POSTED UNDER Breast Augmentation Reviews
4 Days Left - Worse Than Wedding Jitters! Forth Worth, TX
UPDATED FROM MyTurnAt40
1 year post
1 year post-op..little problems got BIGGER.
$5,650
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.
MyTurnAt40's provider
UPDATED FROM MyTurnAt40
5 months post
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.
Replies (2)
B
November 12, 2014
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post!! Scarring has been one of my primary worries and your post has helped to lessen this!! Thanks for sharing your story and pics.....much appeiciated!
M
November 14, 2014
Additional note: yes, overall I'm happy with my decision to do it, and with the size I chose, but I wish my PS had been more proactive about massage or other techniques to possibly reduce the risk of CC, because it appears to be happening on my right side.
I only told a close few people, (mom, sibling, best friends, boyfriend) and they were all very complimentary; no one else has said anything to indicate they noticed (except my ex). To me, the difference is pretty significant, and noticeable, but not obnoxious. I wear blazers a lot at work so I wasn't exactly showing them off. Also, I gained about 15 lbs prior to surgery because I was so thin, and wanted more thickness all over, but no one noticed that either except my mom and a friend at church. Lol.
For a brief couple of weeks, I began to wish I had gone larger, but that didn't last. I love this size. I'm happy with the projection and fullness.
I DID have to buy new sweaters and blouses b/c I wore a sz small before the BA, and my tops were too tight (woo hoo!!!) even after the swelling went down.
B
November 14, 2014
Sorry to hear the CC may be coming one...will you have to have another procedure to correct it or will massaging now start to correct it?
FL
May 26, 2015
If you do not mind me asking? What is the "CC" that you have referred to in your posts?
M
July 8, 2015
That's the measure they use to refer to the volume of the silicone (or saline) inside the implants. It literally means cubic centimeters, but no-one really thinks like that. Think of it as a measuring spoon (like a teaspoon). 5cc's = 1 teaspoon.
M
July 8, 2015
Okay, ignore my other reply. I didn't red back far enough. You were referring to CC as in capsular contracture. I meant when the scar tissue that your body forms around the implant begins to contract and tighten (but doesn't loosen). It causes the shape of the breast implant to change and makes it feel a lot more firm (at worst case, it feels hard).
FL
July 10, 2015
Okay, thanks! Can massaging and exercises help with that situation? I have been following your profile. Particularly, because I am an AA and grew up in Houston (smile). You have really detailed info that helped answer a lot of questions I had during the beginning stages of my recovery. I want to thank you for sharing. I used a genric brand of mederma for my scars and they are looking really good. I will take a picture of them once my right breast stops draining. I was prescribed a topical medicine that will help to heal the part of the incision that is still draining and it is supposed to help it to close. The drainage amount has been decreasing by the day. That is definitely something that I am looking forward to. I have been asked to to take on a big role in a business, so it is time to be more active during the day. Some days are easier to get through than others. I try not to over do it and pace my work.
Anyway, I will keep you in my prayers. Your bustline looks great. One thing that I have learned is that our bodies are not 100% symmetrical. My breasts look 1000% better than they did prior to my surgery. I am very grateful. Hats off to you, me and all of the other people on this site sharing their BA stories. BA is certainly not for the weak. Getting through the BA journey takes guts, patience, perseverance, grace and love for oneself. I hope that you continue to post and keep the community updated on your progress. Take care. :-)
Anyway, I will keep you in my prayers. Your bustline looks great. One thing that I have learned is that our bodies are not 100% symmetrical. My breasts look 1000% better than they did prior to my surgery. I am very grateful. Hats off to you, me and all of the other people on this site sharing their BA stories. BA is certainly not for the weak. Getting through the BA journey takes guts, patience, perseverance, grace and love for oneself. I hope that you continue to post and keep the community updated on your progress. Take care. :-)
UPDATED FROM MyTurnAt40
5 months post
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!
Replies (2)
P
B
November 5, 2014
The girls are healing nicely....they look great!! Do you mind showing pics of ur scars?? I am really worried about this being dark skinned as well.
M
November 12, 2014
That's a great idea. I remember looking for pictures of dark-skinned patients as well, and they were few and far between. I'm going to go in now and create a new post with new pics. Thanks for the suggestion.
Replies (1)