BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
Comments
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SavedbyGod: There are four styles of PMT tissue expanders with a volume of 850 ccs, so I do not know which style was used. It sure seems like a large TE for your frame. As far as your bra size .....I would hazard a "guess" that it would be around a "D" cup. Depends on your ribcage and band size.
EDITED: Just read your earlier post where you are very "flat" with no projection off the chest wall. So I do not know what is going on there. I really feel you need to send me photos. PM me if you want my email address.
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lindacam: Thank you for letting us know that you are happy with your results! So glad it all worked out for you!
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Whippetmom - Saw your response. Thanks so much. I'll continue to post my progress on the picture forum.
In case others are interested, I'm attempting a new procedure that involves doing 2 fat grafting sessions before T.E. placement to address radiation damage on one side. I've finished the fat grafting and will be getting T.E.'s in 2 weeks. Crossing my fingers it works!
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Whippetmom - Just wanted to follow up and say thank you for your wisdom. PS said I will be getting Allergan 133mx X 14 with 600cc capasity. Exactly what you recommended!! Thank you again!!0 -
I just read the information above and I felt you speaking to me directly. I feel like a silly old bear for crying and whining about how awful my implants looked. I just had my surgery 4 days ago and I have to understand to be patient and allow everything to heal in time. My emotions did get all bundled up together and I just cried away, but knowing that this is normal made me feel so calm. Thank you so much. I love you and this site, may God bless you.
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i am on my sixth week and my breast implants are definitely getting bigger! They do fluff!
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Bigger?
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My left breast TE collapsed a few weeks ago and I had it replaced yesterday. Surgery went fine [I guess] but PS does not have much hope for a successful reconstruction since he thinks that the tissue is very damaged from radiation years ago to that area. Apparently the skin is not expanding enough despite fat transfer etc. Of course I was in tears after our conversation. what now? I really don't know.
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Sandrac3 - Sounds good to me!
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Aibarbol: Many of us have been in your shoes! Take weekly photos, so that you can see the changes. If it is not quite right, after a month or so, there are SO many things that can be done. Many of us required revisions and "tweaking"....So just hang in there!
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activern: It will take more than one FGT with irradiated skin. Do not give up. When was the FGT procedure performed? Do not expand that TE for another couple of weeks. You might want to get a second opinion on this. I just worry that "a few weeks" in between surgeries for removal and replacement seems rushed. Why did he replace it so soon?
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I'm still in discussions with my BS and will find out tomorrow if the plan is for lumpectomy or unilateral mastectomy on the right. My PEM scan showed another small tumor tailing off the original one, so the whole area of IDC is around an inch and right under the areola and nipple. I'm the researching type, so I have a question regarding TE.
On my consult with the PS, the TE he showed me looked like the Mentor Smooth Round Tissue Expander with the remote injection dome instead of the contour type expanders with the integrated injection port. I was wondering if anyone had any idea why that type of expander would be used instead of the contour with the integrated port. I'm hoping it's not old outdated technology. I don't know if this might be the reason, but I'm currently a 34F with much sagging below the fold and am looking to reduce to around a C cup with a lift and a reduction and lift on the left side (if we do the mastectomy).
BTW, I'm 5'2", 143 pounds (working to lose 10) with a rib cage measurement of 32" and am interested in recommendations on TE type and size.
I'm hoping Whippetmom and the other experts out here can give me some guidance. Since I don't have a surgery date set yet, I have some time to get my ducks in a row.
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scubalady....The smooth round TE with the remote port does predate the contour profile tissue expander. Actually, there has been a clinical trial to "show" the benefit of a contour profile TE over the round TE....study results still not complete.
As far as size....this all depends on how much of a reduction they achieve on the native side and it depends on the width of the native side. I would say a TE with a volume around 450 ccs to 550 ccs sounds about right though. Again, with unilaterals, it is just a guessing game, because symmetry is the key factor, not size.
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Whippetmom,
Just curious. My tissue expander has a magnet inside to help the ps during fills. Are all tissue expanders made like this?
