I was approaching my 30th birthday when my boyfriend began asking what I would like for my gift. Jokingly, I said a breast lift. I really was kidding but started thinking more and more about it and decided to set up a few consultations. I had lost a good amount of weight and was unhappy with my breasts as that was the one area that really showed the significant weight loss. Starting this journey, I was a 36D (today I am a 36C as a full cup of skin was removed). Dr. Hong was my first consultation. I hadn't done much research on the procedure because I really didn't think I would be going through with it. During my consultation, I wasn't prepared and didn't have many questions to ask because in my mind, I wasn't REALLY going to go through with it. Even with my lack of questions, Dr. Hong gave me so much information about the procedure, recovery and everything I would need to know if I decided to move forward. He shared several before and after photos of his patients and his work looked incredible. Amazing results. I went to a few additional consultations but decided to set up another with Dr. Hong as I felt a connection with him. He is so friendly, down to earth, informative and just a pleasant person to be around. I went into my second consultation with Dr. Hong with my mom and a list of about 20 questions. I asked each and every one of them. He was so patient and answered everything completely and thoroughly. I knew that he was going to be my surgeon. I felt comfortable with him. My mom couldn't stop raving about how friendly and informative he was. I knew I would be in good hands. I originally scheduled the surgery for December 19th but due to some unforeseen events that day at the surgical center, we had to reschedule the operation for the day after Christmas. He was scheduled to be off that day but said it would be no problem to perform the operation if that was the day I wanted to have it. I arrived early that morning with my mom, was checked in and hooked up to an IV right away. Dr. Hong came in and chatted with us for a while (my mom and I had met with him several times before at this point so it really was like chatting with a friend - he really is that awesome), marked me up and into the operating room I went. All I remember about the operating room is that I was cold and began to shake, the anesthesiologist put an oxygen mask on me and I woke up in recovery. The pain was pretty bad, I won't lie! I was released pretty soon after I woke up and my mom drove me home. The rest of that day (and that weekend) is a blur but I remember the pain was bad. I could not move my arms at all due to the intense pain. I had read that some ladies were just a bit uncomfortable but I was in some real pain for about three days. I have a sensitivity to Vicodin so had Percocet which kept me comfortable for a few hours at a time. After about three days, recovery got much easier and the pain more manageable. I had the operation on a Friday and showered on Sunday which felt great but was exhausting and was quite the production. Luckily, my sweet mom came over and helped me shower and washed my hair for me. My boyfriend offered but with that kind of pain, a girl just wanted her mama! After a few weeks I was able to remove the clear tape covering the incisions and clean the incisions up. I was given the brown paper tape to apply to the incisions but unfortunately, I had an allergic reaction, developed a rash/blisters and had to remove. The allergic reaction looked really bad on a Saturday morning so I emailed Dr. Hong a few photos - he replied immediately. I was leaving town that Monday so was worried about how the rash would do while I was away so he offered to meet me Sunday morning at his office (yet again, on his day off). Let me just say again how INCREDIBLE he is, he genuinely cares about his patients. He reassured me the rash should clear up now that the tape had been removed and it did over the course of a few days. Since I couldn't use any scar treatment tapes due to my sensitive skin, I have been using Palmers Skin Therapy Oil religiously in the morning and again at night. Love it and highly recommend! I am writing this review about 3 months after surgery and I could not be more thrilled with my results. The scars have already faded significantly, his incision lines are straight and clean. He is brilliant at what he does. He was available anytime I needed him during my recovery, even on his days off when the office was closed. He is the kind of surgeon you want and need. I will highly recommend him to any and everyone looking to have any cosmetic procedures. Dr. Hong: THANK YOU for being such a wonderful surgeon. Thank you for caring so much about your patients and thank you for changing my life and giving me back the confidence I had been missing for years. What a blessing it was meeting you.
