Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and aging have a way of turning your perky 20 year-old boobs into something you no longer recognize. Trust me, I know you are worried about your appearance.
I was too.
But today I am going to share a different story, one that I am slightly embarrassed by, but needs to be told nonetheless.
I am going to explain to you why I have no regrets about removing my breast implants, how the surgery went, and my top tips for breast explant recovery.
I hope that my story can not only prevent you from getting breast implants altogether, but also give someone the courage to remove their implants asap.
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Why I got breast implants in the first place
This is the part of the story where I get vulnerable with you.
Back in 2010 my husband and I were newly married. He was a very good looking military man who left to go on trips a lot.
I am sure you can already hear the small violin in the background playing the familiar song of many military spouses.
We honestly didn’t know each other very well when we got married. Like many military relationships, we were long distance for much of our dating period. Marriage was honestly a way to remedy the distance so we could be together more often.
We tried to figure out the whole marriage commitment and honestly we had a lot of trust issues back then.
I stupidly thought that if I changed my appearance and got bigger boobs, then my husband would never cheat on me while he was away.
There is so much more I could say about this time of our lives and my mindset but that isn’t the purpose of this article. Maybe I will write more about how to overcome trust issues and a less than ideal marriage scenario.
Which we did, we are still happily married 8 years later!
I have always been a dreamer, an idea machine, and a problem solver. Some of my ideas have been great, but this one…
…Well, it was a terrible idea and before I had time to understand how BAD of a decision I was making, I had half a liter of silicone implants under each of my pectoral muscles.
From the moment I woke up from surgery, I had pain and that pain NEVER truly went away, even years after I recovered from the surgery.
You can see from the picture above that I was athletic and being active was very important part of my identity and the way I coped with military life.
Most of my hobbies involved the use of my pectoral muscles (climbing, yoga, and weightlifting) and I always felt uncomfortable after getting the implants.
My breast implant surgery was in June of 2012. I started thinking about explant surgery a year later when I still had pain doing push-ups.
My concerns with explant surgery
Once I finally made the decision to get my implants taken out, I had a lot of questions about breast implant removal surgery.
My biggest concern: how will my breasts look after explant surgery?
Will they look like an empty sock? Will my skin go back to normal?
Is breast explant surgery painful?
At first I thought about merely swapping my implants out for a smaller size. But this was also the beginning of my journey to a more natural, non-toxic lifestyle and implants didn’t fit in with my values.
Now that I finally had some! It is crazy how long it took me to grow up and start defining my own values! If you are just finding my blog for the first time, naturally living is what it’s all about.
I scoured the internet for natural remedies to tighten skin and stumbled upon some great articles about the power of essential oils the night before my surgery.
**More on essential oils and other remedies I used to recover from surgery and tighten skin later in this article**
I went in the morning of my surgery and told my surgeon that I would NOT be downsizing my implants and I wanted them removed all together.
I was already undergoing my second major surgery and the thought of having to go back under the knife 10 years later to get my implants renewed once again was out of the question.
Thankfully he hadn’t yet opened the sterile package of the implants so I didn’t have to pay for them which made the cost of my surgery significantly cheaper.
Why you should consider removing your implants or not getting them altogether
Every surgery has risks and an elective surgery such as breast implantation is no different.
As a registered nurse, I talk with patients about the pros and cons of many medical procedures all the time but of course if you are in the middle of this decision you should consult with your surgeon. Just keep in mind they want to make money and from my experience in my appointments, often downplay the risks.
Let’s look at a few of the documented risks with breast implants so you can truly evaluate if getting breast implants is the right decision. If you already have them, this might make a case for explant surgery.
