Stats: Female, 5'7, 125 LB 26 y/o, no kids, no weight fluctuations Pre augmentation: 32 A (if we're being generous) Implants: Polytech gummy bear, textured, teardrop 275cc put in under muscle 4.5 years ago, out of the country surgeon I will be taking them out in a week. Paid in full and pre-op is done so no going back now. I am very nervous about how they will look but am mentally prepared to accept all outcomes. I got the implants at barely 22, looking back I know it was a result of naiveté and vanity. If I could go back I would never ever subject my body to the trauma. It pains me to say "NO" to every pre-op question asking if I have any health conditions, while knowing the only trauma and potential disease I caused on my body is one I brought upon it on my own accord. There are a few reasons I have for wanting them out. Firstly, they never truly felt like a part of me. There's women who, once they heal after augmentation, say they may as well have been born with the boobs, they feel like they are meant to be... Yeah no, I never got there. I always felt like these foreign objects are inside of me, they didn't feel or look natural in any way. Working out and sleeping on the side has always been quite uncomfortable. I feel like I am laying on a wallet if that makes sense. Never got used to that. The implants also blew up my areolas. I used to have cute little nipples and now they are all stretched out and puffy. I also hate the idea of being forever committed to surgery. Like if they leak or shift, or simply no longer fit my body, I will need to have them replaced. Having $5k+ laying around at all times in case of an emergency with my boobs just seems ridiculous and unnecessary. Not to mention the trauma of cutting into my body and going under multiple times for no other reason than vanity, ugh, why was I so dumb... Anyways, where was I.. Fortunately I have no implant related health issues so far to my knowledge and I am certainly glad to have them out before I develop any. I've seen lots of reports of women developing BII closer to the 5 year mark, which I am rapidly approaching. The peace of mind alone will be enough to justify the procedure. The procedure as discussed with my surgeon is as follows. Should be quick and easy: general anesthesia, cut 'em open, take the implants out, sew them back up. I would like to not subject my tissue and organs to any additional trauma, so we are not doing lift, fat grafting or even messing with the capsule unless he sees something iffy. He thinks my capsules are soft and thin, so should be okay to leave in undisturbed. I feel super nervous, as with any invasive surgery. I also am worried about the outcome since I elected not to do any additional cosmetic tampering while he's in there. It's sad to think that even if they bounce back to mostly pre op condition, I will forever have scars to remind me of the ordeal. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, amiright? Just trying to stay positive and hope for a speedy recovery. One thing I've been doing to cheer myself up is selling all my big boob tops and dress and using the money to buy some cute little stuff for my new (old?) boobies. Btw, finding clothes for the implants was so hard. When I bought something that fit the rest of my body (size XS or 0/2), I ended up looking like a porn star on top. And vice versa with buying larger stuff to accommodate the boobs that didn't fit anywhere else. Wish me luck! I'll try to keep this thread as updated as possible. (Augmented boobs pictures attached). Updated on 19 Sep 2022: Uh... Can I keep these forever? Not sure what happened but my boobs post explant are 3x the size they were before I had implants put in. Maybe that is the reason I suddenly started not to like them and they seemed too big because my own tissue developed? A girl can hope. It is also possible that this is still swelling and fluid retention from the surgery itself. As you can see there is not much sagging or loose skin/wrinkles and I am only 6 days post op. I hope they firm up a bit, but the natural hang as it is right now is beautiful and I love the results already. They are so soft and move so naturally and beautifully as I walk around. Ugh I could kiss them lol. The operation went so smooth and all my worries were for nothing. I am going to update the provider info now, but in case it doesn't populate, I got my implants taken out by Dr. Daniel Ness in Gastonia, NC. He's a very confident doctor and answered all my questions without hesitation, you could tell he's been successfully performing these surgeries for many years which helped put me at ease. His team are also highly responsive and helpful. Af far as recovery goes it's been a breeze. A stark difference between when I had the implants put in (bed ridden for 2 weeks, then sulking around for another 2, not fully recovered for months). And now, 3 days after explant I went to a bachelorette weekend getaway and completely forgot I even had a surgery. 6 days post op, I am fully functional and feel wonderful, aside from following the few obvious post op instructions like no lifting heavy things, etc. Haven't felt the need to take one pain killer. The only unpleasant thing I experienced the entire time was the drains and the removal, it wasn't painful but it surely wasn't pleasant and the drains kind of weirded me out. Only had those for a day though. One thing I can't stop thinking about and it could be in my head or it could be totally real. I remember when I first woke up from anesthesia after having them put in, I kept saying "I can't breathe" and everyone kept saying you're breathing fine, relax. I think what I meant was, I can't fully inhale. The first thing I thought when I woke up from anesthesia post explant is "I can finally breathe!". I honestly think I was unable to take a full chest breath in 4 years and it makes me want to cry of stupidity and embarrassment for my own dumb decisions. But all is