Lyly Nguyen, MD

I am one week PO from my breast lift with augmentation. Even though Im just one week PO Im already so happy with my results. Dr. Lyly is amazing and help me through out the process. She is so knowledgeable and answered all my questions. All the staff is so nice and I felt cared. Scars were a big issue for me but so far Im beyond happy of my results.

I had breast augmentation with Dr Lyly HZ Plastic Surgery on July 6th. I for 450cc in the right breast and 415cc in the left breast as this one was slightly larger in the base. Both under the muscle moderate profile. I'm 5'9, 4 breastfed children and weigh approximately 140 pounds.

I went to Dr. Lyly Nguyen at HZ Plastic Surgery in Orlando FL and had the surgery on 6/28/22.

Quick stats:
- 115 lbs
- Starting breast size is 30D on my larger side (left), probably closer to a B cup on the smaller (right) size (hard to measure properly)

What I got:
- 140cc natrelle inspira soft touch on the smaller (right) side, nothing on the larger (left) side
- Subfascial placement (over the muscle)

Pics are attached of pre and post op. I think the asymmetry is kinda hard to see straight-on, so some alternate views included.

Everyone has some asymmetry and often minor size differences, but I was 1-2 cup sizes different and it made finding and wearing bras a miserable experience. My main motivation was getting the cup size evened out so that I could comfortably fit into a bra. A secondary motivation is that the asymmetry can be noticeable and I've had to avoid certain clothes and bras so that I didn't draw attention to the size difference, and it would be nice to not have to worry about that. The surgeon pointed out that I also have a concave chest on the smaller breast side, which greatly contributes to the asymmetry. It is noticeable once I was alerted to it, and easy to feel and see the dip from left to right.

I originally asked the surgeon to reduce the larger breast because I was uncomfortable with the idea of an implant (BII concerns me). But given the size of the smaller one, I'd have really small boobs after, and the bigger one would have probably needed both a lift and lipo. So the surgeon recommended an implant for the best and most natural result. I came around to the idea after doing more research on my own and having some more conversation with the surgeon. The surgeon and office never pressured me or rushed me, which I really appreciated. (For anyone wondering why I didn't get both breasts done and increase overall size, well, it's already hard enough to find a 30D bra. I'm not about to go any bigger on cup size lol. I love the size of my larger breast already.)

I went with over the muscle because I've always had a hard time building upper body strength and my hobbies are upper body intensive, so I really didnt want to risk losing any strength. I was also was kind of scared of the submusclar pain and recovery. The surgeon made sure I understood that there is greater risk of implant edge showing, especially because I am very thin and have the concave chest on that side. There is also risk for rippling and CC. I was okay with all these tradeoffs. I also personally think over the muscle will allow the implant to sag with gravity at a closer rate to the natural larger breast.

The surgeon also made sure I understood that 100% symmetry is impossible. The breasts will not look the same and they will not be the exact same size, but she said the implant would definitely get me closer to my goal of "both breasts are the same cup size." She warned me that it may end up bigger than the natural breast, but definitely not as disproportionate as before. We discussed doing 170cc, which was the smallest size Natrelle offered for my breast width. I tried on the 170 sizer with a bra and it looked enormous so I was kind of nervous about the size. The surgeon also ordered the 140cc size (even though it was not a match for my breast width) as an option to compare during surgery.

The procedure was about 30 mins and the surgeon ended up choosing the 140cc implant.

Anesthesia and meds knocked me out pretty bad since I'm a lightweight. The nurses actually removed my anti-nausea patch right before surgery (which was 3 days earlier than I was supposed to remove it) because I couldn't walk straight, and I stopped taking the nerve pain meds only a day after surgery because I was experiencing memory and vision loss side effects.

The pain was a lot more than I expected for the first couple of days, given that I got such a small implant and over the muscle. I guess I was just too optimistic lol! I thought I'd made a huge mistake at first, but that was the pain talking lol. It sucked but after a week I felt so much better already. I stopped taking painkillers after 8 days. (I was only taking tylenol, although I was prescribed oxy. I didn’t want to risk taking it, and I wasn't in enough pain to need it.)

I had a lot of nerve pain in my right arm, but at my 1 week checkup the nurses told me to start moving that arm around and using it more, and that really helped. The pain significantly decreased after just 2 days of methodical movement (slowly increasing range and speed). I am pretty much using that arm normally now. The nurses also gave me some breast squishing and moving exercises to get the implant and capsule moving. That has helped too. I have some sensitive spots still and now that I'm getting some feeling back in my nipple, it's super sensitive, but it's improving over time.

