35 Years Old, Removal Complete & Back to Natural - Newport Beach, CA

In 2007, I went to dinner with my girlfriends (all in our mid-20's) and out of the 5 of us, I was the only one that did not have breast implants.  I never really had self-esteem issues and had no problems getting dates or guys but the seed was planted after seeing how perfect my friend's boobs were.  My boyfriend at the time actually told me that he found natural breasts so sexy compared to fake breasts, yet I still thought it would be a good idea to get breast implants so that I can finally stop wearing padded bras.  So in 2007 at 26 years old, I went from a 34 A/B to a full 34C.  I am 5'4" and 115lbs now but at the time I was about 120lbs.  

They looked perfect (with the exception of rippling when I leaned over) and I have had no health issues at all but they made me self-conscious.  I immediately regretted getting them and spent more time hiding them and lying to friends and family to cover the fact that I got the BA.  So I had been thinking about getting them removed for 8 years.  At year 4, I went back to my PS to have a consultation about removing them but I left that consultation feeling bad about wanting to remove them.  As some of the women on this site have experienced, he recommended replacing them with smaller implants and warned that there is risk that they might not get back to what they were before. (At that time, he had only performed a few breast implant removals.)  So I left that consultation thinking that I am stuck with implants for life and will risk being deformed if I just removed them completely.  

Fast forward to 2014,  I was still determined to find women that have explanted and see the results for myself.  I came across this site via google and read through so many stories.  Some of the women on here looked better after their breast implant removal, which gave me hope.  This is where I found Dr. Chong.  I had a consultation with her in Newport Beach and it was such a pleasant experience compared to my first consultation with my original PS.  After talking to Dr. Chong, I was confident that I could get back to my original breasts because I am still young (34 at the time), I have good skin and I did not get my implants too big (skin did not stretch too much).  

I sat on it for a year, kept following this site, reading stories and mentally prepared myself.  I finally explanted on 12/28/15.  I am on Day 4 of recovery.  The realization is that, if you have gone through a BA, the physical recovery for removal is a piece of cake.  The real recovery is a mental and emotional one.  So you must be emotionally ready to face whatever insecurities that existed pre-BA.  For some of the women on this site, they have the support of a husband, boyfriend, or now have kids so the breast after explant may be larger than before etc.  That's great! But for me, I am single and dating (at 35) so not only will I have to rely on myself for support but I will need to get past the emotional "cycle" and get back on the dating track.  I am not too worried, actually, I am kind of excited to be able to wear low cut tops again without feeling self-conscious.  So here is my day by day experience:

2 weeks before surgery:
There was definitely the emotional up and down.  Questioning myself on whether or not I had made the right decision, anxiety on what to expect.  I searched for pictures on what my breasts looked like before BA.  What it came down to was this.... I have been thinking about explanting for 8 years.  I was not happy with them when I got them, there is not much more to think about and I am making the right decision.  So now it is prep time.  I read over the instructions that I had been given: stopped taking all vitamins, supplements, excedrine etc (there is a long list of things that I cannot have but instead of having to check the list all the time, I just stopped taking everything.  I even stopped drinking tea just in case there is any type of herb that may be on that list.)  I started working out more....every other day... at least 45 min of cardio and then incorporated weight training every other day.  The healthier I am, the faster my body will bounce back.  

Day of Surgery:
My sister drove me and waited for me while I was in the operating room.  My surgery was scheduled for 7:30am but I was told to get there at 6:30am to prep.  I was given a valium and another pill to stop any secretions and dry me out (they said this was to help with the anesthesia).  I decided not to do local anesthesia even though it would have been cheaper.  I had been put to sleep a few times before and never had nausea or any side effects.  I just would rather not be awake while I am being cut open.  My sedation was through an IV and I was not completely put out (as I had been when I got my wisdom teeth out), I was just asleep.  The operating room was nice and peaceful, my bed faced a window with a view of Newport Beach. I fell asleep thinking about Greece and Gladiators and woke up being wrapped in ace bandage so I felt like I was being dressed in armor ready for battle.... then I snapped out of it.  I woke up feeling like a happy drunk, throat felt dry and sore.  No pain all day, just SUPER dehydrated.   When I got home, I ate some oatmeal, took a Tylenol III pill and  I spent the day sitting in bed and drinking water.  Also had some Pedialyte to help hydrate (not sure if that was ok but I usually drink this when I feel that I am not getting hydrated enough).  I had a bit of a headache, probably from dehydration.  I slept with my head elevated (3 pillows) because I can feel some discomfort if I lay flat.    