Breast Implant Risks:
1. The need for future surgeries to revise the scar tissue
2. Changes in nipple sensation (This happened to me and my nipples were so sensitive and painful for years)
3. Rupture, slow-releasing toxic chemicals from silicone into body tissue or deflating one of your breasts if you have saline
4. Breast tissue atrophy (shrinking of your own native tissue)
5. Breakdown and thinning of the skin around the implant making it more obviously fake
6. Capsular contracture: scar tissue builds up around the implant and changes the way it sits in the pocket which can make your breasts look lop-sided
7. Breast implant illness: fatigue, memory loss, rash, “brain fog,” and joint pain
8. Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL): a T-cell lymphoma that can develop following breast implants. You are putting a foreign object inside of your body. Your immune system WILL react and it can increase your risk for autoimmune disorders as well
9. Inability to breastfeed or low milk supply from native tissue damage
10. Silicone chemicals are found in breastmilk
11. Breast implants are not a permanent fix and will need to be replaced or removed eventually.
12. Increased risk of local infection
13. Pain that doesn’t go away
These are some but not all of the risks associated with breast implantation. Sourced from the FDA.
Results from my breast explant surgery
- Total Cost: $1547 for the surgeon fee and anesthesia
- Total Recovery Time: 2 weeks
- Pain after explant surgery: Minimal pain at incision site and some itching while healing
- Breast appearance post surgery: very saggy, flat, and deflated
- Breast appearance 6 weeks post surgery: much fuller breast appearance, skin almost as tight as before my implant surgery
- Drains: No drains required after explant surgery because my bleeding was minimal
- Covered by insurance: my explant surgery was not covered by insurance because it was elective. Some insurance companies will cover it if you have severe complications and the surgery is recommended by a doctor
Unlike after my implant surgery (it felt like a piano was dropped on my chest), when I woke up from explant surgery I had minimal pain. In fact, I actually went home and vacuumed. My husband had to make me sit down and watch Disney movies.
I immediately felt so much relief from the pressure of the implants.
Within 2 weeks I was back to doing light lower body exercises.
It took about 2 months for my skin and breast tissue to fully recover from the implants after they were removed. At first they looked like flat pancakes and I was preparing myself mentally to live the rest of my life like this.
I wore a compression wrap for the first month to help my skin tighten. And slowly but surely, it seemed my breast tissue plumped back up. I have no medical or scientific explanation to how this happened, but it did.
Before implant surgery I was a full B-cup and within 6 months of explant surgery, I was back to being a B-cup.
How to recover your skin quickly after explant surgery – prevent sagging and tighten skin
As I mentioned earlier I was able to have about 90% recovery of my breast tissue after surgery. My surgeon was actually amazed at my results at my 6 week follow-up appointment!
I went on to breastfeed my son for 14 months although I struggled with low milk supply. I imagine this was from damaged tissue. I worked my BUTT off to keep it up so I could provide him with milk but it wasn’t easy. I would have easily provided breastmilk longer but by the time we stopped, I was getting mere drops.
There were a few things I did that helped my skin and breast tissue recover and I will share them with you here.
Get a compression wrap:
I wore a compression wrap around my upper body in place of a bra for a month after my surgery. Something like this would be perfect and is made of all nature latex rubber.
Use a microderm roller:
After my six week appointment and once my incisions were healed, I used a microderm roller on the skin around my breasts.
This contraption looks like a small paint brush but it has little needles on it.
It sounds morbid but the way this works is the needles make little holes in your skin, which triggers your immune system to start the process of rebuilding tissue and producing collagen.
The end result is it helps your skin regenerate and tighten faster.
Essential Oils to tighten skin:
Every night I made sure to moisturize my skin with coconut oil mixed with essential oils that have skin repairing properties. These include, Neroli, Tea Tree, Frankincense, and Patchouli Essential Oils.
Related: My postpartum skin tightening cream can be used for explant recovery. Check out the recipe
Drink a collagen supplement:
Your body will do a great job to heal and repair on its own after explant surgery. But it is always great to support yourself nutritionally while you are healing. I mixed this collagen powder in my water everyday after surgery for about 2 months so there was more available for my body to use to tighten my skin.
Final thoughts
Getting breast implants is a huge decision. It is usually filled with hope for a better future and to have more self-confidence. I think most women just want to fit in with what we think we are “supposed to look like.”
