BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
Comments
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THANK YOU to all who gave me advice. Whippetmom asked if I was happy with my size. Really, do I have any choice about getting any bigger when I will already be 140 cc over the size of the TEs.? I have a picture in my head of a huge water explosion with an extra fill! I am p-'ed off that he put in such small TE (250) when I told him I wanted to be a lot bigger than I was. But thank you for giving me reassurance that I will probably be big enough to be pretty happy. I just have to hope that he agrees with 400 implants!
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Maresa: You will be fine. No water explosions in your future.
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Hi Ladies and thanks for all of the stories and encouragement you have for everyone. Unfortunately after reading all of your posts I feel quite uninformed and never even thought to ask the questions that should have been normal. So much has changed in the 19 years I have had my implants. After my mx all I had to do was decide on saline or silicone and the size. The size was determined during the weekly saline injections by both myself and my PS. DH at the time was a jerk and not a DH so this time I am doing things on my own. Left DH 12 years ago. Anyway I feel very depressed right now and confused. My surgery to replace my 19 year old implants is scheduled for the 20th. All I know is she is planning on using 650 and doing fat grafting and a possible lift. (how stupid I feel right now as I don't even know the brand and never thought to ask). I do know that they will be the cohesive implant. The reason I am having my implants removed is because after 19 years I have been having pain, possible leakage and they just don't look right anymore. The PS said I have cc and that could be the reason for the pain I'm not sure about that as the pain seems deeper.
I have heard that Whippetmom is the best person to ask for help. I do not know what the size my implants are right now, the brand, projection or anything else.
(all records were destroyed after ten years of no activity.) I do think that they look fine except for what time and gravity has done to my body. My rib cage is 33 inches and I am 5' 8" and weigh around 160. At the time of my original exchange I weighed 130 so I do need to loose some major weight.I am so happy that I found this website and that Nancy told me about this forum. Any and all help will be appreciated.
Thanks
Kat
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Kat,
Glad you found your way here...;)
Violet0 -
Is it wrong for me to want the same size implant in the other breast. Had reconst. in 2010 and now other side in 2013. When I mentioned that the size he was putting in was a little different than the 2010 size- he had a weird reaction... he said the first mastectomy side (in 2010) may have a different envelope size then the current tissue expander (in 2013) His reaction was more than rude---- he was condescending and irritated when I mentioined this to him..... I'm thinking buddy- I just want to be symmetrical...
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Whippetmom, I had my exchange surgery on 8/20. I have Natrelle 20 800s (left side). It is flat w/ no projection. My implant is 2 inches different in projection than my native breast. My breast surgeon was very aggressive when performing the mastectomy. I knew going in I would be smaller but had no idea I would be flat chested!!! I was 36DDD. My PS said saline implants come in larger sizes and again mentioned Tram Flap, which I am not interested in due to broken back many years ago. I need all the core support I can muster!!
Do you think exchange to a saline implant is a viable option? I am to see the PS Thursday.
Thank you and thank you for your contribution to this forum.0 -
Viktoria: The GOAL is symmetry! Absolutely! If he does not know that, I am concerned. You need a second opinion, and if you want to PM me your location and who your PS is currently, I can help you find someone.
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Kat: I answered you via private message!
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jlow....Can you send me a photo? A saline implant with a overfill volume of 960 ccs would give you more projection and obviously more volume, but if you wear a 36 band bra, I am perplexed why 800 ccs is so small on your frame. I understand about an aggressive dissection, but let's go over some other things. Please PM me with your height, weight and ribcage circumference....
Once I get your vital stats, I will give you my email for photo submission...
Deborah
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Whippetmom, I sent you a private message. Thank you.
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Whippetmom,
Thank you for the reply. I had to think about your questions before I answered back. I am not sure what implants he plans on using, right now. My appt on the 24th was just rescheduled for 10/01. I will be asking him then. As for my size right now with these TE's, I am ok with them. I keep looking down at these mounds trying to pcture what the new boobs will look like, and it's hard. These things just stick right out there!!! I am about 6 weeks out from my last/final fill, 600cc's is the total on each side, and I don't know how much more stretching my skin & muscle can handle. This one was the toughest fill. I am just now getting halfway comfortable, ha ha, with the pain/uncomfortableness of them. Another 100cc's and another 3 months wait time, I don't know if I could do it. I will need to think about this before my next appt. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Sparkey
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@ Whippetmom I just wanted to say thanks again for all of your help and let the others know what a wonderful person you are to take all of this time to help anyone who needs it. If there is ever anything I can do for you let me know......even if it's an extra prayer for someone.
Thanks again
Kat
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Sparkey: Just talk to your PS about the following: Ask which implant manufacturer he has in mind. Is it Allergan, Mentor, Sientra? Is he thinking of silicone rounds, Allergan anatomicals, Sientra shaped or Sientra rounds? Ask him what size he is thinking of using. Tell him you are hoping to be, at the bare minimum, 600 ccs and preferably, 650 ccs. Remember, you do not need to go through the exchange until you have all of the numbers worked out to your satisfaction. There may be some reason he cannot go beyond 600 ccs - your skin integrity, or some other reason that I am not privy to at this point. So discuss all of this and then get back to me with all of the details.
