BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
Comments
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Hi Deborah - I am 2 weeks away from exchange (yay) but I am a little worried because my left expander has never caught up with the right one. I have always suspected that there might be a slow leak. I saw the surgeon yesterday and now he agrees. It is easily half the size of the other one. When he asked me again about size, I said, "I want to be bigger than the left but smaller than the right". Is he going to be able to do that?
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Sunny: Look at the top of this thread for the information I need from you. Let's calculate what needs to be done. Your height, weight, ribcage - and re: TEs: Mentor or Allergan and style and volume of same. Call your PS tomorrow and ask his office staff to look in your chart and give you this info. It must be recorded in your chart. You can PM me with the info if you prefer. You might want to email me photos also.
Deborah
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Whippetmom- I saw my PS today and he filled me to 400 capacity. He said he doesn't need to really overfill very much and the next appt will be to talk about the exchange. What is bothering me though is the big space between my TE. He said he can't really move them closer together because it would risk them migrating together. I just can't understand this when everyone else seems to be able to have it done. He mentioned my chest was bony and there would be nothing holding the implants if he opened it up medially. I saw Kate33 pics and she had a wide and space and she is thin and her's go moved together very nicely. I will email you a pic from today. I'm wavering about the gummies also, they felt REALLY firm and I'm not sure I'll like them. On the flip side my DH thinks I am looking unnatural in the TE and he is afraid the rounds will look like that on me. GRRR I don't know what to do!
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Sweetie: I emailed you with some thoughts and recommendations.
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sweetie - whippetmom knows her stuff and will help you, I'm sure! I just wanted to encourage you that your TE's are going to be nothing like the implants. I am about one week out from exchange and cannot get over the difference in look from TE's to implants. Mine were far apart, lopsided, half-softballs on my chest with a shelf I could have set a teacup on each one. Now, they are closer together, even, natural slope and SOFT!
You're in good hands with whippetmom!
You're going to be OK!0 -
Thanks Deborah!
Dawn-hope-thanks for the inspiration. What style and size did you end up with? Did you Dr. have to revised the pocket to move them closer together at all?
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sweetie - I had Allergan, high-profile, style 20, 325cc's. He did pocket work on the rt side. The right was a little higher than the left and now they're even. He told me he couldn't bring them closer in because of my sternum and if he did, it would look like I had a uni-boob. I don't know what he did, but they're not as far apart and they look very normal.
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sweetie- My PS kind of said the same thing that Dawne-Hope's did. She said how close together she can bring the implants is based more on your own anatomy than what the PS can do. She said in augmentation they have a little more room to play because of the breast tissue. But in post MX it's kind of determined by your sternum and where your pec muscles lay. My PS did recommend I go a little higher in cc's to get the width she needed to bring them as close as possible. I know you can't print out the photos on the picture forum. I'll see if my PS has her website up yet (she's using my photos) and maybe you can show those to your PS and see what he says?
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sweetie- My PS kind of said the same thing that Dawne-Hope's did. She said how close together she can bring the implants is based more on your own anatomy than what the PS can do. She said in augmentation they have a little more room to play because of the breast tissue. But in post MX it's kind of determined by your sternum and where your pec muscles lay. My PS did recommend I go a little higher in cc's to get the width she needed to bring them as close as possible. I know you can't print out the photos on the picture forum. I'll see if my PS has her website up yet (she's using my photos) and maybe you can show those to your PS and see what he says?
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Kate33-yes that would be great. PM it too me if you can. I am just confused how he is saying he can't do much. Deborah thinks it's lateral displacement (over to far to the sides) which is fairly common and can be fixed. He may not be able to open up the middle due to my anatomy but when I lay down it's awful, like a huge 2" gap. I need to really push this issue with him at my pre-op visit to see what can and can't be done otherwise I know I won't be happy. It's better to fix it now even if it means some type of revision than later.
side note-do you know how to post add.pics on the forum-I can put some up of this but don't know how to add them to the tread.
Dawn-Hope-that's great! I happy you got a good result. It good be too that TE look so hard and odd that just the change to a soft implant makes a huge difference. I hoping to get a good result like your's and Kate's.
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Sweetie -- To add pics to the thread just make a new reply at end of thread and attach them to that post. I think you may be right that the change to the softer implant from the hard TE will help with the spacing.
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Sweetie and all,
I am not an expert in the expander to implant as I had the direct to implant but I had the same issue of there being too much space inbetween especially when lying down. I had the 375cc implant mentor high profile and the divot on top where the biopsy was. Both problems were resolved with the 550cc implant exchanged. If you compare the measurements of each implant a little wider took care of the problem with an adjustment in the pocket.
