POSTED UNDER Breast Implant Removal REVIEWS
28 Days Post Explant!! NEW Pic's (3/22 after 24 years!!))
ORIGINAL POST
Hello All, This web site is a true blessing...
toomakeupJanuary 28, 2013
WORTH IT$4,800
Hello All,
This web site is a true blessing to me. I have contemplated for many years 17 +...to take out my Breast Implants as I have almost always felt in my heart they are not me, and I never really liked them. So here I am telling my story wiht the hope of helping someone else the way your posts and experiences have helped me so very much! and for that...I cannot thank you all enough. it is 1989 and I allow my young self to be influenced by friends to get a BA..so I did 375 Silicone under muscle. Year 1999- Silcone implant on left ruptures and I get them replaced with Silicone again NOT even thinking that removing them was an option for me. Until 2007, My Silicone implant gets hard and encapsulated and I'm thinking I'm done with these implants and want them out! I go into my PS and he tells talks me out of it , says it will not look good and most of the women who get theirs out come back later to put them back in, they do not like the result. So at this point I trusted him , and I still needed to have the HARD implant replaced , so we decided to put in the smallest 175 Saline Implants , I was thinking maybe if they were teeny tiny this would leave me with at least some shape and the peace of mind with Saline. BIG BIG MISTAKE. Not only was I on a Implant surgery #3 ,( and about $14,000 in costs with all 3 surgerys- OUCH) but these little implants felt hard, not soft like the Silicone ...I felt like I had rocks on my chest regardless of the size ...I hated them even more because of this, they were indeed smaller and looked natural because they were so small, but they STILL did not feel right and still do not!
They are on my mind everyday and I cannot tell you how this forum has given me the courage, especially after seeing all your after pic's ....thank you so much!!... you all look so perfect! and the way God made us to be. it has been a long 23 years and I can no longer be influenced by society and its vision of how women should look.
Yay! I cannot wait to be me...I had my 1st consultation today and I plan on getting these things out for good by the end of March. My second consultation is Wednesday. i am so excited about FINALLY getting these out. i have had neck pain, Back Pain and have spent years at the chiropractors...even with the tiny saline, i did get some relief and I am so excited to see how I feel when they are GONE. I will post pictures soon of my befores.
What I have learned in my journey is that you do not need to put something in your body
to create a false sense of self. Everything you are and continue to become... comes from inside you and NOTHING can replace that .
Replies (7)
February 1, 2013
hi! Do you have a date set yet? you are going to feel SO good when they are out!! I'm so excited for you! mine have been out for 1 week and 1 day and I feel so light and my arms feel so free! it's such a good feeling puts a smile on my face!!!
February 9, 2013
Scheduled for March 22 ....soo Excited. It will be the longest 6 weeks of my life!
February 11, 2013
Thank you for helping with your pictures and comments...it has really gotten me to this point. And to all the amazing brave women on this site!
UPDATED FROM toomakeup
1 month pre
My Explant is scheduled for March 22. i think this...
toomakeupFebruary 9, 2013
My Explant is scheduled for March 22. i think this will be the longest 6 weeks of my life! Due to my husbands and my work schedule and all our pre arranged plans out of town ...this was the only weekend that worked for us. I am so very excited! and it has been a long time coming. I booked with my original PS from 1989 and feel this is the right decision for me. He spent alot of time discussing Capsulectomy or not...I believe afetr reading all these posts and going on 3 consults..it is an option or not depending upon each woman's history and the thickness or thinness of the capsule. I am confident he will choose the right path for me when he actually goes in...he is well known for breast reconstruction and works also with breast cancer surviors reconstruction process and has a lot of experience.. 33 years in PS. This helped me to make my decision.
Replies (7)
February 10, 2013
Who is your surgeon, if I may ask. I went for consult with my original PS, & he said he would use original peri-areola scar, but I've read on this forum about the nipple cave-in using that method. My Dr. didn't tell me how much tissue I will have left or anything like that. But no capsulectomy, I have no scar tissue at all, & no drains. I trust this Dr. but it wouldn't hurt to have a 2nd opinion.
February 10, 2013
Hi! I had my implants removed through the same incision site as the initial surgery for implantation. And I seem to be healing fine! ;-)
February 11, 2013
Yes, you're looking fine for sure....amazing! I hope mine turn out that well....but my 500 cc for soooo long, stretched out like heck I imagine...ugh. Who was your surgeon? I set up a consult with Dr. Pousti, but I read some reviews that indicated he may be a "sponsor Dr.", and a few negative comments have been "removed" by him or his staff. So I don't know. My original PS was great, loved him, but he didn't seem as excited to remove them as I am. He was admiring his handiwork, and said he hopes I don't explant, as they are"perfect" in his eyes.
