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2 months post op update with photos!
Hi ladies! Just wanted to provide a quick update and let you all know that I'm around two months post op and things have been going well. The small holes at the intersection of my incisions did close up without more trouble until just a day ago when the intersection of my right breast incisions opened again when the scab came off and I noticed the clear thread from my sutures was sticking out (this is the "spitting stitches" we hear so much about.) I determined this stubborn suture is the reason that incision hasn't fully healed and cut it as close as I could to my skin in order to hopefully allow that area to heal again (and this time, stay healed, I hope.)
I am free from pain and able to sleep and lay in any position I wish. Both breasts have dropped and are at what i believe is their final position. Sometimes I think they seem a bit low, or not as perky as I would like, but then I remind myself that I am comparing them to what they looked like right after surgery and not what they looked like pre-op. If you find yourself doubting whether you're happy with your results, I recommend pulling up your pre-op photos and using that as your comparison point! It really puts things in perspective for me and I realize that my final results are really what I wanted and I am pleased. They look natural, and they are full and less droopy looking. The only thing I would change at this point, is I wish Dr Cohen had gone with the slightly larger implant we had discussed instead of the very modest size he chose (I DID trust him to make the judgement call on surgery day though and I DO trust he did what he thought was best for my frame.) The primary reason I wish they were slightly bigger, is because they are the same size as they were prior to my surgery (I can still fit into my bras from before, thought they are slightly tighter.) But again, I wasn't looking for a dramatic size difference. I just wanted a natural overall appearance and less sagging following breast feeding so I am overall very happy with my results so far.
I am posting some recent photos. You will see that my scars are already improving and I continue the multi-faceted approach to treating the scars that I detailed in an earlier post. This includes taping them with silicone tape for about 23 hours per day. The scars around both areola are virtually invisible at this point. The incision intersections below each areola are my primary concern as they are the areas that have been slow to heal and the scars currently make my areola look larger than they actually are....I am hoping to improve this area of my scars with continued scar treatment and the possibility of laser treatments in the future.
If you have any questions, as always, please don't hesitate to ask.
I am also including a photo of the suture that appeared yesterday, reopening the incision intersection that had previously healed.
I am free from pain and able to sleep and lay in any position I wish. Both breasts have dropped and are at what i believe is their final position. Sometimes I think they seem a bit low, or not as perky as I would like, but then I remind myself that I am comparing them to what they looked like right after surgery and not what they looked like pre-op. If you find yourself doubting whether you're happy with your results, I recommend pulling up your pre-op photos and using that as your comparison point! It really puts things in perspective for me and I realize that my final results are really what I wanted and I am pleased. They look natural, and they are full and less droopy looking. The only thing I would change at this point, is I wish Dr Cohen had gone with the slightly larger implant we had discussed instead of the very modest size he chose (I DID trust him to make the judgement call on surgery day though and I DO trust he did what he thought was best for my frame.) The primary reason I wish they were slightly bigger, is because they are the same size as they were prior to my surgery (I can still fit into my bras from before, thought they are slightly tighter.) But again, I wasn't looking for a dramatic size difference. I just wanted a natural overall appearance and less sagging following breast feeding so I am overall very happy with my results so far.
I am posting some recent photos. You will see that my scars are already improving and I continue the multi-faceted approach to treating the scars that I detailed in an earlier post. This includes taping them with silicone tape for about 23 hours per day. The scars around both areola are virtually invisible at this point. The incision intersections below each areola are my primary concern as they are the areas that have been slow to heal and the scars currently make my areola look larger than they actually are....I am hoping to improve this area of my scars with continued scar treatment and the possibility of laser treatments in the future.
If you have any questions, as always, please don't hesitate to ask.
I am also including a photo of the suture that appeared yesterday, reopening the incision intersection that had previously healed.
Milk and scars and uneven breasts oh my! One month post op update with photos :)
Hi ladies! Do me a favor and if anyone is still following along or finds this review helpful, please shoot me a message or leave a comment below so I can determine if I should continue updating. It's difficult to know if anyone is reading and I will post updates with photos through to one year post-op if the information is benefiting any other ladies out there!