I've thought about getting a BA for a couple of years now after breastfeeding two children. My youngest I breastfed for almost 3 years...needless to say these faithful little boobies are in need of some restoration. I bet back and forth on where or not I felt like I needed/wanted fuller breasts. Thoughts like "why can't I just be happy with what I have?". And to be perfectly honest, I AM happy with what I have...but I think they can be better. :) I finically made the decision a few months ago to book a consultation and now my surgery is two days away (Nov 16th!!). I currently wear a 36C, but only fill out the bottom portion of the bra. I probably am closer to a small B. Never bothered to get sized after weaning. Before kids, I wore a 36 C but didn't quite fill it to the brim. I'm an avid gym go-er and I like to lift weights, as well as HIIT classes. The biggest thing I have been concerned about is not being able to go back to the gym for a while. Without telling my PS this yet, after examining me, he recommended subglandular placement (over the muscle)...which I'm thrilled about (less recovery time and no breast distortion when flexing). Apparently I have enough breast tissue to accommodate this placement. He chose Sientra Textured Round Moderate profile silicone implants. The size will be determined during surgery as to what fits best. Between 430-485CC's. My Stats: Age: 31 Weight: 135-140 Height: 5'9 Kids: 2 (breastfed both) Breast width: 13" Incision: inframammory Implants: Sientra Silicone Textured Round moderate profile Updated on 15 Nov 2017: Updated on 16 Nov 2017: My experience was fantastic! I ended up with 485CC. I wasn't nervous at all, and had so much peace going into it. The staff and my doctor were great. If you have any specific questions regarding procedure, your welcome to ask. When I woke up I took a few minutes to come fully too (just felt sleepy) but was lucid no clear headed WAY Quicker than I expected. No nausea, no real "pain" just a bit of pressure. I'm actually only on Tylenol right now. More like a dull ache like I did a big chest workout. No big deal. Home now and just resting. Drinking bone broth. (I also drank bone broth while I could have some clear liquids before surgery...really helped me not be hungry since it's high in protein). I'll keep updating. I haven't looked at my boobs yet! Updated on 18 Nov 2017: Well I'm post-op Day 2, and was able to take a shower and finally see my boobs! I LOVE THEM!!! I'm so surprised at how normal and good they look so early on!! Updated on 23 Nov 2017: Things are going pretty well. Still have some nipple and bottom half of breast numbness. I can feel tightness when I lift something too heavy (nothing over 5lbs for a while apparently...and trying hard to stick to that rule). I don't have any pain, no tylenol after day 2. Just some soreness in the morning (morning boob?!) and overall tenderness. Can feel things are starting to not be so stiff. Updated on 27 Nov 2017: Here are some new pics wearing my favorite sports bra that I thought I wouldn't get to wear again. Definitely a better fit now! ;)
Hello! My name is Leslie and for the past few years I have completed extensive research in regards to deciding between mastopexy and Aug or mastopexy alone. I have a significant amount of breast tissue which starts me off with a full c to d cup. I've met with my PS a few times in the past few years. Since I have so much breast tissue and I'm still young enough to have pretty dense tissue I have decided to go with a saline implant under the muscle with a high profile because I particularly love the look of fake boobs. If you love natural looking then I can tell you love, you're reading the wrong review. :) I'm currently scheduled for my pre op appointment on 6/3. 31 days away!!! So excited. The only bummer is I'm currently addicted to the gym so staying away from weight lifting during recovery is going to be such a drag but I've waited long enough to do this! Updated on 10 May 2014: Besides the little asymmetry of the nipples, this is the look I'm going for. I'm 5'9 and weigh around 200. So having larger breast on myself should go with my body type. Updated on 15 May 2014: Just still browsing my wish pics! Found another one that I love! A lot of my inspiration comes from real results from all of you! So anxious! My friends even want to give me a boogie party before my surgery!! Haha so happy I finally went forward with my decision! Updated on 27 May 2014: Soooooo I have looked at so many boobs that I feel like I'm a boob connoisseur by this point hahaha. I was reading reviews and realized I haven't put my measurements down. Height: 5'9 Weight: 200 Athletic Build, Active Gym and Runner. Lots of Chest Muscle Currently a 36C(full) small D Any advice on questions that are super important during preop? Also, I've been wondering about tubes. Does anyone know what differentiates between patients on who has tubes placed and who doesn't? Help! Time is closing in and I'm starting to panic!! Lol not really, but