24 Years Old, 3 Year Old Implants, Journey of Self Acceptance - Buckinghamshire, GB

Before I go into how the healing is going, I just want to say such a huge thank you to all the ladies on this forum who are so good at being a support to each other. I have no speck of doubt in my mind that I wouldn't have found the courage without every one of your reviews to proceed with my explant. Just feeling very grateful for the whole community :)
I'm now POD6 and am so ecstatic that I did it. I cant believe how brilliant our bodies are at recovering from the traumas we've put them through. I couldn't be happier with my results. There is a tiny bit of asymmetry but that was the true before implants and with implants so I fully expected that to still be the case. I feel so much more confident and sexy than I ever did with implants. Its a shame that it took me getting implants, and then getting rid of them for me to love my little boobies but I feel very lucky that I seem to have gotten off lightly in terms of side effects 'touch wood'. Just as an added bonus, the fiancé officially likes them :)! I was so nervous about how he would feel, its not so much that he loved the implants, more the fact he didn't want me to have them in the first place, but I did it anyway, then they turned out okay and he liked them and got used to the size, and then I decided to change everything again. I think the lack of control over two things he's rather fond of was a bit scary. Comments so far have been how soft they are, that they feel so much nicer than implants to touch and play with and that he prefers them being natural, good review in my opinion!
The dressings came off today along with the steri-strips underneath. Scars look exactly as they did one week out when the implants went in so I'm not concerned that they look red and bumpy, I seem to go quite dark red and then purple before my scars go white so I expect that to take a good 6-8 months. You can see some bruising around the scars which I'm sure will fade over the next few days. Also had my first shower which felt amazing. Healing wise, I get the odd shooting pain through both breasts, not agony, just hurts a little but I know that's just nerves reconnecting. I feel basically back to normal although am taking it very easy. I wont start any exercise until two weeks post op and will probably leave it a month until I do any running or upper body resistance exercise.
I'll post some more pictures at the two week post op stage.
Happy healing to all x

Well, surgery day and POD1 we're pretty tough. No where near as bad as when the implants went in, but still pretty bad. I couldn't sleep comfortably and was trying to sleep elevated to help reduce any swelling which didn't help. POD2 I went for a walk around the shops and out for brunch, it was just so nice to get out of the house but I felt very aware of how flat all my clothes looked on me. I bought a new compression bra which just makes me look flat as a pancake but is much more supportive than the one I originally bought so it's worth looking flat for :) I'm really looking forward to going out and buying some little T-Shirt bras that can just give a better shape, not necessarily loads of padding but just a structured cup. Yesterday was POD3 and I could really feel a difference, we popped out to see both sets of parents as it was New Year's Day and I pretty much felt normal, just a little sore around the incisions. His parents didn't know about my BA in the first place so I wore a loose top and chunky scarf, I'm hoping to lose some weight for our wedding which is in June so they'll probably just think, "how unlucky, she's lost it all off her boobs!" ???? Today is now POD4 and I slept well, lay on my front for a little earlier which felt amazing, but not for too long because I don't want to cause any damage this early on. Not much difference since day 3 in terms of appearance but I think it's good to keep a log so have uploaded some pics anyway. I'm curious, has anyone else who's had sub muscular implants removed, still felt their muscles sort of jump about a bit? It doesn't hurt at all, but I can feel them twitch when I pick some things up or open car doors etc... Will this settle down or is it just something I'll need to get accustomed to? Xx

So, its done! For anyone considering explant by local anaesthetic I thought I'd try to do a step by step of my day. Arrived at the hospital at 11.30, didn't go down to theatre until 4.00 which was a bit of a long wait and didn't exactly help my nerves but as I clearly had nothing else planned for the day it didn't really matter. Once they were ready for me I walked with a nurse downstairs and into the theatre room and that's where it all got a bit real and scary, lol. I laid down on the bed and they were very kind and explained everything they were doing every step of the way. My legs were wrapped up in a hot air blanket as the theatre was very cold and I had blankets placed over me too. Then my upper body was rinsed with antiseptic wash, dried, and blue sheets were stuck on all sides so only my breasts were showing, with a sheet stuck on and pulled upwards to shield my view from anything that was going on. The local antiseptic was the most painful part of the whole thing, in no way unbearable, but did sting quite a lot. There were a few times during the whole procedure we had to stop and put some more in because I could feel a sharp sensation but it wasn't agony or anything, just felt like a tiny needle prick and then nothing after they popped in a little more anaesthetic. The most uncomfortable/weird part was when I could feel his finger eeking the implant away from my chest wall, I think because they were textured and under the muscle they 'stick' rather well and it took quite a lot of tugging and pulling to get them out. Once that was all over with, the stitching me up took quite a while (they do three layers of stitches, two internal layers, one external) but I couldn't feel anything other than a little gentle pulling. Aesthetically I'm pleased with how they look considering its just the first day. I probably expected them to look a little bigger as I've gained 14 lbs. over the last three years but as my luck has always been, extra weight goes on my bum and thighs, not my boobs.
I tried to mentally prepare myself for what a difference it would be going from implants to nothing, but even with that I'm still amazed at quite how flat I look in my jumper or dressing gown. I don't regret my decision to explant at all, I felt very happy and proud of myself for having made it through the explant wide awake and for having been able to let go of the younger version of myself who thought she needed them to make her attractive. I don't doubt that I will have up and down days with my whole healing process, but for today, its a good one :)
P.S: not sure why I look so bloated in the pictures, I don't think I look it in person, or at least I hope not!