Now that I am a mom I look at myself in the mirror at times and mourn the young tight body I once had. But more than ever I am working to accept myself and my body the way it is.
Related: Natural beauty tips that really work
You are beautiful you know. I truly believe that even the most perfect looking women have their own self doubt.
I hope my story reaches you and helps you because I want you to be healthy and have no regrets.
Getting my implants out was the best decision I made for my health and my ability to breastfeed my future son.
Where are you in your journey? Do you already have breast implants and are considering explant surgery? Are you in research mode and wondering if implants will solve your body issues?
I would love to hear from you! Leave me a comment.
Hi-
I currently 12 days post Explant surgery. Full capsulectomy no lift. Nada nothing. Had drains for 5 days.
Feeling flat, extra loose hanging skin is causing mild to oderate depression (I’m eating my feelings)
I’m petite 5’3 implants were 275/300cc my og boobs were a very small 32b or 34a depending on the bra.
I had my implants for 7 years right breast was redone 4 months after original surgery due to capsular contracture
Now both out for the same reason.
I just want to be healthy implant free and off that hamster wheel.
I’m doing a collagen and will try the microneedle tool.
If there is anything else you can add please do
My ps said no exercise (Pilates) until 8wks po
Right now I’m cleared to walk my dog only.
Thanks for sharing your story
I’m pushing 50 so I’m praying my boobs bounce back at 6 wks like yours did!!
Linda,
Just stay the course and do all the things to support your body to heal. For me it was like all of a sudden mine just plumped back up! It may take longer than 6 weeks but I don’t doubt that you see improvement. Skin shrinks back very slowly so don’t give up!
Hello,
Thank you for sharing your story.
I am 54 years old. I had my implants placed over the muscle (350 cc) 10 years ago and never felt comfortable with the look or how they felt. I use to look more athletic and now I have more of a sexy image. I’m a fitness instructor and sexy is not what I want to project.
Prior to surgery I was a small B cup and now I’m between C and D. I would like to have the implants removed because I don’t want any foreign objects inside me and I have been also having some burning sensations.
I’ve been reading that after the removal to expect the flat look but that over time (usually 6 months) the breast regain their shape. My worry is that my breast were not perky prior to the implant and they will stay flat with excess skin after the removal. I am not sure if I should wait 6 months post explant and then decide about getting a lift or get it first time around. The thought of having a surgery twice does not appeal to me and potentially having scars from the lift is also not appealing. I also heard of some people having internal lift is less invasive. Recovery period is an issue as I teach aerobics for a living and taking 5 to 6 weeks off is a lot.
Thank you in advance for any feedback:)
Zeena
Zeena,
I too struggled with this decision before taking mine out too and wanting to avoid extra surgeries. In my case I am very happy that I did not add in a lift.
If I was in your shoes, I would really think about how the skin all over your body currently looks. Does it still seem supple and have a healthy elasticity? Have you already gone through menopause and perhaps don’t have as many hormones on your side that help with healing. How quickly does your skin heal from cuts and scrapes? Do you have a lot of pronounced older scars that never healed well in the past. If so you can expect new scars to not heal as well so you may want to consider this when you think about doing a lift because they are going to cut your skin up.
The fact that you are a fitness instructor is great because it means your cardiovascular system will be primed and ready to bring oxygen and nutrients to your skin and you will definitely heal better than someone who is sedentary.
That being said, there are so many things you can do to help your skin heal, tighten, and return to it’s original state. I am now very against anything extra because I deeply believe our bodies can heal and if it was me I would rather give it that chance first. However every time you are under anesthesia it isn’t great so if you ultimately think you would be super unhappy if you have some sagging then perhaps the scars would be worth it.
Other than the things I mentioned in this post you can also take the homeopathic remedy Calc. Fluor. once a day for the months after your surgery. This is a tissue cell salt that promotes elasticity and repair.
