BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
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Enerva: Sounds good to me! I think you are very fortunate to have found this new PS. Let us know when you get your surgery date!
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Sshhhh... just a little secret:
Happy Birthday to one of the most special and helpful women on BCO! Whippetmom, wishing you an awesome birthday!
For all that you've for me and for many here, this is but a small way to show our appreciation to you.
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wow! Happy birthday Whippetmom!
And thank you for everything you do for us.
Rain
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Happy, happy birthday Whippetmom!! Sure hope you have a fantastic day...you deserve it!!
Ally
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bc101...
I admit I am not sure how pressing harder over an implant will help detect something under it like in/against the pectoral muscle, though it should not interefere with detection of a more superficial recurrence (i.e. immediately under skin or in/along scar) or where the implant does not reach (like up into where your tail of spence was, etc). You can press awfully hard on an implant and it can only squish down so much when it is confined by the shell and capsule it is in. I am pressing down on mine right now (hopefully no one walks by my office door!) and no way would I be able to press through to "under" them. It is not like analagous tissue reconstruction, which is much softer. Over the muscle implants for reconstruction patients is definitely not very common, though I too know other women on here have had it. Most reconstruction patients have implants under the muscle not only for aiding detection (after all, I have not had a cancer diagnosis) but also cosmetics and a bit more protection of the implant. Your pectoral muscle helps disguise ripples, etc and protects the implant a bit.
I would look into seeing if you might qualify for MRIs or something of that nature to help with detection.
It is not "too late" to do it the other way. You might even be a candidate for one-step with Alloderm as you will have had your skin at least stretched out already, but it will depend on the condition of your pectoral muscles, size of desired implants, and so on. I did direct-to-implant in April, to 435cc Allergan implants. If you are concerned, I would seek a second opinion before you go ahead with another surgery.
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Happy Birthday Deborah, you wonderful Angel!!!!
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happy birthday Whippetmom, I hope you get all your wishes and much more!!!
Yes I will let you know as soon as I know the date of my 2nd exchange
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Happy Birthday, Deborah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Happy 29th Birthday, Whippetmom! Thank you for all you've done - and continue to do - for all of the lovely ladies of BCO!
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Happy Birthday to our favorite Implant Guru!
May you have a day of wonder, and a year of God's beautiful blessings....
xoxoxoxoxo
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The only day available right now is August 27
secretary said she is waiting to confirm another patient for July 30th and that if that patient can't do that date then I can take it, but we all know most likely no one in our position cancel or refuse a surgery date The Ps is fully booked well at least I have a date now. It's so crazy how many surgeries are been done, it makes me sad 😔 so many of us in This journey .0 -
Happy Birthday Deborah! Once again we are so lucky to have you here to help us making right decision!
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Hope you get the sooner date Enerva!
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me too
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Thank you everyone!!! The birthday is officially OVER in 30 minutes. Whew!
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Blessings- Thank you!
Deborah- Happy Belated!
Happy 4th! God Bless America!
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Dear Deborah
Happy Belated Birthday to one special person!!!!!!
Babs
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Thank you for the birthday wishes!
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Very helpful information! Thank you
I would appreciate you sending your very wonderful phamplet to my PS office!
Is this possible?
Dr.Peter Ashjian -Valencia, CA, also Encino Breast Care, Encino, CA
He is an amazing PS and I know his patients would benifit greatly. Is their a link here on this site as well?
I downloaded mine and refer to it from time to time.
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LovinglifeLALA: Thank you for suggesting this, but I do not have a pamphlet or brochure for this thread. It is possible that breastcancer.org has literature, which is a very good question to pose to the moderators.