February 11, 2013
My PS is Dr. Akazawa. I am going thru the original areola scar and many women I have seen on this site have done well this. Some I have seen, have not, and I may be worng but I think it is at the hands of the surgeon as well as how much tissue you naturally have left , also i have read that internal stiches can cause this temporarily if they are the dissolvable kind? I have alos read that most doctors will leave capsule in if it is very thin, there is no rupture and no issues with scar tissue. I have been told my nipples will not cave in, i do have some breast tissue as I saw during my recent mammogram, the technichian whom was doing my exam showed me how much tissue i had. ! of the PS I consulted with told they would cave in and he also suggessted a lift, 2 other docs said no lift, same scar and no nipple cave in.
February 11, 2013
Dr. Melvin Akazawa...my Original PS from 1989...I believe he is the one for my explantation. He has 30 + years experience and has done explantations. I will discuss more about capsulectomy with him, as I do not want to remove capsule if it proves to be thick, I do not have a rupture and I have saline.
February 11, 2013
opps I meant , remove capsule if it is thick...hopefully its thin and no need to..i will discuss this in more detail this week with him
February 27, 2013
My explant is now confirmed for March 22 and I cannot wait! This web site and all your stories have helped me tremendoesly. It has been discussed that if the capsules are not abnormal in any way, they would not be removed, as the body will absorb the capsules over time, no drains , but wrapped up very tightly and compression for at least a week or 2 to eliminate the need for drains, the compression will help to achieve this. I am eating very well, no wine, no sugar, and drinking lots of doctor OZ detox fruit and veggie blends to keep anti oxidants in full swing and to keep inflammation down in body...this helps for surgery recovery. Most all of the ladies I have seen before and after explant appear to look soooo much better than with implants , its amazing to me.
UPDATED FROM toomakeup
21 days pre
My Explant is scheduled for March 22nd! It will be...
toomakeupFebruary 28, 2013
My Explant is scheduled for March 22nd! It will be a long 3 weeks, as I cannot wait to these implants out of me. I have a grade 2 CC on my left side and it may require explant of scar tissue, the right side can be a straight explant but The Plastic surgeon will not know until he gets in there. I am having anthesia, no drains, and wrapped up tight to avoid seroma, this is how I will get past not having drains in. If the capsule is thin on the right, he will leave it in, as for the left it will be a casulectomy (remove capsule, due to the capsule being thicker) I cannot wait to join the explant group, all of you ladies have been very helpful and I wish you all my best!!
Replies (20)
February 28, 2013
That's just around the corner! Good luck, toomakeup! P.S. Drains really aren't that bad! Everyone seems so scared of them, but really they are more annoying than anything else, and are (I think) better than needle aspirations to the boob if a seroma should present itself afterwards. :/
March 3, 2013
Thank you girlie! I'm ok with drains , I had them before on my second set of implants...they do serve a purpose to drain the fluid ..I am hoping that I do not go thru an aspiration. My ps says i will be wrapped tightly as to keep it all compressed which will help to avoid the fluid (seroma) build up .Did you have a capsulectomy? We're your silicone or saline?
March 4, 2013
Mine were saline. I had a partial capsulectomy (the top part was removed, and the bottom part was left in and scored). It's hard to believe they can do so much through a one inch incision!
March 6, 2013
My PS says Partial Capsulectomy as well, although mine are not supoer hard, i've been told a baker grade 2-3 on left, I have read this is optional, and concerned that if paertial capsulectomy takes place , i will loose some breast tissue...do you have any thoughts about this , since this is what you had done?
March 7, 2013
Mine weren't hard at all, no cc issues, just felt more comfortable getting some of that crud out, since I have read that part of the silicone shell can flake off and get in your tissues. I asked about tissue loss, and my PS said there is VERY minimal (virtually no) tissue loss on a partial capsulectomy, if done properly. It's just scar tissue, not breast tissue, that is removed. I see you had encapsulated silicones removed before. Did they do a capsulectomy at that point?
March 9, 2013
Thank you for sharing...I Do not know, I have never heard of it before prior to explant inquiries and real self. I do remember the doc said he scrapped a lot of scar tissue out for re implanting the saline , it was painful because he had to make my new pocket so much smaller as I went from 350 silicone to 175 saline filled too 200, in retrospect I wish I had not listened To the ps at that time and explanted. Moving forward,I am 2 weeks away...yay! My ps mentioned partial capsulectomy and possibly internal sutures for a slight lift.. He did say a tablespoon at very most and showed me. How's your incision healing, I hope it is doing well!
February 28, 2013
Mine came out a week ago. I do have drains and they are a pain to put up with. And the only real serious pain I've had seems to come from where the drains are attached. What is "seroma"? Guess I ought to know. I'm very happy with my decision. Just finished posting my history and pics - will be updated soon. Thanks for posting.