well that ends well right? This forum has helped me tremendously through this process, so this is my way of paying it back I guess. I will try to be as active as I can with updates and please don't hesitate to ask me questions, I will do my best to respond promptly. Updated on 20 Sep 2022: Dr. Ness is absolutely wonderful. I could not have made a better choice for my procedure. From the day I met him, I could tell he was incredibly experienced in breast surgery. He answered my questions confidently and without hesitation, he was always one step ahead of all of my concerns. The results have also exceeded all of my expectations. I love the outcome already, and it's only been a week since I had the explant. The staff at the Piedmont office are also so responsive and kind. The price was so reasonable too compared to other doctors in the Charlotte region. I feel happy and healthy, Dr. Ness gave me my sense of self back and I will be eternally grateful. Updated on 16 Oct 2022: 5 weeks post op. So my concern with the previous update was that I thought my boobs will shrink as the post op swelling goes down. Great news, they did not! If anything, they filled out more on top and look even bigger, although they are not, you can tell from profile view they're still pretty small. I remain mystified by the fact my own boobs grew so much between the age of 21 and 26. Second puberty? I used to be completely flat pre implants, and I mean literally completely flat. There was no volume change between where my ribs ended and my boobs started type of flat. So to discover all this soft perky tissue post explant was incredible. Physically they are healing up well. I feel pretty much 100% back to normal. The only problem that has appeared so far was the scar on the left boob where it looks kind of flat. My surgeon called it a tethered scar, which he explained means the scar got kind of stuck to the internal tissue. He is certain that will resolve over time and recommended scar massage to help with that process. Visually, this does not bother me at all and I could care less if it remained that way, but if it does resolve, great. Overall I am over the moon with my results and have not regretted my decision to explant for even 1 second. I wish I would've done it much sooner so I now don't have to look at 4 years of beach photos of coconuts stuck to my chest. Please don't hesitate to comment if you have any questions!
I got a breast augmentation in 2012 and after 6 years my real breast tissue was so saggy. Breast implants are still in a good spot. The surgery was a piece of cake. The afternoon of surgery I got my nails done and never took a pain pill!
I had a breast augmentation in 1997.Teardrop under the muscle, through the areola. . 325 saline implants for 20 years. No problems and had a child. I recently lost 35 pounds. I started noticing my breast were pointing down, and they were really hard. I made an appointment with a Dr Ness .He told me I needed a uplift and had scar tissue pushing my implants up. The scar tissue was wrapped around the implants. I scar really bad and I didn't want a lift. Dr. Ness agreed that he didn't want to do a lift on me. after I showed him one of my scars. So to achieve what I wanted, I needed a round implant and I had to go bigger in cc. So I went with 520 cc, but I have a lot of breast tissue and i went with silicone gel. I had my surgery on March 15 and Dr. Ness said that he split the scar tissue in half and sewed it to my ribcage. What I had read it was going to be a walk in the park. (Easy) so on day one I was on pain meds and slept mostly. Day 2 I had the tubes removed. He said that they looked good. Now it's day 10 and I'm still in pain. My incision hurts Dr Ness went under the breast. They are swollen and bruised. Sharpe pains and throbbing my left breast mostly. My ribs under my breast hurt and are very sore. If I'm still in pain in a few days. I will make an appointment with the doctor to make sure everything is ok.
Dr. Ness is THE best! I am 11 months out from surgery. I could not be happier! Dr. Ness is the most thorough doctor I have ever dealt with. He always answers all my questions and addresses my concerns. He is also very kind and does not make the experience awkward at all. His entire staff is super nice and helpful. Great experience! I have recommended Dr. Ness to several friends, and I will definitely continue to do so!
I had a breast lift and augmentation last week. I am still very uncomfortable with pain and tightness. It's only been six days and I am hoping this goes away soon. I go in tomorrow for dressing change and post op. I love the way the look just waiting for them to drop and loosen up. I got Natrelle textured silicone 375 cc
After a few consultations and after meeting Dr. Ness, I immediately wanted him to do my BA. He spent a very good amount of time with me answering all my questions and discussing the procedure itself. He was also the only surgeon that recommended a size for me that was best for my frame also keeping in mind of what I wanted my final results to look like. So that made me feel confident in my decision. His nurses and patient care coordinator were very kind. Jackie called the same day of surgery to check in on me and Angel kept in touch with me to answer any questions I had via emails. I have three children and did not breast feed but I lost a lot of volume and I wanted to restore that volume and be slightly larger before my pregnancies (I was a full C). Prior to my BA I could barely fit into a push up 34B. Dr. Ness said that for the results I wanted we would have to go somewhere in the 400-450cc range. He recommended the sientra 435cc smooth round gel, moderate plus profile, under the muscle, with inframammory incision, and that's exactly what I got. I'm recovering well and so happy with my new babies! Patiently waiting for them to drop and fluff. My experience with Dr. Ness at Piedmont Plastic Surgery was excellent!
