Thinking about removing breast implants

janiejoey

janiejoey

Cathlete
Hi all,

I've had breast implants now for about 33 years. They have always been uncomfortable and now I'm deciding to have them removed.

Every time I work in the yard for long periods of time or exercise heavily the implants get very uncomfortable. I'm 58 years old now, and the implants are not doing their job anymore. They have slipped a little and who am I going to impress anyway at my age. I think it's time to say goodbye.

Any comments?

Janie

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The idea is to die young as late as possible.
 
I don't have an ounce of experience in this department, but I say if you want them out, go for it. Have you looked into what to expect after such a surgery? Will you need additional work to correct anything? That kind of info might help you ultimately decide.

I wish you well. :)
 
Laughingwater,

Tomorrow I'll start with my regular doctor, will call and make an appointment. Then I expect to talk to a surgeon who does these operations. I have many questions to ask. some are: Will my breasts look like balloons after the air have been taken out? Will I need additional surgery? Would it be wise to have different implants, perhaps? Behind the muscle, in front of the muscle? But mostly just want them out, because they now feel so uncomfortable. I'm more active now then I've ever been, and the implants I have either rub me from inside and makes me sore or there is something wrong. These are silicone implants, and if they were to leak, then I feel I might be endangering my health. Lots of questions need to be answered.

Has anyone experienced removing their implants? I know this is a very personal question, but maybe you can email me and tell me what to expect.

Janie

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The idea is to die young as late as possible.
 
Janie,

A little background on me before I comment. I've had implants for 24 years now. I've had 3 sets in my lifetime (2 silicone filled, one saline). I've never experienced any health related/and or implant related complications(cc, rupture). I've had them replaced for maintenance. I guess you could say I've been pro-active in that I've never waited for a rupture or for my implants to outlive their shelf life(whatever that is). Silicone can have silent ruptures that go years undetected. Saline ruptures are obvious. I currently have silicone that are about 5 years old.
I initially got them because my breast deflated after the birth of my first child. I was not unhappy with my size. I was unhappy with the shape and sag of my breast. It was as though my breast tissue had been scooped out and I had two empty socks hanging.

Now that I'm approaching my 46 birthday, I've outgrown the size of my implants. I wish I had my old size B breast back. I've researched having my implants removed and found a website called explantation.com. Reading that website is frightening on many levels. There are horror stories from women who say implants made them ill. I have to mention this, because reading those forums puts fear inside you. I personally will not make a fear based decision because I've had implants so long and have my health.
Many women regain normal looking breast after explanting, and some do not. Some look rather empty, and some form adhesive scars which make the tissue stick to the chest wall in an unusual manner.

One thing I know for certain...you will need an experienced surgeon to do it. Some surgeons will try to steer you away from explanting.
Look for a surgeon who devotes a lot of time to breast reconstruction. If the surgeon doesn't have a lot of reconstruction experience, you stand a pretty good chance of looking empty or worse, deformed breast.
It's a shame. The PS's never discuss this when they talk to you about implanting.


Have you had the same set for 33 years? Are they silicone? If so, you may have a rupture and will need silicone clean up. Not trying to frighten you, but you need to know how important it is to find a qualified explant surgeon.
explantation.com has a forum with photos etc.

As for me. I've given it a lot of thought and I've decided to reduce the size of my implants by more than half and switch to saline. I'm just not ready for complete removal. This will be my last set. I decided to do the step down approach:)
 
Very good advice.

I have silicone implants, have had them for 5 years now, love them, except they are really, really big. I often wish I would have gotten them smaller. I too, had them after my own naturally large breasts started sagging and I lost breast tissue due to working out/fat loss.

My sister had a reduction. I would imagine, its a little like you removing your implants. You will probably need a lift afterwards, your skin will most likely be stretched out. I would seek out the best possible surgeon, one like the above poster said that is schooled in reconstruction of the breast.

I would never remove mine, but believe me, there are times I wish they were smaller, I really am "all boobs!"
 
