Stringalong....Explant and Lift! - Scottsdale, AZ

Hi all! I am 64 years old, married, with grown sons. I have had silicone implants for almost 23 years now. They became hard quite awhile ago and I have been unhappy with them for a long time. I was always very small breasted and thought implants would make me feel better about myself. I never really felt comfortable with them, however. I lost some sensation in the breasts after the implant surgery. I could no longer lay on my stomach comfortably. Mammograms were terribly painful, and it was embarrassing to hug someone because I was sure they could feel "the rocks"! I have really been helped by this site and all of your personal experiences. I have had my first appointment with my PS and have set my surgery date for July 31. The plan is to have them removed and to have a lift. I am EXTREMELY nervous and wake up at night with stressful thoughts. You all have given me the strength to do this!! I will post pictures down the road. Thank you, brave ladies!!

Hello again, ladies! This site is amazing. I can't believe what a wonderful support system you all offer. I continue to read reviews and look at pictures and I feel good about my decision to get the rocks out!! My main concern, of course, is how it is going to look afterwards. Since I decided to go with getting a lift, I know I will have to deal with quite a bit of scaring. Just hope it has a positive end result!! I am actually looking forward to being small again!! These never felt right for me. I am going to post some pictures of how I look now. The last one is lying down. By the way, I have textured silicon implants. The left is 270 cc and the right is 240 cc. The PS said he was sure they had leaked based on how old they are and how hard they are encapsulated.

Hi ladies!! I have been reading some of the questions and doctors answers on this site about whether a lift should be done at the same time as an implant removal. Several doctors thought it was better to do the lift at a later surgery, especially if the implants are over the muscle, which mine are. From what I understand, that makes the blood supply to the nipple not as good, which could cause problems with healing after the lift is done. It really kind of scared me. My PO thinks it can be done at the same time. Any thoughts on this or personal experiences? Thanks!

Hi Ladies! I am really looking forward to my PS appointment coming up this Thurs. So many questions to get resolved. I have heard from some of you who have had lifts, some of you who did not, and some of you who had "internal" lifts. You all seem very happy with whichever route you took---which is so encouraging! I am heading to this visit armed with a lot more information and I lot more informative questions to get answered. When I leave that office I will have decided which way I should go in this process to finally GET FREE!! I will let you know! Hugs to all my explant sisters!!

Hi girls!! Well I had my pre-op appointment and all systems are go for July 31! It seems a long time to wait, but I'm sure it will go fast. I went in to the visit armed with a list of questions and concerns and my Doc thoroughly addressed each one. He has always been supportive of my decision not to replace these bags with new ones. It's funny because he said that the patients he sees that just get these things out without replacing tend to be the happiest!! That really says something, don't you think? I know I am going to be so happy to be implant free!! I am going ahead with having the lift as well, and think that the end result will be very good. I'll settle for little and perky any day!! He said he thinks I will be an A or small B. I am a little skeptical of that. I was pretty damn small before I got implants, but I'd love it if he's correct. I will keep reading all your reviews while I await my turn!! Thanks for all the support!

Hi Ladies! I haven't posted in quite awhile but now my date is just in a few days!! I am having my rock hard implants removed and a lift done this Wed. I am nervous about it but also just anxious to get it over with. So many of you are extremely pleased with the end result and I hope I will be too. It's going to feel so damn good to have soft boobs again!!! Ha ha! I will try to take pictures along the way to help others. I know it was extremely reassuring for me to see all of you who have had this procedure done! Wish me luck! I will check in again after the deed is done!!

Hi All,
I had my surgery this morning and all seems to have gone well. I am in a compression wrap---no tubes! I haven't had a peek at my girls yet, so I really don't know how they look. I have to keep this on until Friday morning when I go in to see my Doc....The suspense is killing me, but in a way, I'm afraid to look. I am feeling pretty good, all things considered. I don't have the energy to mess with posting a picture tonight, plus it's nothing exciting, just a compression wrap. That's all for now but I will keep everyone updated on my progress. I feel an enormous amount of relief having them out!!!!!!!