kinda. Updated on 3 Jun 2014: Just finished my pre op with Dr. Hong. What an amazing experience. His staff is so friendly and informative and answered all of my pre op questions. I also paid for my surgery in full so now it's 15 long days until surgery. We decided to go under the muscle to minimize the risk of capsular contracture which is fine by me. The profile won't matter in my case because the CC amount will be determined during the surgery. We are thinking of starting at 325 CC's and overfilling to 350 CC's if my nipple can sustain blood flow. The one piece of education that I did learn today was that when choosing saline over silicone implants, your PS can make an incision in office later on and fill the implant if need be or take saline out by just finding the port. Thats awesome because then I wont need surgery unless implants rupture. We took preoperative photos today and it wasn't a pretty sight. My husband joined in on the photoshoot which made me laugh and put me at more ease. I was prescribed NORCO, Keflex, and Phenergan. My PS said I won't be able to resume activies until 4-6 weeks which my activies means no weight lifting which is a total bummer but said I can resume cardio(no running) but eliptical and bike riding 3 weeks after surgery so I'm happy to meet in the middle. He also marked on me where my new nipple location would be and WHOA, what a difference. I never realized how much sagging I had before all of his drawings on me today. Well, I think thats all the info I have for you for now. Can't wait to get through these next few weeks. xoxoxox Updated on 11 Jun 2014: I am absolutely in love with the fact that in exactly 7 days I will have new breasts. I'm so excited for the day to come!! We also btw changed to moderate + profile because I'm more wider in the chest area I didn't want it to look like two soccer balls sitting on my chest so I feel relaxed and comfortable that my surgeons expertise will conclude a beautiful result. All week I have been running and running and running because I know in one week all my physical exercise is going to come to A roaring hault! Just sleep and cleaning my house so that everything is as seamless as possible for the big day. My mom is coming to help since we have two small children who demanded a lot of love and attention :) get ready real self! Soon I'll be through the hoop!! Xoxox Updated on 17 Jun 2014: Hello! I am so excited to finally fall asleep tonight and get this completed tomorrow. I didnt pick up my prescription for nausea because its a butt pill and I really dont want to stick anything up my butt, I rather decide if I really need it to get a pill I can swallow OTC then a suppository. LOL. Sorry, just not sold on the whole pill up the butt thing. My house is clean, my groceries are stocked and my mother comes tomorrow. My husband is going to need the help of my mother especially because we have two small children. I feel anxiety building up already and I keep looking at the clock. Depending how I feel tomorrow, I might write inbetween my sleep sessions. Heres to a great recovery and fantastic results! CIao beauties! Updated on 19 Jun 2014: Woke up around 6am yesterday. Made breakfast for my kids and then drove to the Surgery Center at PAMF. Checked in at 8:30. Filled out some paperwork and was taken back to the preop room at 9am. The OR nurse was great! Very friendly and took my nerves away quickly with his humor and bedside manner. They had me get undressed and then started the IV. The anesthesiologist came by and introduced himself and said he would be with me the whole time. Soon after we met my PS came in and did his markings! Right after, I kissed my husband good bye and they wheeled me off to the OR. As soon as I got in, I felt compression socks on my legs and out I went. I woke up 3 hours later in the recovery triage center with a feeling that a train just ran right into my chest. The nurse gave pain medicine quickly a few times to bring the pain down. Boy was I grateful. Apparently my PS came to talk to me but I can't remember any of the post op area. Next thing I remember is taking a very long walk from the car to my bed. Popped pain killer and muscle relaxer and slept for 6 hours. When I woke up I felt tight and sore. All around uncomfortable :( but I looked down and saw some amazing upper pole fullness so I am in great spirits to see my chest in full Saturday when I am allowed to shower. I was given Natrelle Saline Implants under the muscle and filled to 340cc in both breasts. It leaves room to fill in more after my tissue heals and my nipple recovers. I knew going into the surgery that he would be as generous as possible but had to maintain blood flow to the nipple for now. In 6 weeks we will re access if we should add more. So for now that's about it. My diet is back to normal and it was a heck of a time trying to pee. You're limited with movement and you don't realize it until you actually make the move. So now I think it's time pop some more pills and fall asleep. It's tiring moving