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Whippetmom, I am having a BMX in three weeks. I have met with my plastic surgeon twice and have discussed my implant expectations. He has an excellent reputation, and I have much faith in him. However, he did not discuss with me what tissue expander he plans to use or why. After reading information and posts in this forum, I am wondering whether I should be having that conversation with him prior to my surgery. I talked to his nurse this week and learned that he will be using Natrelle products and that the TE he ordered for me would be one he felt best based on my conversations with him. Should I be comfortable with this?
Also, it appears that you have helped many women choose an implant style/size; but I am a little confused as to why this is necessary. Isn't that something that an experienced plastic surgeon should be able to determine for his/her patients?
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Mommyathome: You hae an integrated port. Yes,the majority of TEs used today have integrated ports.
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scubalady: Mentor has the Spectrum permanent, expandable implant, which some plastic surgeons use as a TE, but it is typically used by some as a permanent TE/implant. The port is closed off when expansion is complete. So discuss with your PS his plans in this regard.
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Whippettmom,
Thanks. I didn't realize that was what it was called. Is the needle just inserted into that integrated port and the saline added?
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Yes.
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Hi, vfay49 - if I could just jump in here for a moment to answer your question about why anyone would need whippetmom's services when choosing an implant...
Yes - you are absolutely right - we should all have wonderful plastic surgeons who listen to us, hear our needs, and respond accordingly. The problem arises when the PS is accustomed to using only one kind of implant, or has a preconceived idea of what a woman's chest should look like. They like to look at their "success rates" and figure they are doing an excellent job. Or perhaps they aren't the greatest listeners, and do not hear what we are telling them that is important to us as far as body image goes.
But so much goes into the selection of implant make, type, and size. It is a blend of art and science, and sometimes the PS does not have the sensitivity of grasping the finer details of what a breast cancer survivor is hoping to achieve with reconstruction.
After all the trauma of diagnoses, treatments, and surgeries, the exchange from TE to implant is often filled with hope and expectation that this final surgery can replace what cancer took away.
Many times, there is no dialogue at all ("my PS does what he feels is right") or there is dialogue that is misinterpreted by the PS ("I just want to be a 'C' cup") because it is so vague.
Many women wake up with implants that are much smaller than they had hoped, because structurally, the implants must be larger than the TEs to accommodate the lack of hard backing, and the natural tendency of the implant to spread across the ribcage.
Personally, I am one of those women who believe that knowledge is power, and if I am having something inserted in my body that is to last for the next 20 years or so, I definitely want to be as clued in to the details as possible. I actually took the Allergan Natrelle catalog into the PSs office during my fills appointments just to be sure we were on the same page with what he planned to use at Exchange.
Because of the extensive conversations I'd had with whippetmom, I was able to be a much more informed patient, which came in handy when the PS discovered that he would have to do a considerable amount of pocket work (recommended by whippetmom) because the TEs he inserted at the time of my BMX were too wide for my body size after weight loss.
It's a wonderful thing to have complete faith in your doctors. If you feel that you have had good conversations with your PS, and know that you will receive the correct size of TEs, and will come out of Exchange with the proper make, model, and size of implants, then no - I wouldn't imagine you would need whippetmom's services.
Wishing you all the best with your BMX in three weeks!!!
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Blessings20, Thank you for responding. I too believe that knowledge is power, which is why I think I am feeling anxious about my upcoming surgery/reconstruction. I truly do not know what is in the mind of my plastic surgeon and feel that I am going on blind faith. You have helped me see things more clearly.
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Whippetmom: thanks for your response. What is FGT? To answer your question about replacement: I assumed it was okay to replace right after the collapse. I will ask at my post op visit and I agree that I will not fill until at least 2 weeks post op. Getting a second opinion may be difficult. HMO.
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FGT= fat grafting.
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Thanks Whippetmom. This PS comes highly recommended in my area for reconstruction, but I'm a little concerned if he's using something that is "old school'.
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hi whippetmom and sisterhood,
May I ask about my implants? I was directed here from another thread and have received so much wonderful help over the last several months.
