6.5 months post-explant....smaller is better! - Los Angeles, CA

I had my BA in 2000 at 21, 350cc, went from full 34b to full 34d and now am a bit bigger at 34dd! I had always wanted bigger boobs but never really considered getting breast augmentation because of the scars. When I heard you could get them through the belly button, I got really excited, scheduled an appt and after only one consult set up my surgery for 2 weeks later. I was young and naive, and the doctor told me "no visible scars! they last a lifetime!" There was no mention of sizes, he just told me to bring a picture on the day of my surgery. There was no discussion or thought as to the realities of living with implants and I very impulsively jumped in. Everybody around me was getting their boobs done, so it seemed no big deal. My surgery was very uneventful and my breasts looked great, but seemed a little too big. I was left with only partial sensation in my right nipple and complete numbness underneath the same breast. Very hard to get used to.

Well, they settled soon after and I look like I have naturally heavy boobs, not full, high ones. The weight of the implants has made my boobs look heavy/ saggy. I regretted my decision 6 months after, but I didn't really think there was much I could do about it. Three years later, I returned to my doctor and told him I wanted them removed. He said I would be left with saggy boobs that needed a lift and would be full of scars (which is absolutely terrifying at 24), and since my result was so great, I should leave them be. So for the past 12.5 years I have lived with them, hating how fat they make me feel and look, telling my husband to take neck up photos only, and finding ways to make them look smaller and hide my cleavage under clothes. I want to get pregnant very soon, and I am thinking now is the right time to remove them. I now know these things have a shelf life and I really don't want to be dealing with boob issues while I am pregnant or dealing with young kids. I am terrified as all of us are at how I will look afterwards. But I must say, everyone seems to look perfectly normal! I won't be having a lift, as pregnancy will stretch them out again. I like to think that I will have "pre-stretched boobs," so I won't be disappointed at them after pregnancy as many women seem to be. Who knows, maybe I'll never lift them and just learn to appreciate my body, saggy boobs and all. My husband is being supportive, but I am wearing him thin with my constant obsessing over this. I have been looking at boobs ALL THE TIME for the last two weeks, and have been reading about all of your experiences, positive and negative, and they have been really helpful, so I thought I should add mine to the list.

I had an appt with a PS for removal, and since my capsules are very thin, she will leave them in and not use any drains. She said I'll probably need a lift, and that I should try not to look at them too much for the first 6 weeks after removal!!! I am so worried about getting depressed about flat saggy boobies! But she does think I should be about a B cup after, so at least there will be something there! I really look forward to a smaller size. Hoping my areolas might shrink back some since they went from quarters to silver dollars after implants! I am very, very nervous about surgery and pain in general, and am prone to anxiety/ panic attacks, so this will be a very rough journey for me, but I know once they are out, it will both literally and figuratively have a load off my shoulders!

Here's some photos to show you how nice and low my implants are sitting...also, just noticed in pictures that my right boob appears to be running away from my left one! weird how i can't see that in the mirror!

Just had another consult. This surgeon quoted a much better price than the previous, $3500 (vs $5600) for removal and capsulectomy. He said he recommends removing capsules (and placing drains- ugh) as to avoid seromas, but also because leaving scar tissue behind can interfere with mammograms and look suspicious. I am very nervous about this as it's more aggressive than straight removal and I don't want to lose any more sensation in my breasts. He also said my nipple position looks good, so I might feel okay without a lift. He refuses to do lifts upon removal anyways, as he says the tissues contract quite a bit over 6 months to a year, and you get a much better result going in at a later date. The coordinator told me it's a very good idea to wear a sports bra all the time for the first 6 months to keep all the tissue tight against your chest for better contracture. The doctor also brought up fat injections, saying they might be needed in the future so things look normal. While removing fat from my stomach or thighs and pushing it into my chest sounds brilliant in theory (who doesn't think this sounds like a dream?), I don't think I could consider that unless I had a deformity of some kind. This kinda scared me, his mentioning things not looking "normal." My boobs look completely normal now, shouldn't they just end up a deflated saggy normal after removal? Also, he said removable stitches tend to leave prettier scars and that nipples do usually shrink back some after removal, just to let you know!