from laying to sitting and holding things so it's treat time. I have one photo for now. The rest to come Saturday :) Updated on 19 Jun 2014: Updated on 20 Jun 2014: Wheww, what a few days from hell!! Sleeping at night has been torture and my back is hurting so much. I'm still in a lot of pain so I'm still relying on the meds to help. The tightness is out of control. I had my husband give me a lower body shower. I couldn't stand the idea of going four days without cleaning it up down there. When I lay down for awhile and then get up my chest hurts so bad because the weight is shifting. I feel like a baby and it kills me that I can't do anything around the house. I need to get out of the house too. Ughh, I'm watching greys anatomy on Netflix and started with season 1. I'm almost on season 4 so you can see how long I've been cooped up laying in my bed. I'll figure something out soon. It's just the pain that is working against me. Don't want to do too much and pop a stitch or something. Updated on 23 Jun 2014: Wowzaaa! What a huge difference! I'm ready to rock in roll! Haven't been on pain meds. Still wake up in the morning with back pain from the way I'm sleeping but everything else is fine. I can do some daily routines now and help with the kids. Here are just a few of my small issues. One my nipples and my right breast have nerve damage that I can tell because if I have anyone tough that breast I can not feel them touching me. I'm hoping in time that the nerves repair themselves but I'm not upset if they don't either. The bruising is minimal but I have lots of swelling on the sides of my breast below my armpits. Which I assume down the road well get better. I am absolutely in love with my new breasts. I am so happy I chose the surgeon I did and recommended him non stop to my counterparts and friends. The surgery center contacted the financial coordinator saying that my surgery went over allocated surgery time and that I had a bill because my surgery went over. I was a bit confused on why this was my part and asked that the financial coordinator look into it. She got back in contact with me and said my surgeon asked the surg center waive my fee. I was so appreciative that he had the fee waived regardless. I felt like I was part of a family and that's how my whole experience has been. My PS even gave his personal cell number to my husband so if we had questions, we could call him directly. I know I have a lot of healing to do but for now I'm ecstatic with my results. Updated on 23 Jun 2014:
I'm 36 with two kids age 4 and 1. I had a c-section with my older daughter since she was breech, so there's a small scar already down below. I was able to get my tummy back after the first one, but with my second pregnancy, the muscle wall just didn't hold up. I've also had an umbilical hernia when I was young and it just gotten worse after all the pregnancies. Since the hernia is bothering me more and more each day, and the diastasis recti is not getting any prettier each day... I figured that I'll have to do something about it. Since my mother-in-law is here I figured I will have some help with the kids, so it's either now or never for the procedure. I originally set on interviewing 3 doctors only, but after all the meetings I was quite unsettled with the information they provide. They all have pros and cons and none of them give me the 100% confidence that I need. And I've gotten conflicting information from the last doctor where he does not want to do the hernia repair with the TT and MR procedure. So I checked with my OB for advice, and she told me her best friend just had a TT recently with this doctor and was very happy with the result. So I went and meet with him, and he explains everything in great details, as well as referring me to a general surgeon for the hernia repair, whom he partnered with for 15 years already. I then had a consultation with the general surgeon and was very comfortable with both so I quickly set a date for the surgery. I'll add more details and photos later... Updated on 23 Jan 2014: My pre-op appointment is next Monday! I'm a bit nervous now as it's so close. I'm starting to look more into recovery and things I need to prep for. Finding that a lot of people are getting a lift chair/recliner for sleeping. I'm starting to look into it and not sure what kind I should get. Feel so unprepared but not much time remaining for research. Probably will just get one from rent-a-center as it's the most economical solution. Hope it's going to be useful... Updated on 3 Feb 2014: I survived! I don't even remember what was the last thing I did but just drifted off with the anesthesia. I've been sleeping mostly this afternoon and had a few pieces of Ice cubes and some jello. Not having the appetite to eat but need to have something so my stomach will not be so empty. Everybody from the nurse to the doctors have been wonderful and put me at ease. A pic of the marking before surgery. I still haven't seen my tummy yet so not sure how it looks now. Updated on 5 Feb 