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Kat: You are so very welcome! Thanks be to God, who gave me this opportunity! All honor goes to Him!
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Hi Whippetmom,
I have my exchange surgery scheduled for 9/20 and we plan to exchange my 400cc tissue expanders to 475cc natrelle HP. I'm not very satisfied with my size right now which is why we agreed upon the 475cc's. I feel that the tissue expanders give me absolutely no upper pole fullness.
My question is, would 550cc's be ridiculous on my size? I am 5'3, 102 pounds, 28 inch rib case (bwd around 12.6...i think?). I definitely don't want to look too top heavy but it's so hard to determine what an extra 150ccs will look like. Thank you so much!
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Whippetmom,
I am now filled to 550cc on my Allergan 133fx 550cc TE's and have one more fill to go to 600cc?
My PS mentioned he plans on using the Natrelle Style 20 Smooth Round implants and I would like an updated opinion from you.
My ribcage is 34" and weiight 135-140lbs and am 5'4"
My thread on the picture forum is:
NS BMX Allergan 550 133fx TE, 5'4" 135 lbs, 34"
Thank you in advance!
Katie
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Did anyone feel like their new foobs are not part of them? Does this pass?
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ndmk: I recommend 500 ccs, Allergan Style 20, based on your TE width and your goals. I think this will be a very nice size for your frame.
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cateyz: Are you happy with the size? If you want to keep as much projection as possible, you could be a candidate for Style 45, 600 ccs, preferably 650 ccs. I think that you need at least 600 ccs in Style 20 - possibly 650 ccs. At the time of the exchange, the PS needs to move the implants more medially - too much of a gap medially. I think that you could use a wider implant, so 650 ccs would be a good size. I think either style would work for you - just depends on how much projection you hope to retain.
Deborah0 -
Karolie H- My foobs feel like strangers to me. I'm wondering if it's because they're TE's- my implant exchange isn't for awhile
Babs
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KarolineH~ I've had my implants for 19 years and you do get used to them but you also know they are not part of your body.....it's strange, I do know that when ever I flex my pec's I can tell the difference. Mine are getting replaced on the 20th if I can get my BP down a little but I now know that implants are different then they were 19 years ago so I'm hoping for better results.( Not that I was ever unhappy) Good Luck and I hope this helped you a litte!Kat0
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KarolineH~ I've had my implants for 19 years and you do get used to them but you also know they are not part of your body.....it's strange, I do know that when ever I flex my pec's I can tell the difference. Mine are getting replaced on the 20th if I can get my BP down a little but I now know that implants are different then they were 19 years ago so I'm hoping for better results.( Not that I was ever unhappy) Good Luck and I hope this helped you a litte!
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Katlebbie- thank you, it does. I thought I would feel better but I am finding it hard to adjust. I hope everything goes well on the 20th:)
Karoline0 -
Babs- I had a hard time with my TE's but I can tell you that my permanent implants are so much better pain wise. I think I knew the TE's would come out so I never really thought about it much in regards to my body. Now, it's hitting me and I'm not sure how to feel.
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KarolineH - The whole time I had my TEs in, I referred to them as "foobs" because that's just what they looked and felt like: fake boobs.
But something happened after my exchange to saline implants in August 2012: I eventually started referring to them as my breasts.
No, they are not the Original Girls, but the New Girls are pretty darn good, and look a whole lot better (and perkier!) than the originals.
I can still feel them if I think about it... my MO says it has to do with the brain's memory of the original breasts, and the difference in how the implant feels... that the brain has to make NEW memories.
I realized that part of my healing depended on not thinking of the implants as foreign objects in my body. So yes, for me, that feeling of them not being a part of me did eventually go away.
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Does anybody know how long the swelling lasted in your reconstructed breast? It seems like I am still quite swollen and its hard to tell if it matches the other side. I had my surgery about 8 days ago.
thanks
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Thanks blessings 20
Babs
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Viktoria1, I had swelling to some degree for close to 3 months. Of course it was heaviest for the first few weeks then gradually went away, but at my follow up appointment close to 3 months my PS said I still had a little bit of swelling. Surprised me! The majority of the swelling (for me) went away within the first 6 weeks.
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Viktoria - Sometimes I think either my PS must be an absolute magician or I must just be an extremely good/fast healer when I read posts like Ducigirl's about still having some swelling 3 months out. I had very little swelling and it dissipated quite quickly. I bought a couple of non-wired bras 10 days post-exchange and now five and a half weeks out they still fit pretty much the same. I can tell there's just a tiny bit more of a looser fit in the cups but not enough to affect the overall appearance. I'm hoping to get cleared for underwires at my 6-week post op on the 19th
. The one on-going change that I see with me is that the implants have gotten softer since immediately after exchange. Be patient......as Dulcigirl and many others can testify, many ladies experience some level of swelling for weeks or even months.
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The majority of my swelling was cleavage/upper pole. My bra size 2 weeks post exchange remained the same, but my cleavage/upper pole looked much more natural once the swelling went down.
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