POSTED UNDER Mentor Breast Implants REVIEWS
Pre-op 32C - BA Journey - 400/425cc Mentor Memory Gel
ORIGINAL POST
I feel like a bit of an outlier on here, but I...
BananakatJune 5, 2014
WORTH IT$8,000
I feel like a bit of an outlier on here, but I will admit I had never put much thought into even considering breast implants. Obviously, the thought had flittered across my mind in passing, but in no way seriously at all. I've always been quite satisfied with my breasts.
Over the past few months, I have found myself thinking, wouldn't it be nice to have a pair of super awesome boobs?! I've always been an admirer/envious of well-endowed gals - since seriously considering a BA, I have found myself obsessing over breasts (think most RealSelf members fall victim to this preoccupation!). Anyways, I am currently a "32C" according to Victoria, not sure how accurate she is. Probably a marketing scheme - a very good one - and one that has led to many of us ladies loving to frequent the indulgent lingerie store regardless of the costs. I don't mind my breasts from the front view, but good lord, the side view definitely isn't anything to write home about.
So about two weeks ago, I delved head first into my online boobie education. Thank baby jesus for RealSelf - this site is awesome. Fast forward one week and I landed a consultation (by fluke of a cancellation). I went to Dr. Ward in Surrey. He was nice enough and seemed knowledgeable and open to answering all of my questions. He was very thorough on reviewing the stats and risks related to BAs and was professional. His staff are wonderfully pleasant as well. We briefly went over sizing and he selected Mentor memory gel moderate plus profile 375cc and 350cc under the muscle (turns out my back is a bit of a pretzel - making me lop-sided in my rib cage). Has anyone else had experience with a BA working with slight scoliosis or two different breast sizes? I am a bit worried that the two different sizes will turn out more noticeable, but I will leave it to the professionals. Dr. Ward mentioned the sizes are about 2 teaspoons or so different. Anyways, I also have a BWD of 12.5cm.
So this is the biggest dilemma I am experiencing. I really want to go with 400cc and 375cc because I am worried it won't give me the desired size I want and all your hear is people saying they wish they had gone bigger. I keep reading though that you cannot exceed your BWD and the 400cc diameter is 13.1cm...I do have decent breast tissue compared to many others I have seen who have gone 400cc +. Any suggestions? I don't want to go with high profile as I really want the natural slope of the breast maintained. Has anyone out there gone with implants that were larger than their BWD and if so, what were your experiences???
Over the past few months, I have found myself thinking, wouldn't it be nice to have a pair of super awesome boobs?! I've always been an admirer/envious of well-endowed gals - since seriously considering a BA, I have found myself obsessing over breasts (think most RealSelf members fall victim to this preoccupation!). Anyways, I am currently a "32C" according to Victoria, not sure how accurate she is. Probably a marketing scheme - a very good one - and one that has led to many of us ladies loving to frequent the indulgent lingerie store regardless of the costs. I don't mind my breasts from the front view, but good lord, the side view definitely isn't anything to write home about.
So about two weeks ago, I delved head first into my online boobie education. Thank baby jesus for RealSelf - this site is awesome. Fast forward one week and I landed a consultation (by fluke of a cancellation). I went to Dr. Ward in Surrey. He was nice enough and seemed knowledgeable and open to answering all of my questions. He was very thorough on reviewing the stats and risks related to BAs and was professional. His staff are wonderfully pleasant as well. We briefly went over sizing and he selected Mentor memory gel moderate plus profile 375cc and 350cc under the muscle (turns out my back is a bit of a pretzel - making me lop-sided in my rib cage). Has anyone else had experience with a BA working with slight scoliosis or two different breast sizes? I am a bit worried that the two different sizes will turn out more noticeable, but I will leave it to the professionals. Dr. Ward mentioned the sizes are about 2 teaspoons or so different. Anyways, I also have a BWD of 12.5cm.