2014: I'm so glad I get to stay in the hospital for the first night. There's no way I could be moving and I know I'll be throwing up a lot on my ride home. The first night at the hospital was peaceful but also painful. Whenever I'm awake I pressed on the pain pump so I get a little dose of med. However they don't last too long and also makes you quite nauseous. I haven't been able to eat much after and threw up my jello as well. In the middle of the night my tummy started growling so I had to get up and ate some crackers. Mouth is super dry as well so make sure you have water for sipping all night long. First night I was able to sleep quite a bit so that's been good. Doctor came the next morning to check on me and said everything looks nice and tight. I have been thinking that he put the binder on too tight, turns out it was actually my own tummy. I guess he did a good job at tightening it. I still have not remove the binder yet. I'll be taking a shower later today so will see what it really looks like. I'm also glad that I have a wonderful mother-in-law helping out. Not only she's capable of taking care of the kids, and cooking for us, she's also a nurse so she's also very helpful at draining my drains twice a day. She's been taking care of me with every little thing. Bringing me yogurt for breakfast. Cut up fruits and place it on my bedside. And keep refilling my water bottle. My husband have been great too at taking over all the kids stuff. I'm grateful for having such a good support team post surgery. One little tip for those light sleepers, put on ear plugs will help you sleep longer and deeper. Te meds are playing tricks in your brain so even though you are tired the sleep quality might not be so good hearing all the noise around. I have been sleeping very well with ear plug last night. Woke up once for pain meds and was as able to sleep for few hours stretch at a time. Updated on 7 Feb 2014: Since my surgery, the number one thing bothering me was the gas build up and pain associated with it. It's not pain that will go away with pain meds so it's was quite rough the few days back home. So two nights ago I had 45ml of MoM before bed and I woke up with a lot of gas coming out. That was a wonderful release and finally help settle my stomach a bit. But still signs of poop. So in the morning I had another 60ml of MoM and went back to bed. Woke up around noon and nothing but gas only. Finally my mother-in-law gave me some medication through the rectal area that will help release anything near about. Still nothing! So she helped me with my shower, and while I'm drying I had the urge so quickly sat at the toilet bowl. It was a good relieve. More to come later and my appetite finally came back afterwards. Advice to those who will be having a TT surgery, make sure you start your stool softener before your surgery to keep the system clean. No need to add more discomfort to the beat up belly already. Updated on 7 Feb 2014: Nope, still can't do it yet. Although I'm getting better but boy it sure hurts and it's so tight to try to stand up straight. I'm somewhat straight but it's nowhere close to being flexible. I can feel the tightness in front and it just won't let me stretch it out. It's starting to give my lower back a hard time even though I'm not standing a lot. I tried to walk more today after being able to release some of those poop and feel much better. It hurts to walk being straight up. But will keep trying. I'm also stopping my narcotic pain meds as it's giving my tummy a hard time. I'm taking ibuprofen only and of course it's not as strong, but manageable. My biggest issue now is that every time I eat, I'll be going immediately after like having a diahrea. I didn't know having those MoM will do that to me. But I'm glad that at least it's coming out, not staying in. Just wondering when it'll finally become normal again. I'm not looking forward to the weekend as both my girls will be home. I wish I can play with them but I know I'll most likely be hiding to avoid my little one keep trying to climb on me. My older one is a sweetheart and she will sit next to me quietly and give me a super gentle hug. It's going to be tough just sitting there and not be able to do anything with the kids this weekend. Updated on 10 Feb 2014: It's a good appointment because my drains are out! It's weird though as to the process. I have not tried to imagine how the drains should come out as I know it's gotta be done, why bother to find out the details. My PS removed the sutures and he count to 3 while I take a deep breath, and VOILA, it's like he just did a magic trick with some tickling in my belly, the drains are out. Boy are those long drains inside... I've always known that it goes pretty high up but it's different when you actually see how long it is. And try to imagine them inside... anyway, now I've got two holes which creeps me out. Even though I know it's going to close up in a few days, it's still weird thinking that there are two holes there... So the dressing along