15 days post-op. First, I am finding myself extremely depressed. Secondly, today I literally sat in the mirror for 3 hours comparing both breasts. I see a slight difference between the two. I am right hand dominant and it seems like my right side is fuller than my left. The problem for me is the extreme depression I am feeling and just wanting to stare at them in the mirror for literally hours at a time and self diagnose thinking the worst is happening to me. Any help is appreciated. Thanks
Answer: Is it normal to be depressed and also extremely obsessive about comparing my breasts after an augmentation? Most patients are elated within a week or so after breast surgery, even though it takes about 3 months to see the final results. Occasionally I will see a patient obsessing over every little detail, and this in not normal in my practice and not a healthy response. Neither you nor can PS speed up Mother Nature. Healing takes time, and worrying won't speed it up. Try to find something else to do rather than spending 3 hours in front of a mirror obsessing over ever detail. If something is wrong, your PS will take care of it, after it has healed and settled.I suggest visiting your PS and viewing your pro-op photos particularly for symmetry. Very few women have perfectly symmetrical breast before or after surgery, but oddly, most never noticed it until after their surgery. You may also think about visiting a psychologist or psychiatrist for suggestions to control your obsession.Thank you for your questions and good luck.
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Answer: Is it normal to be depressed and also extremely obsessive about comparing my breasts after an augmentation? Most patients are elated within a week or so after breast surgery, even though it takes about 3 months to see the final results. Occasionally I will see a patient obsessing over every little detail, and this in not normal in my practice and not a healthy response. Neither you nor can PS speed up Mother Nature. Healing takes time, and worrying won't speed it up. Try to find something else to do rather than spending 3 hours in front of a mirror obsessing over ever detail. If something is wrong, your PS will take care of it, after it has healed and settled.I suggest visiting your PS and viewing your pro-op photos particularly for symmetry. Very few women have perfectly symmetrical breast before or after surgery, but oddly, most never noticed it until after their surgery. You may also think about visiting a psychologist or psychiatrist for suggestions to control your obsession.Thank you for your questions and good luck.
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June 21, 2017
Answer: Is it normal to be depressed and also extremely obsessive about comparing my breasts after an augmentation? I find that some patients are so relaxed and happy to have their new breasts that recovery is easy, and for others it becomes a matter of obsession. I remind them that everyone has asymmetries present before surgery and that placing implants (even identical ones) won't make everything symmetric since shape, skin surface, underlying ribs, nipple position, etc, etc are all different from one side to the other. The best thing you can do is to convince yourself that there is presently swelling to resolve and settling to occur so you need to allow a couple of months to even see your actual results.Talk to your surgeon about your anxiety issues and if necessary seek a psychologist to help you defocus and relax. Hopefully these feelings and fixations will disappear to make your recovery easier. Best wishes,Jon A Perlman MD FACS
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June 21, 2017
Answer: Is it normal to be depressed and also extremely obsessive about comparing my breasts after an augmentation? I find that some patients are so relaxed and happy to have their new breasts that recovery is easy, and for others it becomes a matter of obsession. I remind them that everyone has asymmetries present before surgery and that placing implants (even identical ones) won't make everything symmetric since shape, skin surface, underlying ribs, nipple position, etc, etc are all different from one side to the other. The best thing you can do is to convince yourself that there is presently swelling to resolve and settling to occur so you need to allow a couple of months to even see your actual results.Talk to your surgeon about your anxiety issues and if necessary seek a psychologist to help you defocus and relax. Hopefully these feelings and fixations will disappear to make your recovery easier. Best wishes,Jon A Perlman MD FACS
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