So this is the biggest dilemma I am experiencing. I really want to go with 400cc and 375cc because I am worried it won't give me the desired size I want and all your hear is people saying they wish they had gone bigger. I keep reading though that you cannot exceed your BWD and the 400cc diameter is 13.1cm...I do have decent breast tissue compared to many others I have seen who have gone 400cc +. Any suggestions? I don't want to go with high profile as I really want the natural slope of the breast maintained. Has anyone out there gone with implants that were larger than their BWD and if so, what were your experiences???
Bananakat's provider
UPDATED FROM Bananakat
1 month pre
Size...???
BananakatJune 15, 2014
Like many others on here, I am a but conflicted about which size to go with. During my initial consultation the doctor said 350cc then due to asymmetry, 350cc and 375cc. Except I never even tried on the 375cc so I decided to go back and try on sizers once more.
When I went back the patient liaison (?) looked through my chart and the surgeon had recorded 350 and 325cc, but I know he had verbally said we could actually go up to 375cc. Anyways, I tried on the 375cc/350cc combo and was happy with it. I'm just hoping this is what my surgeon will actually go with. I thought I would be speaking with my surgeon during my pre-op appointment, but it just is with the patient liaison. Is this true for others' experiences??? I never even got to show the surgeon pictures of what I am hoping for during my consultation because I figured there would be opportunity to review wish images and speak further to my expectations and feasibility of this with the surgeon at a later time. Now I worry that he has no idea what I'm looking for! Any suggestions? Should I bring photos with me to my pre-op and see if the surgeon can provide feedback on them? I just wish I could speak with him prior to the surgery to make sure we're on the same page.
When I went back the patient liaison (?) looked through my chart and the surgeon had recorded 350 and 325cc, but I know he had verbally said we could actually go up to 375cc. Anyways, I tried on the 375cc/350cc combo and was happy with it. I'm just hoping this is what my surgeon will actually go with. I thought I would be speaking with my surgeon during my pre-op appointment, but it just is with the patient liaison. Is this true for others' experiences??? I never even got to show the surgeon pictures of what I am hoping for during my consultation because I figured there would be opportunity to review wish images and speak further to my expectations and feasibility of this with the surgeon at a later time. Now I worry that he has no idea what I'm looking for! Any suggestions? Should I bring photos with me to my pre-op and see if the surgeon can provide feedback on them? I just wish I could speak with him prior to the surgery to make sure we're on the same page.
Replies (13)
June 16, 2014
I would call the PS and ask for another post-op appointment where you can show him the pictures and make sure you are on the same page as him. I agree with Mamamel1974, most PS will not put in an implant that is wider than your natural band width, for many legitimate reasons. Depending on your body, the HP and EHP implants can look very natural, especially when they are on the smaller side like the 350/375cc's, so don't get too hung up and the "unnatural" look that you may see in other ladies. I ended up with EHP's, and was terrified about looking really fake, but because I have a smaller implant in, it is extremely natural looking and I am less than one month post op. I think if you were to take pictures in to your PS you will feel a lot better about making sure you get the right size.
June 17, 2014
Thanks so much! One thing I worry about is the HP implants being too narrow and having a prominent space between my breasts. Would love to know how yours turn out! Happy recovery Canada411!
June 17, 2014
I was SO worried about that; it kept me up at night for weeks! I was terrified that I would have a huge space between my breasts, but I finally came to the realization that for the most part, what I had as a space naturally, would be about the same in the end. I was also worried that I would not have a natural slope on the upper pole and that they would be two round balls if I went with a higher profile. My PS told me that because of many factors regarding my natural breasts and body shape, if I went with an implant that was in the 12.5cm to 13.5cm width (I am a 14.0cm to begin with), he would have a harder time closing me up and my recovery would be much worse than if I went with a narrow implant. He also said because I started with a large B - small C cup size, and because I was doing unders, I would still have a natural slope with the EHP's. I am so happy I listened to him! For me, the really narrow implant was a much better fit, and so far I am super happy with them. As long as your PS has seen pictures of what look you would like in the end, then you need to really trust him. Also once he looks at picture of what you would like in the end, maybe he will say that you are ok with a wider implant? Does he do a pre-op appointment weeks in advance of surgery, or are you referring to when you see him right before surgery? If that is the case, I would ask to see him weeks before surgery so you can be sure that you are on the same page as him.