The photos here were taken this morning at one month post op. You will see the scars have widened a bit at the intersection of the vertical scar and the scar surrounding my areolas (which have almost faded entirely at this point.) since the holes that opened at the intersection of the incisions at three weeks are not completely healed yet, it's difficul to determine if they will always be as noticeable as they are now or if more healing and time combined with my multi-approach to scar treatment will fade them. It is slightly depressing that the scars widened from those small openings since I had been healing with such thin scars until that point last week. But, I have continued my treatment of all of the scars with the cream, pressure massage to the incision areas each day and silicone tape coverings for 23 hours/day and I think overall, they are coming along nicely for this early in my recovery.
As I mentioned in my last post, I am lactating as well! That was definitely a curve ball I didn't see coming! My mother and I have had a few good laughs over it! It's weird, but isn't too bad since it isn't enough milk production to cause leaking through my bra (which would happen when I was breastfeeding my daughter three years ago.) I don't even notice it unless I am putting pressure on them while doing my daily massages. I make sure to clean the incision areas after massage though, just to be sure that the milk doesn't get into any leftover openings which I suspect could encourage infection. Please keep this in mind if you're one of the ladies who experiences post op lactation.
The openings I last posted about have closed with the daily application of bactracin which I apply after my morning shower and before I apply the silicone tape. I have been placing the tape directly over the bactracin on those areas to keep the greasiness of the ointment from staining my bras and shirts and it seems to be working fine.
I spent some time researching Fraxel laser treatments for new scar improvement and read about the optimal time to begin them, and it seems you must be entirely healed before you begin, which makes sense. It's recommended that you have the treatments as early In the scar forming process as possible though, which is usually around 3 months. Since I am going to Miami for another procedure (this is my personal transformation year) in early June, I am likely going to begin the laser treatments around July. I don't know if they are painful but I had laser hair removal on my legs, underarms and bikini area eight years ago and that was very painful (but so worth it) so I am preparing myself for the same level of pain going into the Fraxel treatments and then if it's less-great! I am told that the lasers technology used for hair removal have progressed and is less painful than when I had that procedure done years ago, so it's likely Fraxel will be less uncomfortable than I'm anticipating. But I always prepare for the worst no matter the situation. That just works best for me as it has a way of taming anxiety before any big event or procedure.
One of my breasts is still higher than the other, as expected, because they are continuing their decent down my chest and into the "pockets" Dr. Cohen created for them. He said this could take as long as 3 months before they are fully settled into place (which is probably why he has his last post op with his patients at three months post op.) So far, I'm very pleased with the size and shape and even where they are located on my chest so hopefully they won't drop too much more. The only thing that bothers me at this point is the scarring (I'm single) but I acknowledge its early in the healing process and I intend to continue my rigorous scar treatment approach until I get results that I can happily live with.
I am pain free at this point with very little soreness and I am able to comfortably lay on my side or even my stomach (though I try not to do either.) strangely, I never had much nipple sensation to begin with, so I wasn't sure what to expect post op...and I think I may end up with more feeling in my nipples than I've ever had before. I suspect that the amount of nipple sensation is unique to each woman, but the sensations lead me to believe that the nerves are healing well.
I do get the high boobs in the morning which is a phenomena I read about before surgery, where you wake up and it feels like your breasts are up around your neck! They don't actually LOOK that way (though they are somewhat higher in position when I first wake up) but the feeling is kind of strange until you get used to it (not painful at all though) and after about an hour, they seem to settle back down lol.
I am a little disappointed that Dr. Cohen's nurses didn't inform me that the openings I experienced last week may have just been normal separating at the incision intersection and instead told me confidently that it happened because my body was pushing the stitches out of my skin. I say this because it caused me undue stress as I rushed home from work that day and followers their instructions to use small tweezers and explored the openings and around my incisions looking for the clear threads that were supposedly causing the healing issue. I poked around looking on each breast, using sterilized tweezers and standing in front of a mirror with extra lighting for probably an hour before I determined there were no stitches to be found anywhere. As a result I was left discouraged (had I just not been able to see them?) and sore for the next two days. Fortunately several doctors on RS came to the rescue after I posted images of the openings and informed me it was a very common complication of full breast lifts and advised me to use the bactracin. No one has called or emailed me from Dr. Cohen's office to follow up or check in to see how I'm doing since I reached out for advice (I also sent them photos of the openings.) While I love Dr. Cohen and his staff is very personable and attentive leading up to the procedure, I feel they need to work on their post op engagement with patients. As I said before, it would have been nice to hear from someone in his office (if it couldn't be him that's understandable, but anyone) the day after surgery. It would also be nice if they followed up with patients after they inquired as I did last week, about a concern or complication. That said, Lisa (my nurse) did tell me I could schedule an appointment the following week to come in for assistance removing the stitches she thought were pushing through my incisions...but since I was concerned about those areas not healing properly I didn't want to wait another 4-5 days and I would have had to miss an entire day of work since I live over an hour from Dr. Cohen's office. So while she encouraged me to remove the stitches myself, she also offered me the option to wait and come in for assistance. And now that I know there were no spitting stitches to begin with, I'm really glad I didn't take off work and make the drive there for nothing. Things seem to be working out just fine thank goodness!