Fit44,
I wished I hadn't of done this to myself in the first place. There is so much more than I realized to get the implants out. Well, I'll do my homework, talk to doctors and hope for the best. It's not always painful, but when it does hurt, it hurts. What ever may happen, I'm hoping for my normal looking breasts, and no more implants. It is very scary! Although I'm getting late in years, I still want to look normal when all is done. Wish me luck. I will have lots of decisions to make.
Thank you for helping me understand better what is involved.

Tneah,
Thank you for your input, I'm sure that wasn't easy to write about. I appreciate all that you said, it was very comforting.

Janie

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The idea is to die young as late as possible.
 
Janie,

Good luck to you. I know it is not an easy decision. Deep down, I know I will have to explant one day because I don't want to continue having elective surgeries in my senior years. My husband and I have been discussing this for a over year now.

So many emotions go into this entire process. Explanting will be very different from implanting. I think it will be difficult to see my body change over night.
Many women are elated after removal. They feel lighter like a weight has been lifted. One of the pros to removal is that you instantly look 10lbs leaner!! :) :)

Make sure you ask the surgeon how many explant surgeries has he/she performed. Ask to see pictures too!!! An experienced surgeon should have some for you to view.
 
Hi there! Well I just got my first set of implants this past wednesday (21st). I'm 26 yrs old and had lost 40lbs over 10 yrs ago. My breasts became super saggy and it looked like i had already nursed children. I did over a year of research b/c this is a major decision and I only discussed it with my husband since I did not want others opinions. I chose 350cc saline under implants. I did not want gigantic breasts. I just wanted to be able to fill out bathing suit tops and halter tops and wanted to feel more confident about my body. I workout and do everything else to make my body look good but i needed the help of surgeon to complete my transformation. I feel that i made the absolute right decision and i'm soooooo happy i did not go larger. I will be a small c cup once the swelling goes down which is what i was when i was at my heavier weight. i'm sorry that you are not happy with your implants anymore. may i ask if you have over or under the muscle? Since your skin has been stretched you may have to get a lift (which i had to have a mini one as well) to help that and the surgeon may suggest you just get a smaller implant that better suits you but will fill you out. I know you have much more experience in this department than me but i wanted to suggest this website www.justbreastimplants.com They have endless info and a forum chat room where you can discuss your options. There is even a forum where plastic surgeons can answer some of your questions. I wish you lots of luck!:D
 
Congragulations on your new twins kariev! I'm glad everything has turned out for you.

I just wanted to say I've been to the implant forums to discuss explanting. They are very cordial, but there is very little useful info there on implant removal.
Implant forums are doctor sponsored forums and they are there to help women choose implants. Women who talk about explanting are kind of a downer for the women who are seeking implants. IMO, implant forums have very little explant knowledge compared to the explant forum.
It's a shame too. At some point, all implanted women are faced with the question, "Do I replace or explant?" When you get older is very possible you will outgrow your need for implants and or your desire to maintain them.
 
Janie,

I wanted to mention this...Jane Fonda talked about having her implants removed in her book "My Life so Far". She was faced with surgeons telling her that removal could not be done successfully. She found a female surgeon who told her different. Jane was happy with her results.
It is not uncommon to run into surgeons who will tell you it can't be done without poor results. It can, you just need the right surgeon.

I've chosen this surgeon for my explant(when I do).
http://www.med.nyu.edu/people/C.Ahn.html
I will have to travel to her, but she has remarkable credentials. She is a micro surgeon who performed many explants during the Dow Corning trials. Her specialty is breast reconstruction. It's very possible your health insurance will cover the explant too. I know Dr. Ahn has processed many insurance claims. It won't cover a lift. Explanting is very expensive. The cost ranges from $7K-$14K
 
I've had breast implants for about 5 years now. I am not think of removing them. In fact, I'd like to get them bigger down the line I think...