June 18, 2014
This is all great advice! Unfortunately, the pre-op appointment is not with my PS and is just with his staff...the assistants said he would only see a patient again if something drastic changed, like a weight change. The assistant I will see has been working with him for 14 years so hopefully she can address my sizing concerns more. I may also ask if I can send my PS images directly (even though I was told he doesn't like going by photos?). At the end of the day, I guess I should just trust my PS and know that he knows best when it comes to these things...but hopefully my mind will be put at ease at my pre-op next week. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. It's a big help!
June 18, 2014
Keep us updated with your next appointment! Interested to see what they say :)
July 9, 2014
I took your advice and asked to see my PS one more time to review sizing. We went and ahead and ordered three sets: 325cc/350cc mod plus; 350cc/375cc mod plus and 400cc/425cc high profile. I think I am set on getting the high profile option. I worry the other sizes I may not be happy with and would rather have a narrower implant than go with one wider than my current BWD, even though my PS said he could fit it. Less than 3 weeks away! Eek! Did you ever go through moments where you think to yourself what the heck are you doing and feel like you should bail out on the BA??? It's stressful not knowing what the end results will be and what will take place...
July 9, 2014
Exciting!!! So now it is just a waiting game till surgery date!
It is super normal to feel like that, and wonder what you are doing. I was freaking out and finally the nurse at my PS told me to just relax and enjoy the last few days before surgery. Harder said than done. I thought about backing out, right up to surgery date, but didn't because everyone warned me I would have those thoughts but it would be worth it in the end to go thru with the surgery. I am glad people told me that otherwise I would have taken my doubts as a gut sign telling me to cancel surgery. I was terrified of ruining perfectly ok breasts in the search for perfectly great breast, lol. But I am so happy I did it!!! The first three days are hell, but if you can get thru those, you will be fine.
So will he decide on the day of what he is putting in? Or will you have input on that? What size are you aiming for again?
July 9, 2014
Canada411, I felt the exact same way! Even the morning of surgery I was like OMG what am I doing do I really wanna do this? Are my boobs really that bad?? I was also so glad that I had read on here that these were normal feelings or I actually may have backed out. So DON'T BAIL bananakat!! Try to push those thoughts as far away as possible and just look forward to the awesome new boobs you'll have :)
July 10, 2014
We'll that is definitely a sigh of relief hearing that from both you and Anna1989! I'm glad I'm not the only one. My anxiety in terms of waking up in the middle of the night and saying, "Wtf?!" has actually lessened since earlier on, but I still have my moments. I am totally on the same page of what if I mess up my perfectly okay boobs!? I will actually decide which size to go with or at least I really hope I am! We order multiple sizes because I was undecided and he said I could take the next few weeks to think it over. Fingers crossed it all works out! Thanks for your support!
July 10, 2014
That is awesome that he ordered lots of sizes to choose from! You will do great!!!
UPDATED FROM Bananakat
25 days pre
Pre-op Appointment
BananakatJuly 3, 2014
So I had my pre-op appointment last week. The appointment went well. Staff was incredibly friendly and helpful as always. I raised my concerns once more regarding the uncertainty around the sizing as I was certain my PS said we could do 375cc, which was not reflected in my chart. I tried on sizers (for the third time!) and asked if I could see my PS once more just to review the sizing and discuss the possibility of 375cc mod plus or moving to a high profile. They were a bit resistant at first, which I understand the surgeons are busy, but in the end they went ahead and booked me for another consultation with my PS a few days later.
