by Lynn

I am one of the lucky women who had implants without any health problems. I am telling my story to help other women who are thinking of explanting but concerned about how they will look after surgery, especially if they've had their implants a long time. Hopefully, my story will give them some comfort that you can still look good after explant, just smaller. I got my period at age 15, but didn't develop breasts at all, save for a small marble sized lump of tissue under each areola. I was always very self conscious about being flat chested. I wore padded bras, I avoided things like swimming and going to the beach so I wouldn't have to wear a bathing suit. I chose clothing based on whether I could wear my padded bra with it. I met and married a wonderful man who was perfectly happy with my body. I was slim and tall and he felt that I was in proportion and very beautiful. Still, I obsessed about my lack of breasts. I even compromised on my wedding dress because I couldn't find a way to wear padding in the one I really wanted. My breasts were literally all I thought about. In 1988 I was a young mother with 2 children. I had a small taste of what it was like to have breasts when I was pregnant and nursing. They disappeared again as soon as I stopped nursing, only they now had stretchmarks and the surrounding skin was saggy looking. I finally got up the nerve to investigate breast implants. I lived in a small city and there were only a few plastic surgeons performing the surgery. I met with several and settled on a man who promised not to make me too large. He was true to his word. I went from a very flat AA to a large A or small B, very in proportion for my size. I had silicone implants under the muscle and aside from the distorted appearance when using my chest muscles, I was very happy with them. Lynn with her implants For the first time in my life, I stopped thinking about my breasts. I could wear regular unpadded bras, or no bras at all. I began buying bathing suits and halter tops in summer. I could buy pretty evening clothes for special occasions and not worry about whether I needed padding to make them look good. I thoroughly enjoyed my implants for 15 years. I was very lucky to have no health problems related to my implants, and they remained soft and relatively natural looking (although toward the end they migrated a little too high up for my taste). In mid 2003 I began thinking about having them removed. I was very glad to have had them, and I think they helped me develop confidence and self esteem, by I knew that 15 year old implants were probably past their useful life. I began researching explant and was amazed at how little information I could find. I no longer lived in the same city with my original implanting surgeon. I found several plastic surgeons in my area and made consultation appointments. The first consultation was not what I hoped for. The doctor agreed to remove the implants but cautioned me that I would be very unhappy with the outcome and suggested I should consider reimplanting. I left rather depressed and I actually did start thinking about redoing the implants rather than having them removed. After all, he would know, right? A plastic surgeon with all that experience would surely have seen explant results and be in a position to tell me how I was going to look post-explant. Thankfully, I had another consultation. A female plastic surgeon this time, who said that I did not have a lot of breast tissue of my own, but that she thought I would have a good aesthetic result with removal only. I was thrilled and I booked my surgery. I had the implants and capsules removed in November, 2003. It was a far easier surgery than having implants put in! I had conscious sedation, although I truly do not remember any of it and felt like I was unconscious. My recovery was fast and easy. I didn't even need pain killers. The surgeon did find that the right implant had ruptured, but the silicone was contained inside the capsule and I didn't have to worry about silicone migration. She was able to get everything out. For the first few weeks, I was pretty depressed about the state of my breasts. They looked like saggy, droopy old socks with a little rock in the bottom. They were very flat in the upper pole, and there was almost nothing in the lower pole. Lynn immediately following her explantation. "For the first few weeks, I was pretty depressed about the state of my breasts." Lynn immediately following her explantation. "I thought a great deal about reimplanting in those dark days" I thought a great deal about reimplanting in those dark days. Luckily I had this website and the wonderful women on the forum and I knew to be patient and wait for fluffing. By the four month mark, I was very happy with the shape of my breasts. My doctor said that I can continue to expect some changes for at least the first year. While I daydream they will miraculously double in size, I know that won't happen. I have adjusted to small breasts and I'm happy to say that I have more breast tissue now than I did before implants. Update on Lynn's progress "By the four month mark, I was very happy with the shape of my breasts." Update on Lynn's progress " I am implant free and very happy with my body." Other women on the forum reported the same thing, and it is usually attributed to some weight gain and/or redistribution of weight over time as we age. The explant inspired me to make some changes in my life. I committed myself to working out and getting in better overall shape. That has made me feel and look better and helped my body appear to be in better proportion. I also decided not to focus on the lack of breasts, but to focus on the attributes I do have, like nice hair and good skin. I also looked hard to find attractive and well fitting bras for my new small size. I felt much better after I fluffed a bit and was able to purchase nice lingerie in AA and A cup sizes. I don't regret having had the implants. I feel like they helped me at a time when I needed a boost to my self esteem. But I also don't regret having them removed. I don't have to worry about possible illness, problems with the implants or the inevitability of having them replaced as they age. I am implant free and very happy with my body. UPDATE! The photos below are Lynn's 18 mo. post explantation photos: UPDATE! In the summer of 2008 I was beginning to think again about reimplanting. I was 4 years post-explant and finding it harder to get bras that fit or being able to buy especially summer clothes. Since I live in a warm climate, bundling in padded bras and sweaters isn't an option for me for a large part of the year. I read Kateo's posts about fat grafting and was intrigued. I was convinced this wouldn't be an option for me because I am so thin. You have to have fat to graft! After talking with Kateo and one other forum member about it, I decided to contact the surgeon they had used to find out if I was a viable candidate. Dr. Linda Huang is a Denver plastic surgeon who has been performing the fat grafting for a number of years. She was very helpful and generous with her time by phone and email. Initially she recommended that I have two small transfers about 6 months apart, but that was not financially possible for me and we agreed on one session. I'm 5'7" and 110 lbs. normally, I work out daily and I'm very lean and muscular. I agreed to gain some weight, and between the time I booked my surgery in late October and the actual surgery date in January I was able to gain 6 lbs. I have the body type that gains below the waist so all the additional fat went directly to hip and thighs. My husband I and flew into Denver on a Sunday. January weather in Denver is very unpredictable and it was cold! A far cry from the warmer desert weather we had left behind. We stayed in one of the hotels on the list provided by the doctor's office and we used their shuttle for most travel needs, and cabs when we couldn't use the shuttle. I had my pre-op appointment with the doctor on Monday, surgery on Tuesday. Originally we had hoped to graft between 150-175cc of fat, but I just didn't have that much to donate. She was able to get just over 120cc per side. She concentrated on the upper pole and cleavage area where I had very little tissue and was bony. I had 6 transfer sites on the lower body and those were fairly uncomfortable after surgery and for weeks afterward. The graft sites on the breasts were tiny punctures and my breasts were not painful at all. There were no stitches anywhere. The doctor wrapped me in a large ace bandage so I didn't see the results until my post op appointment on Thursday. The first look was thrilling, despite the bruising. I can't describe how it felt to look down and see breasts for the first time in my life. Originally I was swollen and that has gone down considerably. I wore a Spanx garment on the bottom half for a week, and was asked to wear a sports bra 24/7 for four weeks. I know from trying on bras that I'm now a solid A cup. More importantly, I actually fill the cups! Dr. Huang explained to me that initially the size will reduce, almost as though the fat goes into hibernation, then within 6 months it becomes more active and fills out more. I am very happy with what I have now so I'm not worried about getting any more! I am about 4 weeks post op, the bruising is gone and in a few days I will be able to wear any bra I like. I'm really looking forward to the warmer weather and the ability to wear what I want to wear. This has been a great experience for me and at nearly 50 years old I finally feel confident in my appearance. Lynn before Fat Grafting Injections by Dr. Huang Lynn 3 weeks after Fat Grafting Injections by Dr. Huang Lynn