I am still not wearing a "real" bra, even though I have looked around for something that has no wires and would be more appropriate under my professional clothing than a sports bra, I just feel overwhelmed when I walk into a lingerie department right now since I don't even know what my new size is! I don't want to go to Victoria's Secret and get measured until after the three month mark when I'm confident that all swelling is gone and my size is accurate. To Dr. Cohen's credit, he did tell me not to rush out and buy new pretty bras right away because the size would change over the first three months and it would just be a waste of money. He must know what VS charges us ladies for bras! Lol
As always, if you have any questions or need support with your own journey, please feel free to post or send me a private message and I will respond as quickly as possible! Wishing you happiness and health!
The photos here were taken this morning at one month post op. You will see the scars have widened a bit at the intersection of the vertical scar and the scar surrounding my areolas (which have almost faded entirely at this point.) since the holes that opened at the intersection of the incisions at three weeks are not completely healed yet, it's difficul to determine if they will always be as noticeable as they are now or if more healing and time combined with my multi-approach to scar treatment will fade them. It is slightly depressing that the scars widened from those small openings since I had been healing with such thin scars until that point last week. But, I have continued my treatment of all of the scars with the cream, pressure massage to the incision areas each day and silicone tape coverings for 23 hours/day and I think overall, they are coming along nicely for this early in my recovery.
As I mentioned in my last post, I am lactating as well! That was definitely a curve ball I didn't see coming! My mother and I have had a few good laughs over it! It's weird, but isn't too bad since it isn't enough milk production to cause leaking through my bra (which would happen when I was breastfeeding my daughter three years ago.) I don't even notice it unless I am putting pressure on them while doing my daily massages. I make sure to clean the incision areas after massage though, just to be sure that the milk doesn't get into any leftover openings which I suspect could encourage infection. Please keep this in mind if you're one of the ladies who experiences post op lactation.
The openings I last posted about have closed with the daily application of bactracin which I apply after my morning shower and before I apply the silicone tape. I have been placing the tape directly over the bactracin on those areas to keep the greasiness of the ointment from staining my bras and shirts and it seems to be working fine.
I spent some time researching Fraxel laser treatments for new scar improvement and read about the optimal time to begin them, and it seems you must be entirely healed before you begin, which makes sense. It's recommended that you have the treatments as early In the scar forming process as possible though, which is usually around 3 months. Since I am going to Miami for another procedure (this is my personal transformation year) in early June, I am likely going to begin the laser treatments around July. I don't know if they are painful but I had laser hair removal on my legs, underarms and bikini area eight years ago and that was very painful (but so worth it) so I am preparing myself for the same level of pain going into the Fraxel treatments and then if it's less-great! I am told that the lasers technology used for hair removal have progressed and is less painful than when I had that procedure done years ago, so it's likely Fraxel will be less uncomfortable than I'm anticipating. But I always prepare for the worst no matter the situation. That just works best for me as it has a way of taming anxiety before any big event or procedure.
One of my breasts is still higher than the other, as expected, because they are continuing their decent down my chest and into the "pockets" Dr. Cohen created for them. He said this could take as long as 3 months before they are fully settled into place (which is probably why he has his last post op with his patients at three months post op.) So far, I'm very pleased with the size and shape and even where they are located on my chest so hopefully they won't drop too much more. The only thing that bothers me at this point is the scarring (I'm single) but I acknowledge its early in the healing process and I intend to continue my rigorous scar treatment approach until I get results that I can happily live with.