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Hi Whippetmom,
The last time we communicated was on April 14, 2014, via private message. To
refresh your memory, my TEs are Allergan 133MV-16-T. I am 64 years old, 5'8" tall, 175 lbs, and a have a current rib cage
measurement of 35." I have a thread with pictures on the picture forum.I have
attempted to engage Dr. G in a conversation about implant choices during my
fill appointments, but he has indicated that it is still too early to have that
discussion. He wants me to keep an eye
in the mirror and let him know when I have reached a TE fill point I am happy
with in clothing. I have questioned him about his decision to use 16 cm TEs, and
he said that decision was based on the size of my native breasts (38 DDD) and
chest width (36") at the time of surgery.I have been receiving 60 cc
fills every two weeks, and I am currently at 590 ccs. Dr. G did mention the Allergan Style 20 in 800
ccs at one of my fill appointments, which have a diameter of 15.3 ccs and a
projection of 6.1 ccs. You also mentioned
the Style 20 in your private message to me on April 14. If that were our choice he would
overfill to 800 ccs. He has not yet mentioned
a Mentor implant. Because I have a concern
about ending up with implants that are larger than what I desire, I am more
inclined to lean towards the Allergan Style 15 in 700 ccs, which have a
diameter of 15.8 ccs and a projection of 5.1 ccs. However, Dr. G did say that 1 cm in projection
would be noticeable so I am not sure that would be a good choice. I will be at 700-710 ccs after my next two
fill appointments so I should have a better idea of what 700 ccs looks like at
that time.I still have concerns about
weight loss. I carry much of my weight
in my stomach/abdominal area. I have the desire to lose 20-25 pounds, but I
do not lose weight easily and question whether I can achieve that goal before
my exchange surgery. I understand that weight
loss before the exchange could lead
to the need for narrower implants, but what happens if you lose the weight after the exchange?Any advice you can offer
would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.0 -
vfay49: I do not see the need to OVERFILL for 800 cc HP implants! I am sure you already have ample skin flaps. Filling to 700 ccs is fine, but overfill is overkill! Please tell Dr. G you do not want "maternal droop"! You want minimal ptosis and if the pockets are too large, the implants feel much heavier. I feel that Allergan Style 20 or Mentor HP -800 ccs - is the best choice for you.
Deborah
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Whippetmom,
Thank you so much for your input. I wasn't aware that you could place a larger implant in a smaller pocket i.e. 800 cc into a 700 cc tissue expander. I will definitely discuss "maternal droop" with Dr. G. I am curious why you are steering me away from the Style 15 in a 700 cc implant. Is it because of the projection?
Virginia
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Virginia: It is because of the projection. If you LIKE the projection (achieving sufficient projection is one of the most difficult aspects of breast reconstruction), then I recommend Style 20. If you like the idea of less volume....go with Style 15. MOST of us have implants AT LEAST 100 ccs greater than our TEs. My TEs were Allergan MV-400 ccs and my implants are 550 ccs - 150 ccs greater than the TE volume.
YOUR TISSUE EXPANDER DIMENSIONS:
16.0 cm wide and 6.6 cm projection
ALLERGAN STYLE 20 IMPLANT DIMENSIONS:
15.3 cm wide and 6.1 cm projection
As you can see, the implant is NARROWER and has less projection than your TE. Why overfill? What is the purpose?
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Whippetmom,
Thank you for the great explanation about overfilling. I can see your point.
I hate to ask for further clarification, but I have two more questions regarding your earlier post. You stated that I should tell Dr. G that I want minimal "maternal droop" or ptosis. How exactly does a plastic surgeon avoid ptosis? It would appear to me that the heavier the implant is and the more projection one has the greater chance there would be for droop?
Also, you said that if the pockets are too large, the implants feel much heavier. If my pocket width was based on chest size/native breasts, how can I avoid a pocket that is too large other than by losing weight and having pocket work done? When you say too large, are you meaning larger than the implant's actual width?
I know I can ask Dr. G these questions at my next appointment, but I would like to have some idea about what I am talking about. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Virginia
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Virginia: Overfilling often creates pockets which are too large, especially when using an implant with smaller dimensions than the TE. This does generally NOT apply to women who are thin and small breasted prior to BMX. Sometimes they DO need overfiling of the TEs, in order to achieve some natural droop/ptosis. But, if you have had ample breasts pre-BMX and if you have ANY droop or ptosis prior to BMX, you are going to have some ptosis/droop with reconstruction. "Maternal droop" is a term which is derived from the fact that breast feeding, heavy breasts and the passage of time, contribute to this occurrence. I just feel that every measure should be taken to not make your pockets too large, because 800 ccs is the largest implant available in silicone. So it is better to underfil, in my opinion, than overfill a 700 cc tissue expander.
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Hello All,
I'm new here. Just had a lumpectomy on both sides a couple weeks ago and heard the news from pathology that it's DCIS on one side and ADH on the other. I'm 29 with family history so they are recommending a double mastectomy. I would have skin/nipple saving and immediate reconstruction. I am having a hard time finding examples and photos of women who have had the same type of surgery(with immediate reconstruction) who are about the same size. I would have to pick a couple sizes before hand ranging from 150-300cc. The PS said he would prefer to stay in the 150-250cc range. I was a 34B before children and am now a 32A after with a lot of extra skin from BFing and being pregnant. I am 5'6" 120lbs. I will post this to exchange city as well.
Thank you to anyone who can help!
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Welcome to BCO KaraGee but sorry for your news. You are sure to get assistance here as there is plenty of knowledge and experience here.
The Mods
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KaraGee: I feel that you should be in the 300 cc range with implants, and this is presuming that FIRST you will have tissue expanders, placed at the same time as your bilateral mastectomies.
Deborah
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