Hi
I had a left mastectomy with immediate silicone implant in October 23, I’ve made a fairly good recovery apart from the implant being hard and uncomfortable. It also sits much higher on my chest than my other breast. I am 65 so the other side is quite droopy. Even when dressed and wearing a bra the asymmetry is obvious. I saw my surgeon recently and she has offered me several options including plastic surgery and a new implant. My gut feeling is to just have the implant removed and wear a prosthesis, but she seemed quite surprised when I said that.
I’d love to hear from anyone who has had an implant removed, how was the recovery afterwards? Also, how easy is it to achieve a symmetrical appearance using a prosthesis? I am a cup size C - D.
I had the same problem - twice. It’s called capsular contraction and it felt as though the whole implant was moving upwards and hardening until it was pushing into the chest wall. I decided I still wanted a natural breast shape and I opted for the flap diep surgery. I did think long and hard before proceeding as another major op, but the upside was I also got a tummy tuck! It went really well. That was 7 years ago. I was 53 at the time. For me it was the best thing to do, but at the end it’s an individual decision based on your circumstances and feelings about it. Best wishes whatever you decide
Thanks popsicle, that’s great that your reconstructive surgery has worked out so well for you. As you say it’s major surgery, so need to have a good think about it. At the moment the implant is so hard and uncomfortable I just want it out. I’m a bit worried about how the skin will be when it’s removed, because it’s been quite stretched over the implant.