I had PBMX 12/12/13. Was filled to 250cc with allergan 133FX-11-T (just copying from the card). He used strattice on left breast.
Filled to 400cc.
Exchange 3/12/14 to 475 Allergan 410 FF.
I am 5'6, 117 pounds, 28" rib cage. I was a 32D. My breasts were low, I.e. I had a lot of space between my neck and breasts. And thin skin. And very bony clavicle.
I do not like the results. I know it is very early. With TE's I developed a horizontal trench, looked like a riverbed crossing my right breast, in the upper pole. And cording in left breast. I had some muscle pain in rt breast, and PS was not concerned.
Now I have the same trenches across both breasts with new implants. Very full on top, then a horizontal trench, down to my nipple, and then slope downward to inframammary fold. Also have cording on left breast. My PS sees it and is committed to fixing it. Says it's too soon to know how, as they need to settle. Says they won't drop, but will settle so I'm a bit confused there. Not sure what is swelling and what is implant.
What I want is to be a classy and elegant 32D, which is why I went with the teardrop. I can't tell much from my current shape or size. I have been overdoing it. Still have 2 drains and output shot up last couple days as I've been using arms too much and over exerting. I've put myself on bedrest for 2 days.
I am happy to send pics. Thank you in advance so very much for any insight, advice or encouragement.
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whippetmom- forgot to tell you, It was a nipple-sparing PBMX. Anything else you need to know I am happy to provide. Again, thank you so very much.
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vfay49 - Just allow me to add to what Blessings2011 has written. I didn't discover BCO or whippetmom until a couple of months after my BMX and reconstruction. Like you, I went on faith that my PS knew what she was doing, and now 3 months post exchange, I'm dealing with how to fix the results of what I've been given. I am ashamed to say that I didn't know what kind / size TE's I had been given or how much they would be expanded. I do know a little about the implants simply because they gave me an ID card for them directly after the exchange, stating the brand, model, size, and serial numbers. Trust me on this one - whippetmom is the BEST and helps us all out of the goodness of her heart (which in my opinion is pretty huge...). You have the advantage of using her knowledge before your surgery rather than after the fact. If you want her help, she'll ask you for the specific size and brand of the TE's your PS plans to use, your height, weight, and the measurement for your ribcage. Send her a private message and she will respond. (If you click on her name under her avatar, there's a link to send this member a private message....) Wishing you the very best of luck!
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I would also like to chime in about how awesome and generous WhippetMom is!
I have always had a great dialogue with my PS but after contacting WM I went to him and told him this lady they call "The Breast Whisperer" recommended style 45's. He was thinking something different, pulled out his charts, we went over all the measurements and he declared he liked her suggestion, that's what we would use!
I would also like to add to what Blessings said. I am sure there are "boob reps" just like drug reps. I saw several PS for opinions. Came full circle back to the original! Each office had specific brands they liked and advertisements around. That doesn't mean that they can't/don't use others, but i bet they usually stay pretty loyal and have maybe even had "training" by the specific manufacturer. After all of them it is still a business!
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vfay--I have to add that I feel it is VERY IMPORTANT to know the specifics of the TE's that your PS is planning to use. Mine used TE's that were too wide for my frame for my liking. He kept saying throughout my pre-surgical visits that I "had to be a certain size to look right." I might look right to him, but because of the wide TE's he used, he had to use wide implants at the exchange. I am not happy with the outcome and feel that the implants are too lateral (wide cleveage and my arms rub the sides of my foobs). I am considering a revision to bring the pockets the implants are in more toward the center of my chest and maybe switch to a smaller/less wide implant as well. I am wrestling with this decision because in clothing, I look fine; however, I have discomfort because the implants are "pulling" my chest muscles toward my arms and due to having lymph nodes removed on my right side and the residual arm numbness, it is quite uncomfortable every time my right foob brushes against my right arm. I wish I would have known that TE dimensions dictate implant size prior to my BMX! Blessings and AZ's posts are spot on and Whippetmom is a huge asset to the women on this board!
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Thank you Dulcigurl!
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