Nutritionally, you want to increase your protein intake afterwards to give your body the building blocks it needs to repair. This is a great time to eat lamb and beef, especially grass-fed! You also want as much selenium, zinc, and vitamin C in your diet as possible so brazil nuts, shrimp, hard boiled eggs, raw unpasturized cheese from grass-fed cows, citrus fruits, and tropical fruits. The protein is the bricks and the minerals are the mortar so to speak when you think about healing.
Lastly, schedule your surgery in the summer when food is at peak season instead of the winter when food from the grocery store is nutritionally depleted. Stock up your fridge with locally grown produce before your surgery, you will be giving your body the very best chance of getting everything it needs to do the job on it’s own!
Hope this helps and I wish you the best.
I am struggling with the good price & choice of a surgeon.
I had my 320cc implants placed under the muscle on a 75A breast when 28 years old. After 1 month of generous breastfeeding my 2nd son (it was my first BF because my 1st newborn son was taken away from us to get urgent care at the nursery (4 days), my right breast began to hurt. Only 7 months after the pain started accompanied with disformation, my husband told me about implant rupture.
The surgeon who put them in answered me there was no urgency to extract them (within 1 year was ok).
I went to see another surgeon, (50€ consult) who I didn’t trust because I saw his secretary damage (face lifting) and he offered me no real solution.
I went to see a 3d surgeon (60€) and his words were clear. I decided he would do the job.
Only he would cost me a lot!!!! He advised me to replace them, against my wish, and my husband told me it should be wizer to follow his advise because of my psychic issues (low self-esteem).
Now I paid 6000€ to get my implants replaced from under my muscles (every pec exercise made them move a lot) to under my teets.
Already 1 month after, I regretted my decision: the low half of each breast was like paralysed, my libido was gone, the scars where longer and visible and I felt depressed.
I mailed my surgeon and his secretary but both addresses mentioned on the contract did’t answer… My stress was acute and I wanted to forget this all. My family life still was very difficult (ADHD kids and a man with a poor health) at the time and my lowered energy was used for my kids and frequent disputes and for my ever not sleeping 2nd baby.
The winter felt cold inside: my implants were a fridge to my body!! I also felt them on my chests. The sensation on my breasts still was gone.
Now I want to have them removed.
I went to see a 4th surgeon of a private clinic, which advised me to have lipofilling after removal (4000€). The anestesia and remove job would be reimbursed (for the previous replacement, only 300€ will be reimbursed!). It’s a money making industry!
All surgeons told and still tell me it will be ugly/horrible. Now eventually I don’t care. I will pay another consultation to hear his price & heal expectations. I wrote the average price is 1500€. My 3d surgeon would have me paid 2500€ anesthesia and 2000€ operation blok. No reimbursement.
I will now meet a 5th surgeon…
You seemed to be much luckier than me in your surgery path.
I wish you further happiness and fit life with your family
Stephanie,
First of all, I am so glad to hear you were able to breastfeed your son. I had mine taken out before I got pregnant because they were so big and uncomfortable I couldn’t imagine doing that with them in! The surgeon that put mine in assured me you can breastfeed with them but I didn’t see how my back could take that much breasts! The surgeon I went to for the explant wanted me to downsize as well and I was soooo close to doing that but I stayed up all night before my surgery praying about it and I heard a small voice tell me that I should just be completely natural. It was the best decision I ever made.
About how they will look. It is so hard to know since you have had more than one surgery which likely weakened your skin a bit. However our bodies were designed to heal and even if your skin is a bit on the saggy side at first, if it was me, I would rather take them out and then wait and see how you heal. You can always get some skin taken off later although I don’t know if this would be worth going under anesthesia again.
I cannot believe he told you you could live with a ruptured implant for a year? That seems incredibly unsafe because chemicals will be leaking in your bloodstream. I wish you best on your journey. I am sorry to hear it has been so difficult but thank you for sharing your story. Hopefully someone else will find this and it will help them be brave enough to just take them out the first time and not let a surgeon talk them into downsizing!
