going to leave the breast. No So. They are just starting to feel like normal breast. A few weeks ago they felt "fake" almost like I had implants again, but now I love them. I find that when I run down the stairs I put my hands under and cup the breast so they don't bounce so much. I don't think they look that big. I did a bra measurment the other day and I measured out 33" on the band and a 38" at the fullest part of the breast. That would put my new bra size at a 34 D. I defiently have clevage that I didn't have before. Have not gone to buy any new bras yet. I will go shopping the day I go for my check up at Dr L's.
Some of the lipo sites are still a little sore, mainly on my hips, but that gets better each day. I have been in a spanx type garment since 5 days after surgery and will have to wear untill I see the ps again. Will be glad to see it go. 1600 cc of fat was taken from my stomach and both hips(front & back). I can gain weight it that area very quickly so I am doing a new eating plan. Just trying to eat healthly. I should be able to get back to exercise after my ps appointment. I have gained 4 pounds just sitting around doing nothing. Not so bad if the fat goes to my boobs. I need to get back into a good routine of exercise. Weight Loss Yoga here I come. Will be posting a new pic once I get one taken and will also post a pic of the lipo site.

It has been almost 5 weeks since my fat transfer. I still have a little swelling in the lipo areas, mainly after I have been on my feet all day. The area is still tender in a few spots, and a little burning at times. I wear a body shaping garment to sleep in, it just makes me feel better in the morning. (Ps said I could get rid of the compression garment at 4 weeks)
I am done with Brava. I have worn it for a total of almonst 11 weeks. I wore it 2 days shy of 4 week after fat transfer. When I took the domes off one morning I saw a definent decrease is the size of my breast. It was at this point where i figured that it was time to stop breava. There really is no documentation that says the longer you wear it post transfer the more fat you will retain. I sleep like a rock at night without the domes. I thought it would be nice not to have to sleep on my back anymore, but I seem to keep sleeping on my back. I have never been a back sleeper (always side or tummy) Hubby hooked up our 2 person whirlpool tub in our master bath and I have been in it 2 times. Last night I decided I needed a little soak, so off I went with a glass of wine. soooo relaxing.
Went to buy a few bras yesterday and was so discusted. Had such a hard time finding anything to fit. When I measured for a bra size it said I was a 32D..wrong, could even get them on (I just ordered 3 from macy's that will have to go back) I tried on so many bras I was ready to go home without any. I decided to try on one more and it was the magic bra . . .IT FIT . . It was a 34D. Honestly I don't look that big. To me I look like a B cup, but they fit and felt good so I bought 3. $110 for 3 bras is crazy, but that what you pay a Macy's.(on of my favorite stores)
I go back for my check up on wednesday the 24th. I feel that the smaller breast has lost some fat, probably not alot, mostly in fullness and upper pole. This will be something I will talk to Dr L about. Maybe at the 6 month see where the breast are and possiable to a little touch up, just with micro fat grafting, not using brava again. I will keep my brava system for awhile just in case he feels its benificial to use it again. I wouldn't look forward to doing lipo again . . but hey maybe I could use a little off the thight LOL.
I have been a little depressed seeing the size of the boobs go down. i really got attached to them at the swollen size. If you take in to account the swelling going down and the size of the breast now I would say I lost 10% fat. I think alot of the size was the swelling and since I was still useing the brava post, I think the swelling stayed around longer. I am still happy with the results I got, concidering what I started with. Dr L said before that we might have to do a touch up on the smaller breast. I guess we will just have to wait and see. I'm posting some current pic that were just taken this morning ( 2 days shy of 5 weeks post) What do you think of the symmetry between the breasts.

Had my 4 week follow up appointment with Dr L on the 24th. He seemed a little disappointed that there was still some asymmetry in the breasts. He said that we can do a tweek when ever I want, that is if I want to do it. I really got used to the fullness that you have have when there is still swelling in the breast and how the girls looked at 12 days out. Right now the breast are so soft and have the shape and hang that they should have. They are both the same size as far as protrusion goes. The difference is in the fullness (side to side) of the breasts. All in all I am very happy with the results, could always have been a little bigger LOL. . .I do fill out a 34D cup bra which really floors me because I really look like a B cup in my opinion. I think what makes the difference is since I had implants all those years I think the pressure of the implants on the natural breast tissue has made them wider. I read that on alot of ladies reviews that have explanted. I look back over the pics that I have posted here, especially the one of the sunken in right breast and see that they are 150% better. Hubby is happy with the results and agrees if a little more fat was put into the right breast they would be perfect. Probaby should have doubled the extra amount. Oh well, I'm not the doctor and they never know how much fat will stay. He did say that what I have now should stay, so that makes me happy.
I go back for my 3 month checkup on June 19th, so we'll see how things look untill then. One thing I don't want to do is gain any weight, but if it would all go to my boobs I might think about it haha.
I am starting to work out again, some weights, yoga , walking, maybe even a little bike riding this summer.