Guess I just slept too much today and now its 2:30 am and I'm wide awake. I tried to put up a couple of pictures, but not sure it will work. Not much pain, mostly the wrapping is kind of itchy. I will be so happy to get this off and actually see what I have left in there. I don't expect it to be much!!! LOL

OK Ladies! This is it! The first pictures are from the Doc's office right after the wrap came off. I had a little bit of fluid built up that he easily aspirated. So nice not to have to deal with drainage tubes. He thinks that is all it will need. I go back in in a week to get the tape off of the incisions and have him check on everything. All in all, I am very happy! They feel soooooo much better and natural. I know I'm pretty small now but I think the girls look like they fit my frame. I will keep healing and updating with pics as I continue my road to full recovery! Thanks for all your support through this!!

Hi everyone! Here are a few pics I just took. I just want to say, for the benefit of you ladies out there thinking about having this procedure done, that they LOOK much worse than they FEEL! I am in no pain at all and I am not taking any pain pills. I think the bruising is just going through its natural progression, and right now I am turning a lovely mustard yellow!! My only discomfort is due to the surgical tape that is still on the incisions. They are a bit itchy, plus I can't really put anything on the wounds to help with the healing and itching. I have to wait over a week to go back in and get the tape off, which is a major drag. However, as my husband keeps telling me, I must be patient and allowing everything to heal in its own time!! So, all in all, this is a very positive report for only 5 days post op. And by the way, the sports bra is super comfy!!

Just checking in Ladies to give you all a quick update on my recovery progress. Everything is going well. I am feeling amazing for just having had surgery. I honestly forget about it a lot of the time. The only thing is this damn surgical tape that won't come off until Thurs. My right breast feels great, not much soreness, but my left breast still hurts a bit. I have also noticed that the left breast that hurts also has more numbness on the outer side. He must have had a more difficult time removing on that side. I am going to ask him about that when I see him next. I am doing well, though, for the most part. I'm not going to post anymore pictures until the tape comes off. Hope everyone else out there going through this is happy and doing well!!!!! Hugs!!!

Hi Ladies! My 2 week appointment was yesterday and I finally got the surgical tape off! The girls are lookin pretty good, although there is still a lot of bruising. The doctor seems happy with his handiwork, as am I! He gave me a different type of tape which he wants me to put on the incisions every day for the next 2 weeks. He says this really helps to keep the scars flat and the line thin. My pictures include my first attempt at doing the tape! He told me the pains I am having in my left breast are normal and just mean the nerves are healing. The numbness, he claims, will also improve. He also said I don't need to sleep in the sports bra unless I want to for comforts sake, so we'll see about that. It was a real pain trying to get all the sticky remains of the surgical tape off. He told me to use nail polish remover but it didn't really work that well. I couldn't resist the last couple of pictures!!! I haven't taken off the tags yet because I am unsure if my boobs are going to stay the same as they are right now. It is very, very encouraging that I have anything to even put in this lovely bra!! We'll see how things progress down the road. Wonderful, natural hugs to you all!!!

Hi All! I can't believe it's been 3 weeks already! Things are moving along slowly. There is still soreness, especially my left side. I think the bruising is getting much better, though. I do have a hardness on the bottom of each breast by the vertical scar. I hope that will eventually go away. Is that what you ladies have meant by hard lumps?? What is this? I am still wearing sports bras because they are the most comfortable. And, I am still taping each day, though at night, I take off the tape and put some oil on them. It's nice to get a break from the tape! All in all, things are going well!

Well lovely ladies, I've reached the 5 week mark and thought I should do a little update!! The girls feel SOOO much better!! The soreness is almost completely gone. They feel very soft for the most part, just a little hardness at the vertical incision, but not bad at all!! I saw my PS last week and he was very happy with how they are healing. I go back again in 6-8 weeks, and he said that at that point we will look at them very critically for anything that needs to be addressed. I can't tell you all how wonderful it feels to have natural breasts again!! I love being smaller! I hope everyone on this journey is doing well, healing fast, and enjoying their rebirth in their new natural bodies!!! XOXO