I am pain free at this point with very little soreness and I am able to comfortably lay on my side or even my stomach (though I try not to do either.) strangely, I never had much nipple sensation to begin with, so I wasn't sure what to expect post op...and I think I may end up with more feeling in my nipples than I've ever had before. I suspect that the amount of nipple sensation is unique to each woman, but the sensations lead me to believe that the nerves are healing well.
I do get the high boobs in the morning which is a phenomena I read about before surgery, where you wake up and it feels like your breasts are up around your neck! They don't actually LOOK that way (though they are somewhat higher in position when I first wake up) but the feeling is kind of strange until you get used to it (not painful at all though) and after about an hour, they seem to settle back down lol.
I am a little disappointed that Dr. Cohen's nurses didn't inform me that the openings I experienced last week may have just been normal separating at the incision intersection and instead told me confidently that it happened because my body was pushing the stitches out of my skin. I say this because it caused me undue stress as I rushed home from work that day and followers their instructions to use small tweezers and explored the openings and around my incisions looking for the clear threads that were supposedly causing the healing issue. I poked around looking on each breast, using sterilized tweezers and standing in front of a mirror with extra lighting for probably an hour before I determined there were no stitches to be found anywhere. As a result I was left discouraged (had I just not been able to see them?) and sore for the next two days. Fortunately several doctors on RS came to the rescue after I posted images of the openings and informed me it was a very common complication of full breast lifts and advised me to use the bactracin. No one has called or emailed me from Dr. Cohen's office to follow up or check in to see how I'm doing since I reached out for advice (I also sent them photos of the openings.) While I love Dr. Cohen and his staff is very personable and attentive leading up to the procedure, I feel they need to work on their post op engagement with patients. As I said before, it would have been nice to hear from someone in his office (if it couldn't be him that's understandable, but anyone) the day after surgery. It would also be nice if they followed up with patients after they inquired as I did last week, about a concern or complication. That said, Lisa (my nurse) did tell me I could schedule an appointment the following week to come in for assistance removing the stitches she thought were pushing through my incisions...but since I was concerned about those areas not healing properly I didn't want to wait another 4-5 days and I would have had to miss an entire day of work since I live over an hour from Dr. Cohen's office. So while she encouraged me to remove the stitches myself, she also offered me the option to wait and come in for assistance. And now that I know there were no spitting stitches to begin with, I'm really glad I didn't take off work and make the drive there for nothing. Things seem to be working out just fine thank goodness!
I am still not wearing a "real" bra, even though I have looked around for something that has no wires and would be more appropriate under my professional clothing than a sports bra, I just feel overwhelmed when I walk into a lingerie department right now since I don't even know what my new size is! I don't want to go to Victoria's Secret and get measured until after the three month mark when I'm confident that all swelling is gone and my size is accurate. To Dr. Cohen's credit, he did tell me not to rush out and buy new pretty bras right away because the size would change over the first three months and it would just be a waste of money. He must know what VS charges us ladies for bras! Lol
As always, if you have any questions or need support with your own journey, please feel free to post or send me a private message and I will respond as quickly as possible! Wishing you happiness and health!
Surprise! I'm lactating following ba/bl!
Well this is something nobody warned me about. Imagine my surprise while I was doing my massages and milk started leaking from my nipples!! I had an "oh man I'm pregnant again?!" moment and then realized that's not possible...so what could it be?? Thanks to google and lots of research, it turns out that it's not that uncommon for women to experience lactation following breast augmentation surgery! Am I the only person who wasn't told about this potential side effect?! A little heads-up would have been nice because before I realized I was lactating, I was afraid it may have been infection or something draining from my nipples (thankful it's not.)
I didn't bother calling the doctors office since it's the weekend and i feel confident that my research is reliable.
So basically ladies, if you lactate after surgery, you're ok. Professionals say it will only last "a few weeks" and should stop "spontaneously." You know, sort of like how it showed up. Lol
I didn't bother calling the doctors office since it's the weekend and i feel confident that my research is reliable.
So basically ladies, if you lactate after surgery, you're ok. Professionals say it will only last "a few weeks" and should stop "spontaneously." You know, sort of like how it showed up. Lol
Provider Review
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
1427 Clarkview Rd., Baltimore, Maryland