March 3, 2013
I have been told Seroma is basically fluid build up ...the drains you have in a to prevent this, did you have your capsules removed? We're yours silicone or saline ? Best wishes to you for a speedy recovery!
March 3, 2013
Mine were over the muscle silicon, and yes he said he did a capsilectomy. Still have drains in, 9 days later and still draining. I also developed cellulitis in one breast and am taking antibiotics for that. Pain is still minimal. Keep us posted.
March 6, 2013
Arky56..will you be posting photos, as I know how helpful they are to all of us
March 5, 2013
Here to give you some support! I had 20 yr old implants removed last week and so happy I did! I originally had silicone implants 35 yrs ago to try to mask a thoratic deformity (very prominent rib cage) to gain a normal appearance in my clothes. I developed cc and after 15 yrs, had a capsulectomy and replaced them with saline. Now 20 yrs after the 2nd surgery and I developed severe cc. Upon removal the capsules were extremely thick and hard (#4 much too thick to dissolve). I was surprised at how great I felt the next day with minimal pain and only needed my pain meds for 1 day. I was wrapped for compression and no need for drains. After a lot of research and discussion with my doctor I elected not to replace the implants. After I heal for approximately 3 months I will start using a new method called Brava. With this process cones are placed over the breast to expand the tissue and create a microvascular environment for fat grafting. It will take about 3/4 weeks of expansion and then I will have new breasts created with my own fat tissue via liposuction. This should give me a fairly normal appearance and it will be so much better than hard and painful implants. Best of all I won't have to deal with having the implants removed again when I'm elderly! Good luck with your procedure, I know you are going to do great!
March 6, 2013
Lahana..thank you for your post. fat grafting sounds promising for you.
Keep me posted on how it goes over the next 3 months. I have a baker grade 2-3 CC on left side so it appears right now that the capsule will need to be removed if it is thick.... 2 weeks away, the waiting is the hardest part!
March 6, 2013
My thoughts will be with you. I understand the waiting and anticipation part. For myself it is now such a relief after a total of 35 yrs to not have to deal with the various levels of implant/capsule discomfort. My doctor has been very successful using fat grafting for his mastectomy and implant revision patients. Due to the uneven plane of my chest wall anything that I wear is pulled to the left side and it's extremely difficult to fit normally into most clothing. Back when I was a young girl I consulted with a thoratic surgeon to see if surgery could correct this. It was not an option since the deformity was not life threatening. I am thankful that the implants gave me a fairly normal appearance over the years. However, as you know there is no silver bullet and they do become problematic. I am very grateful that I now have another option with grafting. I wish that everyone considering implants would thoroughly research and realistically consider that they might have to deal with as time goes on. My heart aches for the women whose surgeries have resulted in other complications besides CC. I read posts from girls that are so excited about getting implants to help them with self-esteem, etc and I don't want to rain on their parade. However, possibly as my journey with grafting continues over the next few months, I'll be able to share another insight and option. Even now as I look at myself without the implants, uneven chest and two flat breasts I feel so much better overall. Also, you might be surprised how much breast tissue you have left even if the capsules come out. I still have some tissue even after two CC surgeries! Keep up your positive attitude. We're all here to celebrate getting healthier together!
March 9, 2013
Congratulations on getting your date for explant! Wishing you all the best. Please keep us updated x
March 10, 2013
Thank you!! Yes, 2weeks away and very eager. I will keep all you ladies posted.
March 11, 2013
Thank you! 2 weeks to go and I am very excited...I will stay in touch with all you fabulous ladies that have been so gracious in sharing your personal stories, for that it has been sooooo helpful, it's the least I ca do to give back. The photos have been so helpful
March 11, 2013
Awe, I have Left sided CC as well - your pics and mine make a good match, looks like our lefties have both made similar plans to give themselves a lift. LOL. I explant this week, so excited! I wish you luck, and will stop by to say hello again since we will be explanting this same month and both recovering from similar left sided CC.
March 11, 2013
I have one current pic in my Removal review, and more angles in my Breast Implant review. I will post a few more 'before' shots this week, and some 'afters' as soon as I am allowed to unwrap them. I too will have no drains, and will be staying wrapped up tight - not sure for how long, I guess I will find out at my pre-op appointment or in my aftercare instructions.
March 11, 2013
Found your pics...yes, we are similar with our left cc, mine are saline 175 onset....you will be in our thoughts and wish you a great outcome and speedy recovery. I will stay in touch and look forward to your explant photos...take care of yourself!
Wow! You are an inspiration. Thank you for starting your story here. Have you chosen a doctor for this procedure yet?