I had a great experience with Dr. Taylor. I found him very kind, very intelligent, and professional. He is an amazing surgeon. I am very happy with my results. I went from a DD to a C and it has changed my life:)
I have found the reviews, experiences and advice on RS extremely helpful, so I’m hoping that posting my experience will be just as helpful :) I’ve known I want breast augmentation since my teens when I began developing breasts. I’ve always had an asymmetry (left larger than my right) but I was hoping that it would even out a bit when I had babies/breastfeed... that did not happen, if anything, it got more pronounced... I’m now 33 and done having babies so I’m taking the plunge and getting new breasts! I had hoped that I would get away with just an augmentation, but after talking to my PS, it was clear that I would not achieve the look I wanted without the lift. When I was in my PS office, I had decided that I liked the look of the 350cc (we have not discussed at this point whether they would be moderate or high profile). I’m an active CrossFitter and I’ve been extremely concerned about animation deformity if the implants are placed sub-pectorally... It is really important to me to be able to continue with CrossFit, unimpeded (ie. I still want to be able to do push-ups, muscle-ups, OL weightlifting, etc.) having discussed that with my PS, he thought that based on my build, lifestyle and measurements, an implant over the muscle would be extremely noticeable, and result in sagging/drooping and that an implant placed under the muscle would result in the best aesthetic look, while not impeding my fitness. So, I left my appt with a tentative surgery date of October 19th and thinking I’d go with the lift, 350cc SRS under the muscle... then I spent an agonizing night second guessing every decision I made the day before... “I should go bigger because the implant compresses when under the muscle”, “I need to go over the muscle because I’m going to be really upset with the animation deformity”, and the list goes on.... I ended up sending an email saying (among other things) that actually, “I think I want to get a 450cc because they compress by 10% so that would only put me at a 410cc”, “maybe over the muscle and not under is better”, etc... I told my husband everything I’d been thinking about and all my fears, concerns and ‘what if’s’... and finally he stopped and said, “Mel, you sound like an anti-vaxxer, your being influenced by all the bad stories you read about on google...” Since you don’t know me, you won’t necessarily appreciate how much my husbands comment actually meant to me, but it was like a LIGHTBULB and I immediately felt so much better. In this, he was exactly right (for context I don’t care about anyone’s opinions about vaccines, my opinion doesn’t change - I will always support the body of reproducible scientific evidence), I was letting the experiences of a few scare me into not trusting my PS’s expertise and advice. Yes, I know the risks, not only did we discussed them, but I also have spent innumerable hours reading everything I possible could on this surgery and I have accepted all potential risks and outcomes (positive or negative). While I’m still undecided as to what exact size, I anticipate that I will have a few more conversations with my PS prior to surgery and let him make the final decision based on my needs/wants/goals. I trust that he knows exactly what he’s doings, he’s listened to what I want and will do everything he can to ensure I achieve the look I’m going for... Updated on 16 Sep 2020: My surgery is scheduled for 4 weeks from now on Monday and I actually can’t believe I’m doing this... it’s a bit surreal... I always said I was going to, but never had a timeframe in mind... anyway, I got a call from the surgery center today confirming my surgery date, they sent me a bunch of paperwork that needs to be completed, I have to schedule an appt at the lab for some routine blood work and need to make a pre-op appt with my family physician for the pre-op for the anesthesia, and of course I need to pay them! I went out on a limb and bought a couple of post-op bras, one ‘official’ post-op bra and a couple of the cheap fruit of the loom front closure cotton bras (I can’t wait until I actually fill them out!) I submitted for time off at work and my mom is going to be staying with me for the first week to help out with the kids (thank god!) until I can drive... I’ve added some comparisons photos with 350/400cc sizers on (350 on left and 400 on right) although I suspect the current difference is more than 50cc’s... and 1 picture of my sad lack of cleavage... I’ve definitely been waffling about size and at one point thought I should go as high as 450 because everyone always talks about the boob greed :( but I’m really trying to stay practical in the context that the larger I go the quicker they will sag again and I’ll need a lift sooner than I would with a more moderate size... there’s also a greater risk for physical limitation related to fitness with a larger size... I think likely I won’t go bigger than 400 and may just leave the ultimate decision with my surgeon to decide in the moment what looks the best... more updates to follow! Updated on 6 Oct 2020: I had my last appt with my PS today to go over some questions I had and make sure both of us were really on the same page about my end goals. I tried on sizers again since I had been agonizing between 350cc-450cc. I’m also getting a lift to hopefully correct an asymmetry, so I’ve been really worried that if I go too big, I will kind of defeat the purpose of the lift and end up needing another within a few years. My PS thought that the 450cc was likely a little too big for my measurements, and when I told