Athletic Female W Under the Muscle Silicone Implants - Removed and Happy!

Nine months post implant removal and still could not be more happy with my decision - Thanks Dr. John Harris of Ponte Vedra, Florida!!!

Almost 12 years ago I had 250cc Mentor cohesive gel implants placed under the muscle. I was 49 at the time small framed at 5'1" and 95 lbs. I researched surgeons thoroughly and went to three consults prior to selecting Dr. John B. Harris in Ponte Vedra, Florida. He was previously Chief of Maxo and Reconstructive at the Mayo clinic so I had complete confidence in his skills. I also appreciated his more conservative patient approach; professional, discreet, great staff, and a top rated surgery center within his facility. Though it was made clear that I would need to replace or remove at some point in the future this is not something I focused on going into the procedure. The outcome was great; subtle and fit my petite but athletic frame well. I enjoyed many years of enjoying the clothes I could wear and really just the overall proportional look. The only drawback at the time was the chronic tug of war between my pec muscles and my back muscles - I was always tight and uncomfortable after working out.
After a few years and greater focus on sports that required a stronger upper body (yoga, swimming, paddling) my pecs seemed to take over and it felt like there was less room for my implants to move. I never had any extreme side effects, mammograms were fine, and no capsular contraction but I was becoming increasingly frustrated by the trade offs between features and functionality. I liked the looked but disliked constantly needing to stretch, get massages, go the chiropractor, etc just to be comfortable training. My breasts were also firm, not hard, but kept well in place by my pecs. About 4 years ago I seriously began thinking about removal but thought it might be best to wait until I wasn't working so I put it off.
In the past two years I went to three consults (again) - two more local. One was emphatic that I would not like the outcome and pretty much said she couldn't or wouldn't help me. The other was a surgeon well known for explanting primarily those that had substantial side affects due to the implants - I hadn't. In May of 2017 I made the 2.5hr drive and returned to Dr. Harris and Ponte Vedra knowing that he would be the best surgeon to give me a professional, trustable, and non-biased input on explanting. How right I was!!
Dr. Harris and his great staff immediately put me at ease about my decision and the procedure. He shared that many women were removing their implants and that he expected it to be an uncomplicated straightforward procedure that, based upon the condition of my breast tissue and surrounding skin, would most likely result in an outcome I would be happy with. If I wasn't there was always the option of fat transfer down the road. The problem for me is that I don't have much available fat for harvest - it wasn't a top priority for me so I didn't consider this bad news.
I went in for surgery in late August 2017 - it took about an hour and I did have drains put in though I had very little drainage and they were removed the next day. Surprisingly to all of us BOTH of my implants had ruptured - one worse than the other - but the cohesive gel was contained with the capsules. No way of knowing the cause specifically but I strongly belief it was the pressure of the pec muscles constantly pushing on the implants when I worked out. Dr. Harris was very thorough in cleaning all the gel out of the capsules and did not remove the capsules given they were thin and healthy. To his point "not all capsules are the same" and now I understand directly how the condition of the capsule drives the need to remove. When you are thin and small chested (32A pre implants) its helpful if you can leave the capsule in. Every person is different but I'm glad they remained possibly providing a little volume - my recovery time was very quick - I never took the pain killers (just Advil) and gradually got back into my various athletics within two weeks.
Most importantly I feel TERRIFIC! Funny no one has noticed and those that knew I was having the procedure think I look better. No more muscular warfare, I can hug full-on versus the side hug or top chest only hug self consciously wondering if those I hugged felt my implants. All these thoughts are gone - and best of all I totally love the look!!! I'm proud and confident of just being natural and though I truly have no regrets in experiencing a 32C I think a 32A looks best on me.