Thank you for this article. I’m 5.5 weeks post-op and I’m unsure what to put on my scars. I went back to the same doctor who put them in because I thought that was the best idea, and now it’s my biggest regret as he does not believe in implant Illness of course. I had to force him to remove my capsules on the day of the surgery. Anyhow, long story short I feel like I don’t have a good support system with him and I’m worried I’m not doing it all right. Which is why I’m so thankful to have found this article- I’m going to take your advice. Hopefully it’s not too late to start my compression wrap! Thanks again- I would love to read more about your story 🙂
It’s definitely not too late because our bodies are designed to heal. We are healing machines as long as we support them properly. I am sorry to hear your surgeon is being less than supportive. Thank you for leaving your story. I hope others will read it and take that into consideration when they are searching for an explant physician.
Yes- I’m hidsight, I should have known! I flew back to him and spent a lot of money on accommodations and my thought was- he put them in so I want him to take them out. I wasn’t taking into account that of course he doesn’t believe in implant illness as this is what he does for a living. Anyhow, I am putting positive energy into my healing process and currently wearing the compression wrap you recommended:)
And yes, anyone reading this- only go to an exoplanet surgeon and make sure they take the capsule out!
Liv
What a wonderful article to read, full of hope for me! I got my implants for my 30th and soon I will be 48 almost 18 years, so hard to believe! I had already had my two children I really had no boobs when young and loved having some when feeding…
Although the surgery went well and the appearance was great I noticed a decline in health and energy, I would no longer do a push up being concerned about the pressure rupturing them…
Long story short God has done a transformation in the way I think and I am no longer insecure about my appearance…natural way of living is best where ever possible so hopefully and prayerfully I find the right surgeon to do the job. GOD BLESS YOU FOR YOUR SHARING
Mel
Mel, Thanks so much for your comment! I was hoping to help others going through this process! Best of luck with your explant 🙂
Hi, Thank you for sharing your experience. I got my implants a little over 2 years ago after breastfeeding 4 kids, and am now considering removing them. I was very happy with the result initially and everything healed well, but then about a year later I started wishing they were slightly fuller. I am 5’3” and 108 lbs and had gone with a very small implant because I was afraid of them looking too big. Well 6 months ago I got them redone with just a slightly bigger implant, and now I am just feeling like something is off with me. I’ve been experiencing shortness of breath, intense anxiety, tightness in my chest, brain fog, fatigue, etc. I just don’t feel like myself, and I can’t help but think its related to my implants. I’m meeting with my surgeon next week to discuss what’s going on. Deep down I feel like I need to get them removed, but I am scared about what the end result will be. After I stopped breastfeeding I was less than an A cup. I am ok with having small boobs but i just don’t want to look deformed. Your post has given me some encouragement. I’m having a lot of anxiety about this decision and just want to do what’s best for my health.
Jenna,
You just described a lot of the symptoms of breast plant illness. Talk with your husband about it because I know how big of a decision this can be. I would hate for you to go under anesthesia for a 3rd time since this can really be hard on the body too. Perhaps you can do some other things to try to improve the way you feel, such as beef up your intake of antioxidants to buy yourself some more time while you sort out the decision. One of the things we like take everyday to support our bodies is cod liver oil. Also if you can drink elderberry tea or syrup. I don’t know what you looked like before all the surgeries but I was a double D and mine look pretty normal now. Our bodies are designed to heal but ultimately, breast implants aren’t great for our health long term. I didn’t know this when I made the decision to get them.
I had mine removed June 21st, I also got a lift as well. (59 years old). I had mine for about 14 years? never really felt like me, always bought a larger top, my perfect posture went away… I cannot believe how great I feel and it has only been a week. My perfect posture is back and I get my drains removed tomorrow. live and learn, expensive mistake on my part and I now love my perfect small breasts…B/C now from a large C/D
Linda,
I also felt an immediate difference. I had so much more energy and felt stronger. I wish you a speedy recovery and also check out this stretch mark cream recipe. I used many of these ingredients post explant and my skin bounced back really well!