the main closure will not be out until next week. He did took the sutures out of my belly button, and looking to see if there's a sign of "life". Hopefully my belly button will survive and stayput. At this point all I can do is give it some TLC to keep it clean and wait for it to heal. I'm still pooping like having a mild diarrhea, hopefully those will be settled in a couple days. Eating yogurt everyday to help it, and also drinking my Ensure to help the muscle heal. Otherwise I'm eating normal with a bit less than normal appetite still. I'm also trying to make sure I eat lots of fruits and veggies and drinking lots of water. Still get tired after standing for awhile. Good that I have a desk job and working remotely this week. I hope I can stand up longer without feeling major back pain by end of this week. Updated on 15 Feb 2014: It's itching pretty badly around the incision area with the tape and all that, still have to wait till Tuesday before it'll be off. I've been recovering well so far. Standing up better and able to feel more normal. I've been taking less and less pain meds now. Only a few Advil before bed so I can sleep better. Will be going back to work on Tuesday. Just hope that I can get though the day without feeling too tired. The number one concern I have is my belly button healing. It's not pretty at this point and I'm just waiting for it to heal and see the final results. For the incision scar, I think I heal well with my csection scar so I'm not too worry. Plus I didn't plan on wearing things that are super low anyway... Just hope that things heal well. Updated on 1 Apr 2014: It's 2 months since my surgery and everything is going great. Almost forgot how tough it was the first few days post op! :) I'm enjoying the great result. Although the one imperfection I have now is that my belly button is gone! Zip, nada, nil, gone! It closes up and all I have is darker skins in that area that shapes like a belly button. I guess my hernia did take a toll on my BB and not much good skin left around so it decided to close it up. My PS said he can put a new BB in there in a few months when the scar is fully healed. I haven't decided what to do. Maybe it looks ok with just a scar... after all, the BB is quite useless. Will see how I feel in a couple months... Even though I'm 2 months PO I'm still wearing my CG. I like to wear it during the day since the skin below my BB is still a bit numb and feels weird. I don't like the feeling of having my jeans rubbing against it or putting the indents to it directly. I don't wear it at home and while sleeping... but I do need to slowly wean off of it at some point. On a side note, coughing is no longer hurting as much. I can still feel a tiny bit of heat inside but it's so subtle that I can barely notice it. It's good since I'm coughing like hell as I caught a cold and coughing my lungs out. I've also become quite obsessed to make sure my flat tummy stays flat. Sometimes when I'm bloated or swollen, or after a good meal, I feel like everything is going to be back to the way it was before. I'm scared that I'll gain a belly back and waste all this money for nothing... I'm watching how much I'm eating nowadays and making sure I don't over eat. My hernia doctor said no core exercise for a year. If I want to do any kind of "toning", yoga is the only one she allows, as it does not put a lot of pressure and stress to the wound. I can walk, jog, run, and do any kinds of cardio exercise, just not in the core... I've started doing more of the breathing exercise to tighten up the core muscle. Hopefully this will be good enough to maintain the nice flat tummy until I can do more toning exercise in the future.
This is a good question because, like many things in Plastic Surgery, the answer is more art than science. We have 6 surgeons in our practice and most use some type of drain in facelift surgery, either a closed suction drain with a bulb, or just a simple penrose type drain. One of our partners does not use drains at all, or rarely.All are good surgeons and get very nice results. I usually use a closed suction drain overnight, then remove it in the morning. Conversely, in breast reduction surgery I never use a drain, but almost all of my partners use a closed suction drain that they remove in 1 or 2 days! How is that for the "science of medicine!" This is an issue that I would ask your surgeon his opinion and as long as he has a reasonable explanation, would leave it up to him/her. More important to be able to feel comfortable, and communicate well with your surgeon.
Wonderful that you lost all of the weight and have kept it off! Loose skin in varying parts of the body is common after weight loss, but the pattern of skin excess is unique to every individual. It is not uncommon for younger patients in their forties to have loose skin around the neck and cheek areas after significant weight loss. Please seek the opinion of an experienced Plastic Surgeon in your area to get an idea of what procedures could benefit you. Good luck!