him I still like the look of the 350cc, that he would take everything into account (lift/removal or breast tissue, compression from having the implant placed under the muscle, etc.) and place an implant that best achieves the look that I’m going for During surgery. I feel so much better after that conversation, I 100% trust him to make in the moment decisions based on my measurements, pocket size (without compromising the integrity of the pocket/muscle), what my breasts look like after the lift and ultimately having him decide what is the most reasonable implant size based on my goals and with the lease amount of risk. I have my pre-op appt with my Family Physician on Thursday and blood work scheduled for this Saturday. I’m a bit in disbelief that this is all happening so fast now it seems. My mom is flying in a week Saturday to help out for the first week post-op with kids (and husband, ha!) which I’m super grateful for since she reschedule all her vacation to come out an help. More updates to come! Also posting another lovely pre-op swimsuit picture. Updated on 20 Oct 2020: I had my surgery yesterday morning, it was a breeze, my anesthesiologist was so great and completely put my mind at ease (it was my first time under general, so I was nervous). One minute I was talking about Disney World and the next I waking up in recovery. I woke up with “incision” pain and had some hydromorph, a couple of times, please some maxeran for nausea... I was at the surgery center for 0730, and left at 1230... the one thing that was not great was that I didn’t get my rx until after surgery so I had to wait in the car while it was being filled, and ended being sick :( When I got home I got settled into bed and slept for most of the day waking up when it was time to take meds. I have quite a bit of tightness and pressure, and my new boobs are hard... although not as hard as yesterday so that’s a plus... I’ve been really on top of my icing which I think has helped as well... I still have to call for my post-op appt, can’t take a shower for 2 more days and have not taken my bandages off, I might wait until I shower to do that. My surgeon ended up choosing 325cc’s mentor, smooth round HP... I was initially going for the 350 “look” but day of surgery, I told him that I didn’t want to risk complications (ie. pocket being to tight) just to get the 350’s so I’m assuming that either the pocket was too tight... Either way I’m super pleased how they turned out so far, I haven’t seen my nipples and the incisions yet so that still makes me nervous... but I’m fairly certain I haven’t lost any sensation since I can feel when I touch lightly over top of my bandages (whew!)... I’ll post some more pictures when I take the bandages off in a few days :) Oh and disregard the markings on my stomach and chest... as far as I can tell I have little to no bruising as of yet, hoping it stays that way... Updated on 21 Oct 2020: Today is 2 dpo, I took my dressings off this morning and had a look for the first time at my incisions, and I’m really pleased with the results so far... I’m still really tight and sore, taking my meds regularly, but I have very little bruising mostly on the left (my bigger side) which is also more swollen than the right. I can’t wait to have a shower tomorrow! Here’s hoping that recovery/healing continue going well :) Updated on 22 Oct 2020: Posting a before (night before surgery picture) and at 3 days post-op... still very high and swollen and my left is still a bit bigger, but I think it's already less noticeable than pre-surgery... I was able to have a shower today (yay! Felt sooo good!).. I'm mostly off my pain meds except for advil and tylenol but I definitely over did it today... I've been getting almost like muscle cramps that I just want to stretch out my pec muscles but obviously I can't :| really looking forward to when I can have full range of motion again... Incisions are still looking good and I'm really hoping they stay that way! Updated on 27 Oct 2020: I just had my post-op appt where we went over implant massage, scar massage and silicone taping (taping and scar massage is not to start until my prineo tape either falls off between weekend 2 and 3 or I remove it at week 3). I bought another post-op bra while I was there since it seems to be the most comfortable, was able to get it in nude to so that was a plus. My implants are still sitting high (I don’t particularly mind) but there is the risk that if they don’t drop enough I will have a droopy boob! So I have another follow up in a weeks time to see if I need to wear a compression band, which I’m hoping not after reading how uncomfortable everyone finds them on here! Incisions look great and bruising is almost gone... I’m over the moon with them now... such a massive improvement from what I had before! Updated on 10 Nov 2020: Quick update... healing nicely, incisions look good but I haven't started with the silicone sheets yet because I have a couple small scabs that I'm waiting to fully heal, so just using tape in the meantime... there's a spot on my left incision at the bottom that gets a bit irritated, I think it's because the sutures are really close to the surface and they rub up against the bras that I have... so I've resorted to sleeping without a bra every other night, I think I don't have to sleep with one anymore but I find it more comfortable wearing one. I saw my PS on Saturday and he's happy with how everything is going. To be honest, I couldn't have asked for a better recovery (without jinxing myself here). I'm so happy I did this, and so happy with how everything is turning out. I seriously still look in the mirror and can't believe that's me! Except I feel like this is how I was always supposed to look :) Cheers!