During my "second consultation" with my PS, he thoroughly reviewed the sizing (for another 40 mins!) and explained the risks, etc. with each option. He said I could go up to 375cc, but it would be a tight fit and may cause for rippling due to the wideness of the implant in comparison to my current BWD. In the end, we ended up ordering two sets of implants from which he said I could decide on the day of the surgery. We went ahead and ordered 350/375cc mod plus and 400/425cc high profile.
Although I was hesitant at first to go anywhere near the HP implants, after tracking down other HP ladies and seeing their beautiful results on here, I have decided to go with the HPs! I did not want to risk going too wide and am hoping for a D cup. (The PS said the 350 would bring me only to about a full C). I just hope they are not too large...as I do have a decent amount of breast tissue now. I heard another lady on RealSelf say something that I think is quite brilliant and is what I hope to gain from my surgery. It was something along the lines of I want people to look at me and say "damn she has nice boobs, they must be fake!?" Rather than "Wow! Look at that girl's big fake boobs!"
Anyone have any pre-op and post-op tips and items that I should know about, please share! =)
During my "second consultation" with my PS, he thoroughly reviewed the sizing (for another 40 mins!) and explained the risks, etc. with each option. He said I could go up to 375cc, but it would be a tight fit and may cause for rippling due to the wideness of the implant in comparison to my current BWD. In the end, we ended up ordering two sets of implants from which he said I could decide on the day of the surgery. We went ahead and ordered 350/375cc mod plus and 400/425cc high profile.
Although I was hesitant at first to go anywhere near the HP implants, after tracking down other HP ladies and seeing their beautiful results on here, I have decided to go with the HPs! I did not want to risk going too wide and am hoping for a D cup. (The PS said the 350 would bring me only to about a full C). I just hope they are not too large...as I do have a decent amount of breast tissue now. I heard another lady on RealSelf say something that I think is quite brilliant and is what I hope to gain from my surgery. It was something along the lines of I want people to look at me and say "damn she has nice boobs, they must be fake!?" Rather than "Wow! Look at that girl's big fake boobs!"
Anyone have any pre-op and post-op tips and items that I should know about, please share! =)
Replies (13)
July 4, 2014
Yay you picked a size! That's exciting :). You will definitely be a D with the 400's, probably even more than a D because you have a small band size and already have some natural boobies! But don't let cup sizes scare you one way or the other, I'm sure that size will look great on you
July 5, 2014
Well I thought I picked my size...I am having a slight panic! Was just perusing through RealSelf (I know I should stop) and found a girl with similar stats to myself with 425cc HPs and they looked GIGANTIC! If mine turn out that large, I definitely would not be happy. I don't want to be anything larger than a small D. Now I'm thinking maybe I should just knock it down to 350cc...Oy!
July 5, 2014
Haha I did the same thing! I had actually picked 425cc as my final choice. My PS said he didn't recommend anything over 400 for my frame.. and I was like, well what about losing volume under the muscle? and he said, "OK then we can do 425".. but the more I thought about it, and the more I scoured around here, I started to panic too! Most of the 425's I saw on here didn't look TOO huge, but ALL of the 450+ cc's looked way to big for what I wanted. I felt like 425 was too close to 450cc's and that wasn't the look I was going for! So I called pretty much last minute and asked them to order me the 400cc's instead. I do understand that it's a very minimal amount and possibly not even really visible to most people, but it just put my mind at ease. What are your stats if you don't mind me asking? (Sorry if I missed it in your post somewhere)
July 5, 2014
Selecting the size is so stressful! (Slightly ashamed to say that, such first world problems). I should put up my stats! I'm nearly 5'5", 115lbs and I think my rib cafe measures around 28 inches perhaps, but I can fit a band size 32/34. I just posted some pre-op photos...do you think you were around my size pre-op?? I just don't want to drop to 400/375cc because I worry they won't be wide enough. But then I worry the 350/325 mod + won't be big enough and the 375 mod + will be too wide as well (the PS said it may risk rippling). But perhaps it would be big enough since I feel I have a bit more breast tissue then most gals I've been reviewing...thoughts? Do you feel too big in clothes? I keep having to tell myself once they're in a bra, they look even larger! Thanks for talking me through my panic! Lol