I have went back and forth on wanting to get implants for a few years. Decided this was best time if any to do it. Not getting any younger...lol. We checked a few places out. After meeting with Dr. Ness and talking with him we were very comfortable with choosing him. He went over all options which other places we checked out didn't. He is very straight forward about what to expect also. I decided to go with donut lift with implants. I would say whole experience so far has been best I could have ever expected. Very happy with my results so far. I would definitely recommend Dr. Ness. He has made me one happy woman! Updated on 3 Mar 2015: I decided to go with donut lift with 395cc implants. Didn't want the scares that came with the full lift. Updated on 3 Mar 2015: I will admit I read alot of stuff on the internet about the donut lift and I will tell you I was pretty nervous about the whole deal. Of course the stuff I was terrified of never happened. I was afraid of losing feeling in nipples and surrounding areas which I didn't. Actually they are more sensitive now. Implants are still high and I am still swollen but no pain. Implants were placed under muscle so I have alot of muscle spasms which isn't painful either. The compression strap has been helping. Dr doesn't want me doing any massaging till I see him next week. Another thing I heard alot about from friend that had her boobs done. I was thinking I am going to have rock boobs if I don't get massaging soon...lol. Not the case!
After contemplating a tummy tuck for years I finally decided to schedule the surgery. Dr. Ness and his staff was wonderful. They answered all of my questions. Although it's only been a couple days I can see a big difference. The most painful part was the muscle spasms. I didn't realize how much surgery takes out of you. This was my 1st surgery and I was physically drained. I recommend at least two weeks recovery time.
I gained way to much weight when I was pregnant. My skin in my belly had virtually no elasticity anymore. The thinner I got the worse it looked. I decided after a handful on consults to have a skin only tummy tuck with hip lipo. My doctor said the hip lipo was like the icing on the cake after surgery. I took a pair of bathing suit bottoms with me on surgery day. My doctor drew them on so he knew ideally where I'd like my scar to be. A concern I had... What does your belly button look like? I didn't realize, but the first thing done in surgery is cutting your existing belly button out, it stays in it's original position. Then when they pull your upper skin down after cutting they cut a new hole and attach your belly button stem to the new skin. I can't even believe the results even the day after surgery. I didn't take a single pain pill the entire recovery. My back was the most sore. I felt like i couldn't stand up straight from the tug of my tight skin. I left with two drains on surgery day, drove my car 2 days post op. I do have a lot of bruising on my hips and butt from lipo. But I got my first drain out 6 days after surgery and my second one out 8 days post op. Drain removal was a cinch. I was worried it might be uncomfortable. The stitches being pulled out was the worse part. They also pulled out half of my belly button stitches on day 8. Apparently, the longer they leave the stitches in the worse your scar can appear. I wear either Spanx or a binder 9 hours a day. It actually forms your waist, training for it. I'm so happy to be drain free. My biggest issue now is what to wear. Even though my waist is small I'm so swollen my pants don't fit comfortably. Updated on 22 May 2014: The Best Part Updated on 23 May 2014: I can't believe I'm 10 days out and my belly looks this good!!
I had my BA on April 4, 2013. I started out 34a and hoping for full C or small D. I went with silicone 400cc under muscle. I'm about 10 days out now, breast are still swollen, tight and riding pretty high but overall I feel really good...no more meds! I was a little concerned that I was having more pain in one breast than the other but my PS says its common. I could really use some helpful tips for my very hypersensitive nipples. I undress as soon as I walk thru the door. I still think its worth it though. Can't wait to see final results!
Yes, it is completely normal for breasts to look uneven in the early postop period. Some of it is swelling, some may be spasm. What frequently happens is a patient looks at her breasts like she never has before. During all of our preop consultations the patient stands in front of a full length mirror and we look at the breasts, making note of areas of asymmetry which are frequently related to asymmetry of the underlying rib cage. Implants won't change that, I have a lot of breast implant patients, very few if any have mirror image breasts. Looks like you are headed for a terrific outcome, give it at least a couple months to calm down then reassess the symmetry. Weekly post op photos are very helpful
Some degree of asymmetry is natural and you have not yet seen your final outcome. If you do ultimately have a size difference given the great position of the breasts and appearance of the skin I would be very hesitant to remove tissue from the beast. Once you get to 600 ccs a lot of gel implants are sized in 50 cc increments, the simplest and best solution would seem to be to replace one of the implants depending on which size you like better. I think you will be in a position to make that determination in 2-3 months. Your preop photos would be interesting to see.
The photos demonstrate significant upper fullness. There has been some improvement from day 2 to day 19 but there is also cause for a little concern. Textured implants do not slip and slide as easily into position as smooth implants in my opinion. That is usually a good thing unless they are too high. Textured implants can offer great long term positional stability. Some of what you see today will resolve and I think you are still at least a few weeks from knowing whether repositioning the implants is in order. I would suggest a weekly photo as close to breast level as possible, at some point the position will not change any more and you can discuss the outcome with your surgeon.
There are a multitude of options for post surgical dressings and support. Your surgeon, based on his or her exam, is probably in the best position to advise you whether support is needed. In many cases the skin and surrounding breast tissues are very tight and snug in the immediate post op period and external support is really not necessary. However, there is not a lot of risk or downside in wearing a sports bra without an underwire that is not excessively tight.
I think the advice you received regarding nipple size is very valid. I might be a bit difficult to place a 350cc silicone implant through a nipple incision in your case. An axillary incision with the use of a funnel would be a great option for you.
