Aussie Girl, 61 Years with Removal of 29 Year Old Silicone Implants

I am not the Aussie girl who posted but let me share my experience. I had Dow Corning implants in 1985 at the age of 23. To this day, I do not know how much cc I got because back in those days, doctors were reluctant to give much information. In any case, for once in my life, I felt beautiful and very feminine after my operation. I was looking good in any kind of clothing. I was not at ease though with lovers who didn't seem interested at all in my breasts once they realized they were implants (they had never been interested before because they were small so it was pretty annoying.) Also, they were painful when touched, I had lost feelings in the nipples and had capsulation not long after the operation. A few years after, I became very sick. I remember thinking 'now that I feel beautiful, I am too tired and too sick to enjoy life. What a bummer.' I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia in 1994 but in fact, all these symptoms started in 1988 but no doctor could pinpoint the problem. I finally married and had two kids. My 30s and 40s were just a long painful journey. As the years went by, I gained a bit of weight with medication I was taking and my breasts were making me look heavy and older. In 1999, I had the implants removed in the hope that my health would improve. It did not and I found it very difficult to maintain my self-image. I must say that I feel healthier now than before. I have since divorced. Have had one lover once in 8 years and I felt very self-conscious, enough so that I am no longer pursuing a loving relationship. I consulted two doctors for a breast lift in 2017. Both wanted to add an implant. I have no fat so fat transfer is out of the question. Like you, even at my age, I want so much to have breasts, yet, I know that it is risky business. It is not a magic solution. I personally feel that some women are more prone to become ill with implants than others. Very strong and healthy ones may have a better chance than women who are not as healthy. I understand if you have small breasts and cannot accept it. Before pursuing implants, bear in mind that larger ones are heavy and may cause constant neck pain. Remember that your body will age and as your waist becomes thicker, your whole body will look more boxy with large breasts. If you don't have children yet, it may be wise to have them first. My breasts never looked good after my two pregnancies but I didn't have the money to have them fixed. Also bear in mind that you will need to replace them roughly every 10 years. You may have the money to do the initial operation but who knows if you will have it to replace them over the years. If you have fat, please consider a fat transfer. It looks much more natural and you would have no foreign objects in your body. Continue to do your research, read books, and live a very healthy lifestyle. Monitor your health and if you feel that your health becomes off once you have the implants, consider explanting sooner rather than later. Good luck and all the best in your quest for self acceptance.

Hi texasgal123, this is siliconesister. A thank you to Emma2358 for replying also. In answer to your question texasgal123 about implant illness I can only tell you what happened to me. At age 31 I was a very small gal and the joke was on a windy day I could easily have been blown away. Ha! So my breasts were small like the rest of me. I was a very fit person playing regular sport and worked as a full time registered nurse. Within 3 years of BA I developed horrible fatigue, recurrent bronchitis, painful muscles and elevated temperature most of the time. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia in 1993. By 1996 one implant was suspected of rupture on untrasound. I went from an active person confident about their good health to an individual who found it difficult to make long term plans as I never knew how my health would be. It felt like I had the flu all the time. I was under the care of a Physician for years who ruled out the implants responsible for my poor health. The man was a god send and helped me continue to work. I had many sick days and at one time had to have 3 months off work. Thank goodness for income protection insurance. I eventually had to work part time but still managed a rewarding career of 35 years in the health industry. I do now put my health issues down to the leaking silicone but there is no science to support this. My advice to you is to continue your research and refer to fda.gov for information about Breast Implant Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. We have had 46 cases and 3 deaths here in Australia thus far. It is associated with both saline as well as silicone implants. It was identified by the fda in 2011. Had it been known about in my time that would have been enough for me to continue with padded bras. I wonder what next will be identified as associated with implants. The fda in your country now recommends an MRI within 3 years of BA and then every 2 years. So ensure you factor this into your finances. BA never improved my confidence or relationships. As a matter of fact I ended up being very self conscious of them even though they looked good. What ever you do please work on self acceptance through looking inward. There’s nothing more attractive than a woman who accepts herself. Today I am that women minus the implants. Best wishes!

Thank you so much for sharing I really appreciate it ... I feel that when I’m alone in my house .. I can accept my self then I go out or to my mother in laws and there’s always someone showing off their double d’s ive wanted boobs since I can remember .. I’ll take your experience into consideration

Thank you so much ... I will try my best and hardest to try and accept myself

You post was several months ago, just in case you have not yet had an augmentation, know that one surgery is not all there will be with bread implants. They do not last a lifetime. Depending on your age, you could be looking at four revisions in your lifetime. I had three revisions from the age of 32...The latest implants I finally had explantation surgery after 35 years. They should have been removed after about only seven years but Zi was too scared to have the surgery. I was never diagnost with medical problems related but what it did to my emotional at ate was worse. The constant stress, worrying. Typical capsulary contractor is the first sign, eventually the capsule gets so tight, it can cause pain and rupture. I was extremely luckily that although my MRI showed small ruptures, everything was still contained and the surgeon removed the capsules implant as one.
You mentioned your relatives with big breast....real or fake....don't let yourself be insecure about your breast size. There is more to who you are than the size of your mammary glands. My daughter actually had a reduction when she was 22 because she got sick and tired of rude oeople starring at her breast when she spoke to them.
I just wish you well, sorry if I overstepped. Just remember fake breast do not make the women more attractive. B
Best of luck.

Oh my, sorry for all the spelling typos! My iPad has a mind of it's own.

Hi JacintaSimons80, I didn’t have a lift just removal of 200cc silicone implants. The cost was approx. $5,000 to the surgeon and $1,000 to the anaesthetist. Medicare refund was $1,500. So cost to me was about $4,500. So worth it! I would recommend a plastic surgeon who has had experience in implant removal. Hope this helps you with your decision. Best wishes!

Thank you so much for getting back to me I greatly appreciate it.

It costs double that in USA! Happy healing. I too am 61 but from NYC. I removed mine last year. Weight gain has kept them bigger. I too had silicon 30 yr old implants that ruptured. I suffered alot of yeast infections for 3 months. I think the drains had something to do with it? Personally feel its a classy look to be less robust at our age. I can recommend aquaphor at the stitch lines to help healing. I have almost no lines where I was stitched. So nice to find someone our age and their running comments. Thank you for sharing!

Hi Carolinh, thanks for your comments. It’s now day 18 for me and I’m still feeling great. I’m pleased my post is helpful. I will add an update after my next clinic appt mid Dec. Best wishes!