July 5, 2014
You have really nice boobs already, I know you'll get amazing results no matter what you choose. I honestly think you should stick with the 400/425 HP's though! I had a similar amount of breast tissue pre op, maybe even a little more, but my breasts sat differently than yours. They were always a little bottom heavy, then after breastfeeding pretty much all the volume was in the lower pole. I'm lucky they didn't get super saggy lol. I think with you being 5 inches taller than me you could definitely do 425's and not look too big. And because your rib cage is so tiny the HP's will be perfect! I don't usually feel too big in clothes, there's the odd style of tops (mostly flowy or looser) that I feel don't look as nice now, not necessarily because my boobs look to big, but they just make my whole body look big and shapeless. But I think whether you got 300's or 400's they would have the same effect with this type of clothing. Obviously you know that you have to be completely comfortable in the size you choose regardless of what anyone else says, but my honest opinion is that the 400/425cc's would be perfect. Good luck with this! Keep me posted :)
July 5, 2014
Aww Thanks! :) So I guess it'll be flowy tops to cover them up in the office lol That's all really good stuff to hear! I think I need to just stop stressing and obsessing over this site already hah! Thanks again for your help!
By the way regarding your C scar, I had a scar that was about 12 years old or so, raised and discolored. I used BioOil on it and in a few weeks it was flat and is barely noticeable now. You can grab it from WalMart or Shoppers in the make up aisle. It's worth a try!
July 5, 2014
Your welcome! Thanks for the tip about the bio oil. I used it on my belly when I was pregnant to prevent stretch marks.. not sure if it was the bio oil or just genetics but I didn't get any at all! Haha I don't know why I didn't just continue to use it on my scar after. I also wanted to say, looking at your pre op pictures I can see that your boobs are spaced very nicely, I definitely don't think you would need mod or mod+ to get good cleavage. You wouldn't have a big gap even with a more narrow implant like HP because you don't have a gap now. Not saying that that you were concerned about that anyway but just thought I'd share my observation lol
July 5, 2014
Funny you mention the gap. It actually was one of my concerns with the HP, but the mod+ and HP implants I've ordered are the same widths so I shouldn't be worried either way (and even more so, now that I know my boobs aren't gappy to begin with - thanks! :) You should give the bio oil another go! One more question, I don't particularly want the implants to appear round on top. It appears yours have dropped quite a bit. Would you say they definitely are progressing to be less round/fullness on top over time?
July 6, 2014
Oh that's great that they are the same width, makes for one less worry! I would definitely say they are progressing, they don't really even have that fake look to me anymore, but maybe its just because I'm used to them? If I put on a bra with some padding they do get the more rounded look at the top but I don't really see it naked in or an unpadded bra. I'll get some pics up within the next few days, probably do a 7 week po update, and then you can decide for yourself :)
July 6, 2014
I can definitely see a change in yours through your photos! Dr Ward said that the mentor memory gel implants will naturally drop and take on the tear drop shape over time regardless of the profile given their soft nature. And looking at yours, you can see how much they do change! I'm curious to see how much they continue to drop and fluff! An update would be awesome! :)
July 6, 2014
The way they feel changes like crazy too.. thank god.. because they are literally like rocks at first. And in the first couple weeks, if I felt along the inside part of my boob like along the cleavage, I could totally feel the implant and I hated it!! I had no idea if it would permanently be like that but now I cant feel it at all. So don't panic if you encounter this too! I will for sure try to do an update this week :)
July 7, 2014
Oh geez! That sounds terrifying! Well at least I know what I'm in for now...I don't know if that'll make me any less panicky haha! Thanks for the heads up.
July 7, 2014
Haha your welcome.. and sorry for making it sound so scary! Some of the early days suck but it is SO worth it!
Replies (6)
The results look AMAZING, by the way!!