Best Of

Thanks to all who have responded. A slightly twist; I went to have mammo./ultrasound/ and then MRI and then core biopsy and waiting results. I originally went to question fidelity of implants and a small mass was found, in mastectomy side, under armpit. Hopefully, all is well. Will know results next week.

Jen

It has been a year since I had the explant and new implants. I have quite a bit of contracture on both sides which makes my breasts firmer than natural breasts. There is almost no bounce. So far there is no pain either. The original implants were textured, a characteristic that was supposed to reduce the chance of contracture, and I had less contracture. My breasts were softer to the touch. Those implants are no longer used so I assume my new implants are smooth. Contracture is what the body does to a foreign object. I'm not complaining, just sharing.

My explant and replacement went well and I had no problems. My plastic surgeon wanted to place the new implants on top of the pecs but my skin was too fragile. So he used the same pockets under the pecs and had to go with slightly larger implants to fill the space. Now that I'm back to normal I'm glad I went with replacement. For me it's better to have a breast shape than to be flat.

Good luck with your decisions.

Thanks for sharing experiences with implants. The MRI of my chest is this afternoon. My surgery and reconstruction were so long ago that memory of the pain of recovery has faded. I had healing issues on the left side, the no cancer side, and the incision had to be redone. My difficult decision is whether to get new implants if the old ones are removed. I'm basically healthy at my age and I don't like the idea of going flat but it is the easiest route.

Karen, at a recent examination by ultrasound, my bc surgeon saw evidence of rupture and concluded I needed to have the implants, which are behind the pectoral muscles, replaced. Tomorrow I have an MRI for more information. In July the implants are 15 years old. Removing them will involve removing the pocket and scar tissue. At my age, 81 in March, I dread surgery. New implants would not be placed behind the pectorals. It seems that placement is no longer in favor.

Hi Karen1956,

my first implants were pre-pectoral Mentor Smooth High Profile. I had pretty bad rippling and one of them slipped down/bottomed out. I swapped out with smaller Mentor pre-pectoral Moderate Plus. The first set was in for just one year.

Glad yours are doing great at 16 years!

Hi carolehalston,

Sorry you have not had responses yet. I had my pre-pectoral, over the pectoral muscle, implants replaced 5 years ago. It was along with a hysterectomy. I had absolutely no pain from the implant swap whatsoever.

I did wind up needing pocket revision and was sore to engage the pectoral muscle for a few weeks. But not narcotic pain medicine sore.

I hope all goes well for you!