My cup is half full or possibly only 1/4 full but that's enough!

I am 52 and have had my saline, over the muscle implants for about 22 years. I weighed around 100 lbs at the time and started as an A cup and went to a full C. I was very happy with them for a long time. No problems. Now that I'm older and 25 lbs heavier, they seem out of proportion to my body and sloppy looking. That perception has been creeping up on me over the last two years. I hate having to wear industrial strength bras (I sometimes call them bulletproof bras) and being squeezed by them all day. I've had shoulder and neck problems that might possibly be due to the added weight. At any rate, my perception of what is beautiful has changed over the years. I find overly large breasts, whether they be natural or implants, to be unattractive. I find it strange that some men find large breasts attractive for the sake of being large, whether they are aesthetically pleasing or not. It takes all kinds.

Anyway, I got around to researching removal and after reading lots of stories and looking at lots of pictures, I have decided to have them removed. I don't want to get a lift and from what I see here, I probably won't need it. I will be relying on VS, inserts, and padding. Now it's just a matter of finding the right doctor. My big dilemma is whether to insist on a capsulectomy or not. I've read all the pro's and con's about it but still feel really unresolved. The thought of having to travel far away to have that procedure is daunting... and expensive. What happens if you travel far away and have complications when you get back home?

I had one consult so far and it was quite obvious that he didn't want to explant without a lift. The doctor I went to is very well known here and does excellent work... putting them in. I had to wonder about his knowledge of explant because he had qualms about how my breast was going to attach to the chest wall in a saggy manner and whether it would cause problems later if I did want a lift. I can't decide if he was trying to bamboozle me into a lift or if he really didn't know that it is common to wait 6 months before lifting. He showed me pictures of a person who had drastic weight loss and told me that is what I would look like after explant. Of course the picture he showed me was horrific. He was also a bit patronizing about my looking at pictures on the internet. After looking at many pictures on this site, I can tell that my breasts would be somewhat saggy but not horribly so. I look a lot like Lillibeth on this site in her before shots and I think her results are entirely acceptable for women our age. I am hoping for similar results.

I actually couldn't remember the name of the surgeon who did my implant and couldn't remember the exact year either. From reading on this site, I got the idea to call the hospital that his office was a part of and am so glad I did. They still had me in their system so I found out that I did have it done in 1991 and they gave me my doctor's name. I made an appointment for a consultation with him next week and I actually got a good vibe talking to the office assistant on the phone. They still had my complete old record. My weight was actually 110 and I am very excited to see my before pictures because I have forgotten what my old boobies actually looked like. I apparently had 350cc's in both breasts. I have high hopes for the possibility of using my original surgeon. He is in a different town but only 45 minutes away.

I still have not received the quote from my first consult and it would not surprise me if they didn't send it at all since he was not very excited about doing an explant without a lift and came within a hairs breadth of insulting my intelligence.

I am starting to wonder about the healing process and the wrap. I will try to frame this question as best I can. Since I am not getting a lift I expect results similar to Lillibeth's on this site. There is definitely some overlap at the inframammary fold that doesn't occur when the ladies get a lift. What is the optimal way to position the breast in the wrap after surgery to ensure the best result when everything heals and reattaches? Does this question make any sense? I would think that wrapping in a lifted postion would provide for the better result rather than say, wrapping with an ace bandage starting from the top down so that the breast is actually forced downward a bit by the bandage. I would love to hear some input. I told you I was a worrier.

He was a very nice man but he spent the whole time telling me that my reasons for wanting an explant were invalid and that I would be very unhappy and come running back to him wanting implants again... that being the case, I should save myself the extra surgery and get smaller replacements now. On a lighter note, they did have my old photos and I was happy to be able to see them since my memory of what I looked like is a bit hazy. I think they were beautiful. The search for a surgeon continues.