Explant of 15 Yo Saline Implants and Fat Grafting with Brava - New York

I was getting tired of my 15 year old implants which seemed to be getting harder as time went by. I liked the way they looked but could never get used to the way they felt. Whenever I did start to feel that they were a part of me, laying on my back quickly reminded me that I had two foreign objects stuck to my chest as these things simply defied gravity and would remain unnaturally erect towards the ceiling.

I also believed that they were the cause of many of the unexplainable symptoms I would suffer such as, itching and rash under my ribs, sore joints, anxiety, brain fog, cold extremities and sudden intolerances to cleaning products, perfumes and MSG.
As these symptoms worsened, I decided that I had to have my implants removed.

I started to do my research and found that the only effective way to perform an explantation is to do it en bloc which means to remove the capsule (scar tissue) along with the implant. Dr. Christina Ahn repeatedly appeared in my google searches as one who is highly experienced in en bloc removal and also with fat transfer to the breast.

I was very impressed by my initial appointment with Dr. Ahn. She is a warm and approachable doctor who makes you feel as if you are her most important patient.
She spent a long time explaining everything to me and never made me feel rushed.

I was scheduled for my explantation and fat grafting for March 13, 2015. Leading up to that date, many questions would pop up over the weekends and I would email Dr. Ahn, never expecting to get a reply until Monday. However, Dr. Ahn would always answer my emails... even when it was a Saturday or Sunday evening. As the date got closer, I began to freak out. This would usually occur on the weekends when I wasn't distracted with work and had time to dwell on my upcoming surgery. I would email Dr. Ahn about my concerns and she would always email me right back reassuring me that she was going to take good care of me and that all I had to do was focus on recovery. Dr. Ahn is really one-in-a-million .... I just love her!!

So, to back-track a little... 5 weeks leading up to my surgery, I had wear the Brava domes for 8- 10 hours a day which, I really didn't think I could manage, they are cumbersome and painful. However, as time went on, I got used to them and even figured out a way to lay on my stomach with them on. A week before my surgery, I was put on "turbo." Turbo is a pump which maintains a constant high level of suction on the Brava domes. This maximizes the expansion of the blood vessels in the breast to ensure a higher chance of fat survival after the fat transfer.

By the date of my surgery, my breasts had almost doubled in size and I was ready. My surgery took about 8 hours. Dr. Ahn informed me that I had a lot of scar tissue and she had to work extremely hard to remove it all. My implants were not leaking but the silicone shell had disintegrated and was sticky. I saw a photo of my implants and they were yellow.... yuck! Dr, Ahn also repaired my chest muscles which were damaged by the implants.

Dr. Ahn had told me that she was going to put 250cc of fat in each breast but after my surgery, I was informed that 390cc was in fact, transferred. My take on Dr. Ahn is that she tends to be conservative in her projections and would rather her patients be pleasantly surprised.

I am now 4 weeks post-surgery and still a little sore and numb in some of my lipo sites and my breast incisions still have a burning sensation. I am back on the Brava regimen for 8 hours a day. My breasts are a very full C, maybe even a small D. Ironically, I am bigger now than when I had implants (I was a small C) and before, most people would not suspect I had implants but now, I really look like I have implants.... except that they bounce...lol. Also, I never had cleavage with my implants, not even with the best push-up bra, but now I have cleavage even without a bra.

I was told to expect that I would be 2/3 the size I was with implants but as mentioned above, I am bigger than I was and hopefully, with the use of the Brava, they will remain just like that.... only time will tell.

So, my take-away on my whole experience is:
Dr. Ahn is the best, she is a talented surgeon who always has her patients' best-interest at heart. With regard to the procedures..... tedious, painful, but well worth it!

These pics are from before my surgery showing the progression with the use of BRAVA leading up to the surgery. Will post some "after" pics soon.