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1 year post-op..little problems got BIGGER.
I was a 34A, and a year after my 450cc implants, I'm a 34DD. I'm 41 years old, 5'10" and weigh 150 lbs.
Right from the beginning (post-op) I noticed my right side was higher and tighter than the left. My recovery was slower on the right side--even gaining range of motion with that arm took a lot longer. I've seen my doctor, David Lavine, numerous times over the last year, and he's always acknowledged the difference, but dismissed it saying time and gravity are on my side. So here's the problem, a full year has passed since my BA, and time and gravity only made the problem a MORE noticeable. What I mean is, the left side has settled into a nice position thanks to time and gravity, but since the right side is still higher and firmer (not moving or settling nearly as much) the differences between the two are now even more obvious.
Right from the beginning (post-op) I noticed my right side was higher and tighter than the left. My recovery was slower on the right side--even gaining range of motion with that arm took a lot longer. I've seen my doctor, David Lavine, numerous times over the last year, and he's always acknowledged the difference, but dismissed it saying time and gravity are on my side. So here's the problem, a full year has passed since my BA, and time and gravity only made the problem a MORE noticeable. What I mean is, the left side has settled into a nice position thanks to time and gravity, but since the right side is still higher and firmer (not moving or settling nearly as much) the differences between the two are now even more obvious.
Let's talk SCARS. (Visibility, Thickness, Products, Clothing, Location, Dark-skinned)
When I first started meeting with PS's to discuss BA, I wanted to see pictures of dark-skinned patients like myself. There weren't very many. Recently another Real-Self community member asked me to post pics of my scars so she could see how they were healing. So this post is just about the scars.
Stats: BA date was June 23, 2014. 450 cc, high profile, smooth silicone implants placed under the muscle. The incision is below the breast, not nipple,or armpit.
VISIBILITY OF MY SCARS: The scars don't show at all when you look directly from the front--mostly because of the shadow from the breasts themselves. From underneath, you see the incision line more prominently. It's a little red in some spots, and lighter in others, but doesn't hurt at all. They made me wear the post-surgical tape "until it fell off." After about 3 weeks, it was so itchy that I "helped it" fall off. At my next visitation, like 2 days later, they put more back on and said it helped with the healing, so it needed to be left on a whole longer. All in all, I guess it worked.
THICKNESS OF SCARS: I'm at 4.5 months post-op, and I still feel some scar tissue under the breasts, but not as much as before. At 2 months, and even 3 months, I was worried because I could feel a lot of scar tissue, but it really has broken down in the last month. My right side has more scar tissue, but that's also the side where I already had some scar tissue from a lumpectomy 2 years ago, and where I seem to be developing CC now. The left side feels like it might be completely smooth in a few more months. Note though, visible or not, to the TOUCH, there is clearly a scar there when you touch the area.
LENGTH AND WIDTH OF MY SCARS: I remember that my scars seemed awfully long and wide initially, but at 4.5 months, they are much thinner. They still seem long to me, but since you can't see them unless you're looking under the breasts, that doesn't really bother me. They don't stick out at all under bras, bikini tops, etc. because they are right in the crease.
LOCATION OF THE SCARS: I remember that I was worried about the location of the scars a while back because they seemed so much lower than the implants. However, as the implants have dropped, the scar seems to be more in the crease and on the breasts, rather than on the chest wall below the breasts.
USE OF PRODUCTS ON THE SCARS: I used vitamin E oil on my scars for about 2 weeks religiously, and massaged it in for a couple of minutes when I applied it, but it's terribly messy, and it does NOT wash out of anything. So I stopped after a while (it was more helpful on the cracked, peeling, dry skin around my nipples).
I never used any scar creams at all--not because I had heard anything bad about them; it was just that the vitamin E oil was a lot less costly.
MY BODY'S TENDENCY FOR SCARRING: I know the likelihood/unlikelihood of scarring has to do with your unique make-up, so here are two examples of how my skin reacts to traumatic injury/surgery. #1 - I sustained an injury to my right wrist from falling against concrete back in 1990. I included a pic of that scar, and you can see it's almost completely smooth, but still visibly discolored 24 years later. #2 - In 2010, I had my tubes tied, and there were two scars on my lower abdomen. Both have healed completely with no trace of scarring.
So I guess I have a 50-50 chance of complete healing, or partial scarring.
CLOTHING: I have never been a fan of the feel of underwire, so I don't wear underwire bras much at all (like once every couple of weeks). For the first month or so, I wore tank tops under my tops. After that, I wore bras with no underwire. I have several wire-free bras that are simply more comfortable. To this day, I don't like the sensation of the underwire rubbing/pressing against the scars, but earlier, I mostly avoided underwire because I had heard that it might increase the occurrence of keloids forming...no thanks!
I hope this was helpful to some of the other dark-skinned women in the Real Self community.