I'm happy with how it looks so far. When I first took off the bra I panicked because it was swollen and looked huge to me, but after just a couple days the swelling significantly decreased and it looks much more natural. The sizing looks more proportional to the larger breast too. I'm curious to see how it turns out over the next few months as any remaining swelling decreases and the implant softens. The implant is still pretty tight so its hard to get a good comparison of cup size. I am thinking it might end up still being smaller than the natural breast, even though the surgeon warned me that it could end up being bigger than the natural one.

Dr. Lyly has been kind, honest, and thorough throughout the process. I have felt very comfortable with her and happy with the results so far.

Updated on 19 Jul 2022:
Overall, I feel like not much has changed in the last week -- in a good way! The breast with the implant still looks great. I can't really imagine it changing a lot more in appearance. I have posted a photo comparison in one of my casual bras so you can really see how much of a difference the implant makes in the evenness. I am starting to see how the implant might make my concave chest more noticeable, since the implant edge doesn't have much tissue to transition it to the concave part, but I'm not planning on being naked in front of everyone so it feels like a non-issue to me.

Finally can wear sports bras instead of the surgery bra, which has been great. The nipple and bottom half of the breast are still very sensitive. I am still getting the occasional mild nerve twinge in my arm, but usually only when it is fully extended.

The nurses had recommended that I take the incision tape off before 3 weeks, so I took it off at 2 weeks. Kind of wish I'd left it on longer because afterward, the incision felt like it was getting rubbed by the surgery bra seams, so I picked up some cushion-y non-stick gauze pads, which have really helped keep it comfortable and not rubbed raw. Otherwise, not much pain at the incision site. Mostly discomfort when I stretch it too much. It is really quite a small incision, so I am impressed with how it looks.

I am supposed to keep sleeping on my back until 6 weeks, but as a stomach sleeper, this has been torture! I have ended up on my side a few times (for only an hour or so) just to relieve the discomfort and back pain. I suspect the side sleeping is more of an issue for people with larger implants, because it feels perfectly comfortable to me at this point. I am still trying to follow instructions though lol.

I am also getting antsy about not being able to exercise, but I can start mild cardio next week. Since I'm not really having any pain and feel pretty much fine, it has been hard to be sedentary! I do notice that I tire easily when I do go out to stores and such, but I am 99% sure that is due to me being a lump on the couch more than it is due to surgery recovery at this point.

Updated on 9 Aug 2022:
Today is 6 weeks! I feel like everything looks pretty much the same, which is good. Pic attached.

Between weeks 3 and 6, the incision has healed up pretty good and no longer hurts. I'm getting more feeling back in my breast every day. I have no more nerve pain in my arm either. Overall, the implant is really feeling like it's just part of my body now.

I've been doing daily walks since I passed the one month mark, and have felt like I could do normal physical activity for a while now. But I will wait to get cleared by the surgeon first.

I also was able to go out and buy some wireless bras to wear since my sports bras are really quite tight and not what I wanted to be wearing during recovery. I almost cried in the fitting room when bras fit both boobs at the same time lol. I am so used to having to deal with a giant gap between the small breast and the bra! It was super nice to have lots of options that fit me. I have been so much more comfortable wearing these bras and having cups that fit me.

So overall, things are going great. Zero regrets!

Updated on 24 Jul 2024:
2 years later, I am still very happy with the results of my surgery. The breast looks pretty much the same as it did at week 6 -- no additional settling or movement. The incision scar is barely visible and is placed pretty much directly in the boob crease, which is perfect.

I dealt with some tingling and nerve pains on that arm when touching/pressing the skin above the implant, or the armpit area. I still get some tingling, but it is not painful. I continued to massage the area to work through it, and that seems to have worked to reduce the frequency. I also noticed that overly stretching the skin was uncomfortable at first (i.e. reaching fully above my head and hanging off of a pull up bar), but I made sure to ease into that position with gentle stretching, and that issue went away after a couple months.

I do still have numbness in some areas of the breast. This isn't an issue for me, but could be for some people. I think it's just a risk you take with a surgery like this.

I have had close friends "test out" how the implant breast feels to their touch vs my natural one, and nobody can tell. It's honestly amazing how natural it feels. Most people can't correctly identify the implant by sight either.

So overall, very happy and would recommend! I'm also happy to answer any questions/comments people have.