chin implant in 1994, removed in 2012... its not always for life!

I had an implant placed in 1994. I did it in secret, so had no support to fall back on. It was tough. I was only 18 and full of anxiety about what might happen should something go wrong.

The consultants were part of a clinic and had prepped the chin area once a fortnight with creams and steam and massage, etc. I have to say this clinic was the worst aspect of the whole thing. They were basically salesmen in white coats, trying each time to get more money from me (I used my student loan to pay for it). For example, they waited until after the surgery to tell me I had to buy extremely expensive vitamins off them to aid healing and tissue growth etc. I didnt bother with any of it and felt very used. The surgeon however was good - just really professional and efficient. It was done in no time and I spent a night at their clinic in London with a bandage around my head. It would have been good to spend another night there, but they seemed to have a high turnover, so I left (I decided to take off the bandage early to avoid questions at home)

It was tough to talk properly the first week or so, but not impossible, and the swelling went down quick enough with ice packs. I went through a period of doubt and shame, and for a while really wanted the thing taken out, mostly because for a while it really doesnt feel right. The bottom lip will have some numbness and id say for the first ten years once on a while, for a few days at a time, id have a strange sensation on my bottom lip, as if it was sore. I rarely get that now. I had to change the way I slept - further down the pillow to avoid leaning on it overnight, but that just became the norm. It takes time - alot of time - to really heal and only then really can you judge whether it is something you can live with or not.

My advice to those thinking of doing it, is to really be honest with yourself in why you want it. There are those that really do have a very weak chin and imo if it bothers you then go ahead. But I can see plenty of people that have done it who really didnt need it and it borders on vanity. In that case, id say dont bother, cus its not a quick fix and its not the same as bone, and theres plently that can go wrong (as with any surgery)

Did I need it? I still dont know. I was young, and I had low self esteem. Having said that, once I did it I didnt focus so much on how I looked. I guess I figured I had done all I could to get to how I felt I should look, and I was content at that. It allowed me to move on foreward and live my life and not get hung up on this chin thing! So some soul searching is definately a good idea before doing something like this. I hope that doesnt sound preachy. Im guilty of vanity of course, but I was all alone and i guess I lost objectivity.

18 years on, the last few months I have been having issues with the implant. Im not sure why yet... Im told its very rare to have issues this late on... but I cant comment any more on that as I just dont know why its feeling hard and achy right now.

More advice - make sure you have money to cover any complications, not just enough to cover the initial surgery.

Hi, well I had the implant removed yesterday morning, and its been 24 hours... The surgery was more intensive that I thought it would be - I heard stories of surgeons popping them out in their offices etc - but no, not for me; it was an operating theater and its taking quite some recovery! I have bandaged it up to apply constant pressure on the space left by the implant, and the muscle above it. Having to take painkillers every 4 hours, and cant really talk or eat much yet. This morning I checked and the swelling has gone down, but my bottom lip is quite droopy. I will have to see if its just swollen, or changed somehow. My surgeon did mention the bottom lip may change. Its all rather scary and uncertain right now, and im trying to remain calm...
Immediately after the surgey I couldnt really see too much difference to the augmentation of my chin. But today I can see it is flatter, and im starting to remember what I looked like 18 years ago, before putting the implant in. I'm not really concerned too much about that though, my old chin wasn't that bad, and I'm not so focused on it anymore (and I really hope that unhealthy preoccupation doesn't creep back into my life!)
They showed me the implant afterwards - its a lot smaller and narrower than it felt inside. I always saw it as white, but it was clear. I also thought, cus its an old one now, that it would be more of a 'button' implant, but in fact it looked quite modern. Not massive wings, but longer than I thought. Its funny to see something you have had inside you for 18 years for the first time, and im trying to think of some uses for it now its out - suggestions are welcome! :-)
So my concern right now is the practicals - will my bottom lip droop? will I be able to talk fluently? will people recognize the change? I know from the first time 18 years ago that it takes quite some time to fully recover, and the first few days are for healing and not for making judgements on results.
My surgeon hadn't done this procedure before, and specializes in breast implants. She was great, and everything went ok, but I do hope that in time it proved to be a good choice. The final cost was 1,713 pounds. While is approx the same it cost to put it in 18 years ago.
I will update later in the week

Day two: things are starting to heal up now, but Im sure it wasnt this bad the first time round! I would have expected removal to be easier on the patient than implanting. Im so worried about the muscle not reattaching that im wearing bandages all day and night, and will likely continue to do so for a few more days. Its hard to talk, but I really struggle with pronouncing 's'. I think that was the way the first time too. My profile isnt as bad as I thought it might be, but from the front my chin clearly isnt protruding out at all. Its an adjustment phase I guess. so far no tingling or numbness in my lip. Its early days though to tell if the removal actually fixed the issue I had with the implant, which is hard to explain, but it intermittently felt hard and painful. Other times I didnt feel it there at all, which is how it is supposed to be. It is a little disturbing to look in the mirror and see someone slightly different. I guess it must have been the same when I had it put in, but I dont recall exactly...I do remember freaking out the first week and wanting the implant out. But it settled and I got on with it. What will my smile look like? Time will tell