Breast Lift with New Silicone Implants and Pocket Repair after 14yrs with Saline

Background:
Fourteen years after my first breast augmentation, my breasts were extremely saggy, areolas enlarged, and both breasts had implant malposition. I had sub-muscular saline 330cc filled to 360cc and wore 32DDD. My breasts fell into my armpits when laying down. The saline implants or firm water balloons, were palpable on both sides, which I was most self-conscious about. I also had a double bubble when lifting my arms. Actually, that was probably always present, they were just too saggy for me to see unless I lifted my arms lol. I had larger nipples prior to the breast augmentation, but they had doubled in size 14 years later. My daughter called me Bologna Barb from Pitch Perfect lol. I lived in a bra, as even sleeping was uncomfortable without one. Out of the blue, I began having mild but consistent pain in one breast which felt like a bad bruise. This pain coupled with years of disliking my saggy breasts, prompted me to consider a breast lift with new implants. I really didn’t think of anyone else other than my original surgeon, Dr. Bruneteau.
Being a nurse, I’ve seen my fair share of natural and enhanced breasts and many other cosmetic surgery results- the good, the bad, and the ugly! Over the years, I took mental note of surgeons to consider and those to avoid. I really had a great initial breast augmentation result 14 years prior (early 20s) so Dr. Bruneteau at Aesthetic Surgical Images was my guy. The procedure although painful went very well. Nurses make terrible patients and I’m ashamed to admit that I never went to any post-op appointments back then. I had my doctor friend remove my stitches at work, and I figured I was good to go. I don’t recommend this at all! Age, gravity, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and the weight of the saline implants took its course as expected. Fourteen years is a long time in the breast augmentation world. I saw Dr. Bruneteau for a free consultation and he recommended a mastopexy (full lift), re-augmentation, and capsulorrhaphy (sewing up the pockets so they wouldn’t fall into my armpits). Dr. Bruneteau recommended silicone implants around the same size I had before, for a more natural look and feel than the saline. This would be a pleasant change for me. I only have one pre-op pic ever taken of them (except by Dr. B’s office) as I’m extremely self-conscious. I wish I would’ve had a pic with me lying down so you could see how far they fell into my armpit. It was pretty bad! Like many others on this site, I didn’t have much cleavage and zero upper pole fullness. I have to say they looked like 100% natural grandma boobs...until I laid down or you palpated the sides of the water balloons lol!
Procedure Recovery & Results:
The actual procedure went fast and I had no complications. I planned to take one week off of work and knew there would be pain and bad scars. However, I could not anticipate how bad the pain would be. I also grossly underestimated my recovery time. I did end up taking 2 weeks total off of work because I just needed it. As far as size, I left that up to Dr. Bruneteau to decide in the OR. He is the expert and I deferred to his professional opinion. I ended up getting 375cc silicone (I had 360cc saline) because after removing the implants, my sagging natural breast tissue, and the excess skin- this was the best size for my (late 30s) 5’4” 125lb body. I initially wanted to go smaller, but am very glad I trusted his opinion because I would NOT have been happy with smaller breasts. They actually look smaller to me than the saline, but in a good way. Like many others here, my breasts went through different stages, from boxy and swollen to rounder and smaller. I also had dimples in the sides of my breasts from the capsulorrhaphy, which I was scared about initially. Dr. Bruneteau had no concerns and assured me that those would subside with time. His confidence in his work calmed my anxiety. My left breast took longer to settle and I had terrible muscle spasms, but the capsulorrhaphy or pocket repair, was the worst pain for me! Judging by how bad my breasts fell into my armpits, I must have had huge pockets lol! I’m 3mo post-op now and I still have some burning pain on the sides of my breasts, particularly the right breast when laying down. The sutures are palpable because I have thin skin, so I know the pain is coming from the repair. I do heal slowly and Dr. Bruneteau wants me to wear a wireless bra at all times for about 6 more weeks to support the repair. I am hoping the right side heals and I can go a short time without a bra for the first time in over a decade! I will cry if the capsulorrhaphy fails and I have to have surgery again. I have not used any scar treatment yet as you can see. I had spitting sutures and was paranoid about getting an infection (I have a weaker immune system) so I chose to wait until now. I hope it’s not too late. I also have a small dog ear under my right breast and the left is still a tad larger. Looking at my pre-op picture, I had apparent asymmetry so I couldn’t expect perfection. Hopefully the dog ear will soften a little. I am open to correcting it if it bothers me in the future. However, I am happy with my results regardless of the scars and minor asymmetry which I had before anyway.
I actually found RealSelf about a week AFTER my surgery. I have learned so much from everyone on here. I would definitely recommend to anyone planning surgery to get this app beforehand so you can make informed decisions as well as plan for a realistic recovery. I wish I would’ve know about RealSelf before my surgery. If you are planning cosmetic surgery and are anywhere near Omaha, NE, you should absolutely consider Dr. Bruneteau at Aesthetic Surgical Images. He has the experience and the skills to give you the results you want, treats complicated cases, and really wants you to be happy. There are cheaper surgeons in Omaha, but you get what you pay for and your body is precious. I’ve seen way too many botched ladies who went with the cheaper option. Thanks Dr. Bruneteau for giving me younger, perkier, prettier boobs!