Revision 19yo saline overs to silicone unders

Got my first implants 19 years ago. Chose saline 300 cc left/310 cc right placed over the muscle. I was a fitness instructor and concerned about muscle distortion. Lots of fear about silicone at that time also. Things have changed both in implants and body. Breast fed two kids for 9-12 months, sucked what breast tissue I had left away, and now visible implant under thin skin, rippling, and changes to nipple position as the skin stretched. Been thinking about this and researching options for over three years. So happy I found this site and follow along with your stories. Sometimes the amount of information is overwhelming, but it all helps towards an informed choice. I went to see 6 PS over the last 3 years in two countries, and three states! I travel for work and have family in another country so was able to see renowned doctors in different places. Ultimately I chose Dr Ary Krau in Miami. Saw him in April, and finally booked surgery on Oct 5. I liked his approach and manner, and has excellent reviews for revision surgery. I will be flying in from out of state but figured a mini vacation was in order a few days before surgery. Pre op and final sizing is scheduled for Oct 1. Nervous about the general anaesthesia and pain/recovery time from going submuscular, but convinced that is the only way to get the tissue coverage I need and look that I want. I am very excited to get rid of the bags of water palpable on my chest and changing to silicone. I want to go a little bigger but let's face it I am edging towards 50 (no idea how that's happened!) and I am very active. Each PS told me something different about size and even had different chest/BWD measurements. I am measured as a B cup - with 300 cc saline implants. I remember being small chested, but I must have been flat chested! I guess age and breast feeding have something to do with that. BWD is 12-13, and rib cage 29". I am thinking HP 450 round, smooth, silicone. I tried to add rice sizes yesterday and couldn't quite get the shape right and consequently they looked ridiculous! Drs recommended between 350 and 550 cc. I thought the 450 implant looked huge! I do want to be a little fuller, and heard you lose some size going behind the muscle, and silicone has a more natural curve then the older versions of saline implants. Also getting gala flex to support the lower pole and help prevent the muscle window shading up! Was also offered ADM but I can't afford the 10-14 days to get the drains out! Would love to hear from ladies on what you think would work for me.

So I started to get concerned when I started sneezing, coughing, headache and generally feeling unwell over the weekend. I have been dosing up with Vit C and multi-vitamins for the past week. I bought some arnica tablets and cream from Amazon, and an extra post surgery bra. I wore it around for a couple of hours but it irritated my skin and was itchy! Packed my bag as I am traveling on Wednesday. Looking forward to the sun and beach, and for the pre-op to finalize decisions about the surgery. I keep wavering on size??? I don't want to go too big, but I don't want to go through surgery and deal with the recovery if it is not worth it. What I do know is how glad I will be to replace my saline bags of water that seem to get worse each day. Or maybe I am just noticing them now since lately it is all about the boobs!!!! I am a little anxious about the general anaesthesia, even to the point of updating my will. I passed my physical and generally very healthy, but you never know. Trying to stay focused on work but before I know it I will be under the knife! Can't wait to see and feel the results of silicone, under muscle, smooth, round implants! 7 days and counting.......

Reality is sinking in! Spent the best part of the morning at Dr Krau's office. While waiting to see him spent time organizing my wish pics on my phone and reviewing my questions. Met him and nurse Nora to review procedure and discuss size. I really like this Dr. He is not pushy, has a sense of humor and reassuring! I am getting very excited. He explained how the gala flex will work and the size differences when changing from saline to silicone and from over to under.

Basically if I want to stay the same size or slightly bigger (currently 300 cc saline, overs) I need to go 400-450 cc. Apparently saline to silicone version is not the same cvs. Plus going from over to under compresses the implant losing 25-50cc. Therefore, if I want to increase 20-30% then he recommends going 500-550 cc. He reaffirmed I can decide or he can based on what I have told him and my wish pics. Typically I am not always trusting, but lately I am breaking down that barrier and allowing people in. Yes I am talking about a couple of things here, but my point is, I feel Dr Krau hears me, recognized my apprehension on cc amount, and I don't believe he will disappoint. Nora also reminded me that I have a couple of days to think about it and can decide the day of surgery. I recall doing this during my first surgery 19 yrs ago, freaked out and dropped 50ccs and regretted it!

That said I am thinking 500 cc HP silicone round smooth. My stats are 5'6, 130 lbs, athletic, BWD 12.5-13 cm and 29.5 inches. Oh and I have minimal breast tissue so the implant, muscle and skin is pretty much all I will have. Currently all I feel is skin and implant.

So gala flex is relatively new but the Dr likes it and says it has produced some good results. He explained that since I have subglandular implants the muscle is not attached to the breast tissue. By changing the pocket to sub muscular there is nothing attached to the muscle and as such there will be greater animation deformity as the muscle origin is released. The gala flex is a mesh that he will attach to the lower part of the muscle into the inframammary fold. This will help prevent the "window shading" effect and provide more lower pole support for the implant.

The pre-op part went well. Sonia was very reassuring and helpful. She thinks I should go with 550cc but I told her that I ain't a Miami girl and things are a little more conservative where I am from!

So I ordered my medications, bought antibacterial soap, crackers and a few other things. Now I get to enjoy Florida sunshine and beach, relax and mentally and emotionally prepare for the big day!

A huge thanks to all you ladies who have shared your stories and commented!