I am understanding that the implant correlates with the expander sizing. My question to anyone is then, Is there a problem if sweetie requested a larger implant than the 400cc she is filled to. Did her PS already build the sling or is that coming at exchange time so he can adjust to a larger implant. During my recent PS visit this week I asked him how big an implant can he go with direct to implant and he said as long as the woman has skin he can go as big as 800cc.-was asking that question not for me just to know. So, for that .5 in width sweetie wants and if he builds the pocket at exchange why can't it be done. It appears that the PS puts in less than the fill amount most of the time from what you all share, and I went direct to implant with 375 with no stretching from an expander why couldn't she tolerate, an greater than 400cc implant.
My feeling is that if sweetie gets the implant her PS suggest, than after wants the revision to fix the gap that it could be done by her PS or another PS. I know its frustrating sweetie as I was there when I was discouraged with my space, but I am hopeful you will be happy in the end. Keep the faith.
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PB22-thanks for asking those questions. I have thought about them myself. I have a TE that goes to 400cc and is now full to capacity. It seems to me like that's all the space I got and I wonder how would he put a wider implant in there when the pocket has a specific hgt, width and projection to it. I thought it seemed like an easier solution to just put in a wider implant. In fact they actually don't look bad on the sides, they just need something to fill in the gap. I'll try to post a couple more pics on the forum so you can see how it looks now.
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sweetie2040 - where are you measuring the gap from? The very bottom? Just wondering how large my gap is. My TEs are filled to 400cc (capacity) and the PS says he will exchange with 450cc implants and move them a little closer together.
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Correcting lateral displacement...
Lateral capsulorrhaphy
Click on link and scroll down for photos...
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ok, I put my pics on the forum so you could see how big it is!
vmudrow-I measured right in the middle and also when I measured laying down it was even wider almost 3"
Whippetmom-thanks I'll check it out. If you have chance look at the last photo I put up on the thread of me laying down, its very obvious in that one.
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An interesting article published by Lilah's doctor. She is a highly renowned NY plastic surgeon.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2884731/pdf/sps18071.pdf
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Sweetie:
I just took a look at the photos. Please consider a consultation with another PS to discuss this.
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Deborah-ok, but I am going to email him everything first and see what he says. Maybe when he really sits down and looks at he'll realize how bad it is. He is always rushed at the appointements and I just don't think he is thinking it through then.
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Thanks Whippetmom for the links. Made me think that the first article on revision was of augmentation and how things can go wrong even for that. My second thought was that these augementations had 450cc put in with their breast tissue , no wonder I felt flat at 375cc. I like how they photographed the patient lying down.
I have to pm you regarding the sitting up pics.
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Deborah: Thanks for the great article! BTW: I saw my friend Jody last night and she mentioned that you two have been in contact!
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Deborah -- what a great article by my PS (and her colleague)! I have to say, where it applied to me, everything in the article is as she described to me... she is very consistent AND thorough. Although I did not ever ask her about being sat up in the OR (I just did not want to know lol). That is all SO interesting to read in one place like that... and the pictures are all great!
Going to go check your new photos now Sweetie...
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What is interesting, in Dr. Chasan's link, is that he appears to use Style 45 implants quite frequently. Just something worth noting for those who might be candidates for this ultra full projection style of implant.
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Deborah~ that 2nd article showing how they sit you up was really interesting. Was good to read about how they perform the exchange surgery and why they make the decisions they make. Helps me understand a bit more about why they choose a particular size implant etc and how sometimes you can't get what you want just because you want it
lol!Thank you!
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I'm guessing that answer doesn't always sit well with you Kay
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Deborah--that article was great.
Lilah--how fortunate you are to have such a wonderful plastic surgeon!
The photos were great. I knew they raised your body in the OR, but I pictured them rotating the whole table somehow--sort of a Frankenstein effect. I feel a little better knowing they just move your upper body!
Happy Sunday ladies!
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LILAH~ LOL, yep,when i want something,then i want it! =D Not much fun when you then can't get it!!
I dont mean that in a bratty way,but i know what i want and will do what i can to obtain it-whether that be working hard and saving up for an expensive pair of jeans, or deciding how i'd like to shape my body!
Some things you CAN get,some things you can't. The fun is in the trying! 0 -
Kay -- I'm the same way!
I really love my PS and though she doesn't always tell me what I want to hear I always feel that she is doing everything she can within the limits of what I gave her (my body) to start with
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MBJ: Yes, we are trying to work out a time to meet. I am interested to see what she is doing and to share some of my thoughts as well...
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Deborah: I am so glad that you two are getting together. I tried starting a thread to see if anyone would like to give their imput, but I didn't get any response, so when she approached me again as to who to speak with, I told her you were the expert! I really want to see what she is going to design. We could be her models!!LOL!
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