Breast Implants: Stories

I had implants at 26 because I was completely flat chested and felt I was abnormal. I was teased and had low self esteem and depression growing up. But the surgery didn't turn out as I had hoped. I had complications which included severe nerve damage causing numbness over most of my breast surface, and about a year after surgery I developed capsular contracture that progressed to Grade III.

I am now 50 and the contracture is uncomfortable and I can't have mammograms because my breasts are too hard, and I have breast cancer in my family. I look weird undressed, definitely not natural looking. I am fortunate to have a husband who is very understanding. I can't imagine how awful it would be if I was trying to date with my breasts the way they are.

I am going to have a consult to see if capsulotomy might be worth a try. The main thing I am worrying about is nerve damage again. I have gained some feeling back over the years and don't want to be back to total numbness. I was a 32AA before surgery and 36B after. I really wish I had gone smaller. I told the surgeon I only wanted a little fullness but he told me I would be disappointed and that I should get the biggest possible. I wish I had gone to someone else or stood my ground.

I think the nerve damage was caused by him having the cut a lot to fit that size implant into someone who had no breast tissue. I'm not sure if it was worth it. I felt so horrible about myself it seemed inevitable that I would do it. But, the complications have been pretty bad. I didn't think about having implants over a lifetime. Additional surgeries are almost always necessary. When I look at before and after photos of breast augumentations so many of the before photos are what I wished I could look like because they look natural and normal.

I would advise any woman who has what most people would consider normal breasts for their age to think long and hard about whether it is worth the risk of ending up with such serious complications.