Breast Lift with Explant: From check-in to discharge, it was a superb experience.

My experience with Dr. Heck, Columbus Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery (everyone in their offices - both at Upper Arlington and Easton - are wonderful!) and Riverside Outpatient Surgery Center has been exceptional. I’ll tell you all about my journey with implants, removal, and lift below. But don’t feel bad just skipping to the pics to see if my profile is similar to yours and what you’re hoping to achieve! I am currently just over 2 months post-op writing this review.Pics: I tried to upload a bunch to capture the healing process but some were too large to upload (ironic?). I’ll try to add more current ones in fresh (eg shorter!) posts.Bottom line? They look scary af in the beginning/post-op (Frankenboobs!) but they’re healing wonderful and starting to look great!! No regrets! I love them. I was ready to embrace my smaller (and now perkier!) breasts.I wanted breast implants FOREVER. I finally got smooth Mentor saline implants in 2006 when I was 25. It was a good run and I really, really loved them! I went from a 34B to a perfect 34D (I think they were ~350cc each) Boobs are my jam, they just are and I have no regrets getting them. I am 5’7” and weighed about 150 when I got them in 2006 and I weigh 170 at the moment (March 2021).I went through two pregnancies and nursed both of my babies with implants and had no issues. They did balloon to 36F (!!!) post-pregnancy then settled at 34E/36DD post nursing. Weight gain and loss changes the size, shape, and position, but they held up pretty well and I still loved them. About 3 years ago I slipped on a wet hill taking my dog out and landed on my chest. Over the following year, my right breast slowly and completely deflated. It took me another whole year to book an appointment with Dr. Heck and almost another year to decide how to move forward. Yes, I was lopsided for almost 2 years! Last fall (2020) I finally booked my appointment for explant/removal and a breast lift. I really went back and forth on this decision. I loved my implants, but I’m 40 now and was ready to sunset that season of my life. It was a good run (14 years!), but I really don’t like the idea of surgery and knew I didn’t want to do this all over again in another 10-15 years, so I was ready to let them go.I thought about just taking them out but decided that now is the time to hoist ‘em back up and then be completely done with this chapter. They would have been ok without the lift and Dr. Heck said I really didn’t *need* the lift if I didn’t want to do it, that, judging from the already deflated breast I would be happy with the result but I might be ready in the next 5-10 years. He was honest and thoughtful and I have the utmost respect for him. I am so happy I chose to do the lift!The day of surgery went very smoothly. It was booked just before Christmas so I could use the extra holiday time to recover. Riverside Outpatient Surgery Center is a well-oiled machine! My team of nurses and anesthesiologists was AMAZING. From check-in to discharge, it was a superb experience. The pandemic precautions were handled very well. My sister was my caretaker and the nurses kept her informed during the procedure. I live over an hour away from Columbus so we stayed overnight at a nearby hotel so I could easily return for my post-op appointment the next morning.I had no drains (YAY!) and almost no pain (truly!). I took very few of the narcotic Rx; two/days the first 3 days then down to one to ensure I could sleep well at night for a few days. That’s it! I was so worried about my nipples being cut and moved and what the resulting pain would be, but it wasn’t even an issue!! It was amazing, actually. The dressings came off the next morning at my checkup and the incisions were cleaned and re-bandaged. I was able to shower on day 2 post-op and clean/re-dress the incisions and put Neosporin on them. I tried the panty liner tip from others but it didn’t work for me (just didn’t prefer them), so I kept using the big surgical pads instead for the next month and a half (though I prob didn’t need to use them that long, it was just for padding assurance!). Today, they look GREAT! I had my 2 month post-op appointment last week and was cleared for everything. I also started the SkinMedica scar gel.I feel very lucky to have found Dr. Heck and CAPS! I loved my experience with them so much I just started the laser hair removal process with them and I’m already thrilled!If you made it through this novel of a review post and have any questions on the procedure or process or circumstances, I’m very happy to offer more information from my experience. Best wishes!!