I'm 1 1/2 weeks post op. Are my Breast Implants Too Big?

Are my Breast Implants Too Big? One and a half weeks out, you are still swollen!. Give it at least 3 months for the implants to settle and swelling to resolve which can take even longer.

It is difficult to say without a photo but rest assured that since you are only 1 1/2 weeks from surgery that you have some swelling.  Over the next several weeks the swelling will decrease and your real size wil become more apparent.

Just wait.

Dr. ES

Hopefully you had candid discussions with your surgeon prior to surgery about what your expectations are with surgery.  In most cases, patients actually wish that they chose a slightly larger implant.  However, in your cases, it sounds like the opposite is true.  In is usually best to wait several months before any revision surgery to allow the swelling to resolve and the tissues to settle.  It may turn out that you end up liking the implants.  If not, the surgery to exchange to a small size is must less involved that your original surgery - assuming that you are having a moderate reduction in size of the implants.  Good luck.

I always ask patients what sort of 'look' they are interested in- we base our implant sizing decisions on bio-dimensions of the patient, and the type of post-op 'look' a patient wants. Based on your self- description, there is no way a 400 cc HP implant is going to look 'natural' by anybody's concept of what a naturally beautiful breast looks like. Implants can always be removed and replaced, but it will be an additional expense to you.

Give yourself some time to recover. The implants always look larger just after surgery because of swelling. 

It's going to be hard for you to judge your final results at this time, as your swelling will distort the breast size.  I suggest waiting at least another 3-4 weeks and then re-evaluating your size.  Speak with your surgeon about your concerns.  If you discussed sizing prior to surgery, then hopefully you were both on the same page during surgery.  You can also ask your surgeon to take some new photos of your breasts so that you can see exactly what the change is, which can be extremely helpful in this early period.  Good luck and best wishes, /nsn.

Different surgeons have different approaches and philosophies on how to best pick an ideal breast Implant. Some are extremely self-questioning and dictatorial who insist that only the surgeon can pick a breast implant (Nonsense) while on the other side of the attitude spectrum are Plastic surgeons who abdicate their personal responsibility to their patients and will place ANY implant a woman asks for without educating them (Double nonsense!).  The middle of the road makes much more sense.\

A RANGE of implants should be picked for the patient to choose from from the data the Plastic surgeons gathered from his/her examination of the patient and in compromise with her cosmetic ideals. In this way, the surgeon and the patient act together to pick the best implant (as opposed to the absolute ruler "you're too dumb to know" case scenario 1 or the Spoiled Parent "you can have anything you want sweetie" scenario).

In my opinion your implants are probably too big but bear in mind that the breast are still swollen and will go down slightly in size as this subsides. I would wait 3 weeks or so before making up my mind.  At that time, if you STILL feel the same way discuss it with your surgeon and see what he suggests.

How to pick breast implant sizes

Answer by George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
1) This is the most common type of question on RealSelf.

2) It is the surgeon's job to pick the right breast implants, not the patient's. Implant selection is really pretty technical.

3) Make sure your surgeon REALLY understands the look you want. Mentioning a cup size is not enough. Show your surgeon pictures of breasts you like.

4) Then your surgeon has to tell you if your chosen look is realistic for your anatomy. The most common mistake is to go too big.

5) I recommend that the surgeon NOT make a final implant choice in advance, because this is just an educated guess.

6) The surgeon should have a large inventory of different size and shape implants available in the operating room.

7) Then the surgeon can put sterile disposable implant SIZERS in your breasts during surgery, to see what a particular implant really looks like inside you. This is how to make the best choice. A sizer costs only $45, and takes all the guess work out.

8) Finally, the sizer is discarded, and the correct breast implants (based on what you want and on your anatomy) are opened from the operating roon inventory, and put in your breasts to complete the operation.