I just wanted to offer my support to you Janie. Do what is right for you and what you are comfortable with. Choose a good doctor and you will be fine. :)
 
Wendy,

That is what I did. I went larger with revision. I loved it at first, but now that I'm older I think it doesn't fit.
I'm not trying to discourage you. I just want you to know the downside to increasing implant size.
Honestly, had I stayed at my 300cc's I wouldn't be thinking of explanting now. That is why I'm going to downsize before I explant completely. I think I would get rid of my negative feelings if I just go back to a moderate size. I'm thinking 250cc moderate profile saline. That will eliminate my worry about a silent rupture too.

As Tneah mentioned.....I too, am walking boobs. Naked, my breast are absolutely gorgeous. In clothing, the larger breast make me look heavier than I really am. I have to wear clingy tops to show my small waist because if I don't, I look like a pregnant cow~!! I spend more time shopping to get anything to fit my chest.
 
Fit44,

Thank you for your post. I appreciate your sharing that with me. When I got my implants I went too small. I never wanted to be "all boobs" but I did think they would be larger then they are. In addition, because of weight loss that ensued AFTER my operation, I've lost what little natural tissue I had so they are even smaller then they were when I first had them done. I actually went for a consult a few years ago about having them redone. My doc was going to do them for half the price I orginally paid. It was a great deal but we didn't have enough money in the bank to where DH felt comfortable out-laying the cash. Now we have the money but are looking to put our house up for sale and buy another over the next year or 2 so this is not the time to do it either. Perhaps when we ARE in a position to do it, I will not want to....We'll see. :)
 
Fit44,

Yes! You are so right about feeling like you look heavier with the larger breasts in clothing. I completely agree. Clothing is so tough for me, if I do not show off my waist, then I just look heavy. BTW, I am a 34DDD. Yep, those are some big ole boobies.;) Out of clothes they look great, in clothes? Well, you know.:)
 
I'm 34DD:-( 550cc's high profile.
My husband loves them. But he understands I'm unhappy with them.
 
Hi gals -

Just wanted to share my experience with implants.
My first set was in November of 1997. They were 650ccs I believe. Three years to the date later, I had a "flat." Woke up one morning and one had completely leaked out. They are saline. So I went to my surgeon and they replaced both of them with the same size. One month later I decided to go bigger yet. So in December 2000, I had 950ccs put in. Holy Cow!!! At first, they were awesome then as years passed and I got older (I'm almost 48 now), exercise became a challenge. I really enjoy working out and those things just simply got in the way. Plus my neck and back were started to suffer as well. So - in March of 2004, I had the dinner plate size implants removed, a lift and smaller implants put in. They are 250ccs. The surgery went very well and the implants I have right now are very comfortable and just the right size. The surgeon I chose told me that I could have successfully had my 950ccs removed and just a breast lift and everything would have been fine. I believe you can have implants removed and have a lift done and things would be just fine.

Hope all goes well with whatever decision you make.

Dianne
 
fit44 -

i have also been referred to Dr. Ahn for explant surgery. I know you gave a range of $7 - $14K for the explant. Was that the explant only? I know the lift is not covered by insurance and that will be in the $5K range. Can you tell me if she gave you a quote for just the explant only? I would like to know what I'm getting into financially.

Thanks.
 
I know what you mean about clothes! I am 32D+ (naturally) and I hate my large boobs. I am a size 4/6 and can never find tops that fit my boobs. Even when the tops fit, I look fat because of my boobs. If I had the guts and loads of cash lyig around I would reduce, but I don't have either. x(


Karen
 
I am so thankful to have medium size breasts.

Actually, I would like to look like Kate Hudson's A cups.

I am a large B cup and that's too much for me.

Thank you all for your insights - they are truly appreciated by me.
 
Just a little update. I found out from my plastic surgeon that women who are pre menopausal or menopausing actually grow breast tissue. In my minds eye, I thought I would have very small breasts again. But it looks like I will have breast. Not as much as with the implants, but not that much different either. Yeah!

I go in for surgery on the 24th of this month Thursday. Won't be able to do upper body workouts, but can do lower body and a little walking. Gradually can work up to longer walks and more of them. After 6 weeks will be able to workout full body and cardio any time I want.

Can't wait to be normal again.

Janie

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The idea is to die young as late as possible.
 
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