Stats: BA date was June 23, 2014. 450 cc, high profile, smooth silicone implants placed under the muscle. The incision is below the breast, not nipple,or armpit.
VISIBILITY OF MY SCARS: The scars don't show at all when you look directly from the front--mostly because of the shadow from the breasts themselves. From underneath, you see the incision line more prominently. It's a little red in some spots, and lighter in others, but doesn't hurt at all. They made me wear the post-surgical tape "until it fell off." After about 3 weeks, it was so itchy that I "helped it" fall off. At my next visitation, like 2 days later, they put more back on and said it helped with the healing, so it needed to be left on a whole longer. All in all, I guess it worked.
THICKNESS OF SCARS: I'm at 4.5 months post-op, and I still feel some scar tissue under the breasts, but not as much as before. At 2 months, and even 3 months, I was worried because I could feel a lot of scar tissue, but it really has broken down in the last month. My right side has more scar tissue, but that's also the side where I already had some scar tissue from a lumpectomy 2 years ago, and where I seem to be developing CC now. The left side feels like it might be completely smooth in a few more months. Note though, visible or not, to the TOUCH, there is clearly a scar there when you touch the area.
LENGTH AND WIDTH OF MY SCARS: I remember that my scars seemed awfully long and wide initially, but at 4.5 months, they are much thinner. They still seem long to me, but since you can't see them unless you're looking under the breasts, that doesn't really bother me. They don't stick out at all under bras, bikini tops, etc. because they are right in the crease.
LOCATION OF THE SCARS: I remember that I was worried about the location of the scars a while back because they seemed so much lower than the implants. However, as the implants have dropped, the scar seems to be more in the crease and on the breasts, rather than on the chest wall below the breasts.
USE OF PRODUCTS ON THE SCARS: I used vitamin E oil on my scars for about 2 weeks religiously, and massaged it in for a couple of minutes when I applied it, but it's terribly messy, and it does NOT wash out of anything. So I stopped after a while (it was more helpful on the cracked, peeling, dry skin around my nipples).
I never used any scar creams at all--not because I had heard anything bad about them; it was just that the vitamin E oil was a lot less costly.
MY BODY'S TENDENCY FOR SCARRING: I know the likelihood/unlikelihood of scarring has to do with your unique make-up, so here are two examples of how my skin reacts to traumatic injury/surgery. #1 - I sustained an injury to my right wrist from falling against concrete back in 1990. I included a pic of that scar, and you can see it's almost completely smooth, but still visibly discolored 24 years later. #2 - In 2010, I had my tubes tied, and there were two scars on my lower abdomen. Both have healed completely with no trace of scarring.
So I guess I have a 50-50 chance of complete healing, or partial scarring.
CLOTHING: I have never been a fan of the feel of underwire, so I don't wear underwire bras much at all (like once every couple of weeks). For the first month or so, I wore tank tops under my tops. After that, I wore bras with no underwire. I have several wire-free bras that are simply more comfortable. To this day, I don't like the sensation of the underwire rubbing/pressing against the scars, but earlier, I mostly avoided underwire because I had heard that it might increase the occurrence of keloids forming...no thanks!
I hope this was helpful to some of the other dark-skinned women in the Real Self community.
4.5 months. Girls look good. Right side still higher and tighter.
Okay, so here's the profile/stats part: I went from 34a to 34d with 450cc, HP, under the muscle. I'm 40 years old, 5'10" and 150lbs, had 3 kids, nursed them all, the youngest is 8. My BA date was June 23 this year.
I'm starting to be concerned that the right side is still tighter and higher than the left. ALL movement (placing a phone call, showering, walking, cooking, you name it) creates a sensation of tightness or pulling. I'm officially worried about CC. My PS isn't concerned, but that doesn't help much.
Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the girls. For starters, on the up-side, I have boobs now. My before pictures are no lie--I was a "barely A."
My scars are healing nicely. And even though my boobs are still high, maybe this just means that in 10 years when gravity starts to win, they'll drop and I'll have an amazing rack for a 50 year old! ROFL!
As for now, I do love how I look in sweaters, tanks, t-shirts, and dresses. I missed swimsuit season this year, but I'm definitely looking forward to holiday seasons and evening/cocktail dresses!
I'm starting to be concerned that the right side is still tighter and higher than the left. ALL movement (placing a phone call, showering, walking, cooking, you name it) creates a sensation of tightness or pulling. I'm officially worried about CC. My PS isn't concerned, but that doesn't help much.
Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the girls. For starters, on the up-side, I have boobs now. My before pictures are no lie--I was a "barely A."
My scars are healing nicely. And even though my boobs are still high, maybe this just means that in 10 years when gravity starts to win, they'll drop and I'll have an amazing rack for a 50 year old! ROFL!
As for now, I do love how I look in sweaters, tanks, t-shirts, and dresses. I missed swimsuit season this year, but I'm definitely looking forward to holiday seasons and evening/cocktail dresses!
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