A Bumpy Start, But Looking Much Better!

I am 55 years old and had BA in 2002. I had been ill for some time and lost a lot of weight. My breasts had gone from a C cup to A-B cup. Instead of getting a lift, I opted for an implant. They were saline, under the muscle, about 300-325cc and put me at a large D (much bigger than I had wanted). Over the last 12 years, I have gained about 30 pounds which left me with very large G cup breasts that caused neck and shoulder pain. I have studied this website, as well as anything I could get my hands on about explanting, for two years. I finally decided to go ahead and have them removed. I knew I had a large amount of my own breast tissue and that I would be saggy and droopy. That was not a problem for me.
I decided I would make the decision later on as to whether to have a lift or not.

My first PS consultation was disappointing--he really had no bedside manner. He asked me why would I want my implants out and didn't I know that I would look horrible (his words). He was going to do it under local anesthesia in the office at the cost of $4600. My second consult was with another PS in my town who was as reputable as the first, but had a very good bedside manner. He said he would only do it under general because cutting muscle is very painful. When I asked about having drains, he said no. He said that he didn't like leaving the pocket open, so he would stitch the muscle back to the chest wall. I had never heard of that, but I could understand where he was coming from and assumed he was being conservative--better safe than sorry. I asked if I knew I would sag and droop and I told him that I was aware of this and was not concerned. After much thought for several months, I scheduled and paid for the surgery.

Last Thursday, 9/11/14, I underwent my explant. After surgery, it was painful but this was anticipated. The right breast was much more painful than the left. By Saturday, the right breast was still very painful, so much so that I called the doctor's nurse. She told me to remove the dressing and check for infection and then redress it. I did and was appalled at my breast. It was clear that he was so concerned with stitching the muscle to the chest wall he stitched the natural fold under my breast up two inches! What was he thinking?? I can understand one or two stitches and then close the incision where it normally lies, but there is no logic in what he did! The left breast is not as bad but is still deformed.

I confronted him today when I went to have my dressings removed. He stated that this was the way it was done, that it was supposed to do that. I tried to discuss it with him but it was clear that he thinks he is right and I don't know what I am talking about.

Needless to say, I am devastated. I just wonder if he were to go back in ASAP and snip the sutures in the chest wall and let the breast fall naturally, then sew up the main incision, would it look natural. I am at a loss. What do you guys think? I would appreciate your views. I am posting a few "before explant" and "after explant" photos.

I need to update you kind ladies. I went back to the doctor yesterday and explained that I was very
upset with the outcome. After much discussion, I now understand what happened. I think every woman considering explant needs to know this as well. As I stated above, it looked like he had stitched the entire incision up on my chest wall. He did not. I had very large breasts; the implants were not that huge, 325cc, but I had gained 35 pounds over the years and my breasts got so large, and had the expected sag and droop. But, I evidently had (1) low nipples, (2) a very high natural fold under my breast, and (3) very thin skin from being stretched out, especially under the right breast. The implants pushed out the breasts enough that my nipples didn't face downward, but when taken out, the lack of the implant made my nipples turn south. Then, the natural crease or fold under my breast was anatomically very high. On top of that the skin under my breasts, especially the right, was very thin. So when he closed the incision from removing the implant, and since the fold was so high up behind the breast, it made the nipples face downward. The skin on the right was so thin, it was would not hold sutures; so he had to close it the best he could. So, it was sort of a perfect storm of stretched out skin, anatomically low nipples and high fold, post-menopausal breast tissue, etc.

He did apologize for not making me aware that this could be a risk. He only told me I would droop and sag which I was fully prepared for. He showed me a picture of a women about my age who had a much worse outcome (her explant was done my another physician); he was able to successfully make her look great with time. But, he learned from this situation that he needs to make women aware that this is a possibility and that you never know exactly what the outcome will be. Once he understood how freaked out I was, he was very patient, kind, and spent over an hour with me. Also, the staff in his office could not be more kind.

There is a possibility that if the skin on the right "toughens up" in the next six months to a year, he may be able to do a lift which will help the appearance of the breast. I could definitely use a lift, but since the skin is so delicate, I would be scared. We will see.

I do want to say, I am glad I had the implants explanted. The pain in my neck and shoulders was better within days and at the end of the day, that was my biggest complaint. It is so nice not to be carrying that weight around! I would recommend explanting to any woman who is in pain and tired of the constant heaviness. The deformity, even though it is hard to say, is not as important as feeling better. If you are older, just be aware that this kind of result is a possibility. Thank you ladies, I hope this helps someone.

Hi ladies! I wanted to give ya'll an update on my formerly "deformed" breasts after explant. It has been about 4 weeks and, wow, my breasts have really changed for the better. It seems like they became much more normal overnight! I got out of the shower and looked at them and thought "they look normal!" The deformation on the right breast is almost completely smoothed out--it is barely visible. There was obviously a lot of swelling for several weeks which has gone away. They look just like I thought they would. The plastic surgeon said they would change over time and they really did. To be honest, I didn't think it would ever look much better than it did initially. I am so pleased. They are saggy, but I was prepared for that and don't mind at all. The left breast is larger than the right, but it has always been that way. I have a lot of breast tissue and am wearing a 34DD. At this point, I have no desire for a breast lift. I'm 55 years old; my breasts are supposed to sag! Girls, I cannot tell you how much better my neck and shoulders feel. It is such a relief not to have the constant heaviness on my chest. My clothes fit, I can exercise better. I love it! I am so glad I explanted. I just wish I had done it sooner. And, I am so grateful that the deformity resolved itself. That is icing on the cake. If you are on the fence, jump off!! It's worth it!