Day 2:   
Headache was gone, dehydration was gone.  No pain still and I can now feel the incisions.  I did not take any of the Tylenol III so I was ok to drive myself to the follow up appointment at 2:30p. Dr. Chong took the ace bandage off, cleaned the incisions and then put a new steri strip on.  My breasts look super flat on the top, some tissue on the bottom.  What I expected.  They look like my original breasts, just flat for now.  I was worried at first but then I looked at other people's pictures on this site and it really does fluff back to normal after a few weeks (hopefully).  I have no saggy skin at all, no dents, does not look "deflated"... just flat, with a little bit of breast tissue on the bottom.  I went to a coffee shop and shopping (therapy).  Still slept elevated.

Day 3:    
My mild headache came back again.  Also a bit fatigued.  I ran some errands and just spent the rest of the day watching TV.  I thought I would try sleeping flat today but that was uncomfortable, not painful, just felt more tingly...didn't want to risk fluid build up or something so I slept elevated again... just 2 pillows.

Day 4:
Today is NYE and I have been invited to 3 parties.  Even though I feel great today, I will not go to any parties (obviously cannot drink) and I do not want to have to go through the emotional anxiety of having to find something to wear (over my flat, ace bandaged chest).  Instead, I am going to have dinner (I have been eating bland, nutritious foods so tonight I will treat myself to pizza) and watch Star Wars.  I am actually going on date #5 with someone that I have been seeing.  He knows about the surgery and still wants to date me... no boobs and all.  What can I say....I am an amazing person....with or without boobs.  Oh, and to mention, now that my boobs are tiny, my stomach is more noticeable.  I have always had a flat stomach but now it just seems like I will need to do a few more crunches to keep a girly shape.  I will post more pics as things change.  Hopefully will get more fluff at the 1 or 2 week mark. Looking at my pre-BA breasts, I think it is pretty similar right now so there might not be more fluff.  Will keep you posted.

I am having some trouble finding front close sports bras to wear during the recovery period. I found one that is Jockey and pretty comfortable (but there was literally only one size Small in the store). Victoria Secret has some but definitely not good for the recovery period because they have underwire and push up. You ladies have any suggestions?

I returned to work on Day 10 and felt good, energy level back to normal. I had a couple days before returning to work where I was just really fatigued...probably did too much (errands etc.). Anyway, nobody noticed because I wore scarves almost everyday. I stopped wearing the ace bandage on Day 11. Technically, I could have stopped wearing at Day 5 but I did not know. I had my follow up appointment a couple days ago. Dr. Chong said that everything looks good and I was cleared to start light exercise (no weights). I was still wearing a sports bra and found a good one to wear during the recovery period. Jockey Zip Front Seamless Bra from JC Penney. I was very careful with my incisions and made sure that I did not extend my arms too much so the zip front was the best. There was also a bit of padding so I did not feel completely flat. After my follow up appointment, Dr. Chong said I can start wearing regular bras if I feel comfortable. I went to try on bras that same day. The bras that gave a lift were really uncomfortable but I was able to find one that was super comfortable, wireless and did not pull up on my breasts. I think I will eventually buy sexy bras that lift but for now, this one is perfect. Simply Perfect by Warner's from Target.

Emotionally, I am happy. No regrets. I struggled a bit this weekend trying on my clothes since my tops look different on me now but after some shopping, I feel better. I think my breasts have fluffed out some more after I took the ace bandage off. The scars have darkened and are more noticeable but I bought some Bio-Oil (which I probably should have put on sooner). This oil has gotten really good reviews though so hopefully it will reduce the darkness. Either way, the scars really don't bother me that much. In terms of sleep, I slept on my side last night and it felt good, no more tingling.