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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.
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Lynn with her implants
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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.
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Lynn immediately following her explantation.
"For the first few weeks, I was pretty depressed about the
state of my breasts."
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Lynn immediately following her explantation.
"I thought a great deal about reimplanting in those dark
days"
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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.
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Update on Lynn's progress
"By the four month mark, I was very happy with the shape
of my breasts."
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Update on Lynn's progress
" I am implant free and very happy with my body."
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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:
Lynn
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