It will soon be one year since my surgery, so I wanted to honestly share what I have personally experienced so far. Writing a review felt troublesome, and I wondered what good it would do, so I was going to let it pass. But lately the shape has been becoming increasingly strange and my nipple pain has been getting worse, so I made time to write this in the hope that it might help people considering breast surgery even a little.
The biggest thing I regret after surgery is the breast shape. I naturally have a broad rib cage, so my breasts were spaced apart. During my preoperative consultation, I told the director that I wanted to improve my sagging and separated breasts. The director explained that implants could sufficiently improve sagging, and I expected the shape to improve considerably in the direction I wanted after surgery.
I watched the shape settle from immediately after surgery, but now, nearly a year later, the implants remain in place while my original breast tissue has gradually sagged. Especially from the side, the difference from what I expected was large, and it caused me a lot of stress.
Also, my nipples do not feel centered on the breasts; they seem drawn inward, while the breasts themselves still protrude toward the outer sides of the rib cage. Perhaps because the implants sit outward relative to the nipples, even though implants over 400cc were inserted, they still give the impression of being quite widely spaced. I understand that many individual factors—my body shape, breast form, skin condition, and so on—can affect the result. Still, it seems there was a difference between the breast shape I wanted and the shape the director envisioned, and personally I do not think the aesthetic matched me very well. Ultimately, my greatest disappointment is how large the gap was between what I expected and the actual result.
I do feel that things improved to some extent compared with before surgery. Even so, I keep wishing the implants had been positioned a little more toward the center; then the result might at least have been much closer to the shape I wanted. I keep thinking, “Is this really the best result I could have expected?”
Because I was trying to book surgery urgently during the early-October National Foundation Day holiday last year, other hospitals were fully booked, while Fore said surgery was available. I made a rushed reservation without properly researching other hospitals, and looking back, I regret that. This experience also taught me that not everyone's breasts can be shaped exactly as they wish. The actual result was very different from what I expected, and when I consider how it looks from the side in particular, my personal satisfaction is quite low.
It is not just the shape that disappoints me; I also still have nipple pain and sensory problems. Nearly one year after surgery, the nipple pain has gradually become so severe that even a light brush hurts, and nipple sexual sensation has almost disappeared, as though less than 0.1 remains. I expected some recovery over time, but even now, almost a year later, there has been no major change, which is personally very upsetting. (Has anyone else had a similar experience..?)
About two months ago, a white, transparent thread that I had understood to be dissolvable protruded through the skin from the armpit incision. I was very startled when it suddenly appeared. In fact, when I previously had arm liposuction at Fore, a thread I understood to be dissolvable also failed to dissolve and protruded through the skin, leaving a large red scar that bothered me a lot. I had a similar experience at the armpit incision this time, and I feel that the incision scar ultimately remained quite severe by my standards, so I have been diligently applying scar ointment... My husband also feels upset and says whenever he sees it, “Isn't the scar too severe?” T_T I cannot medically judge why the thread came out, but I experienced similar incidents repeatedly at the same place, and the resulting larger scar made me honestly very angry.
Looking back, my biggest thought is that I regret not researching several hospitals more carefully. I wish I had taken more time to consult multiple hospitals and sufficiently researched directors with extensive careers and actual surgical experience before deciding. Of course, I am not writing this to conclude that the current result is entirely someone's fault. I also believe my original breast conditions and individual characteristics may have had an effect. However, nearly a year later, my satisfaction from my own perspective is honestly not high, and this experience taught me that who performs the surgery can greatly influence both the result and satisfaction.
At my first consultation, the director recommended Motiva, so I decided on Motiva. Later, I suddenly received a call saying that the Motiva size was unavailable. I was confused, and the director persuaded me to choose Mentor instead, saying that if capsular contracture occurred, they would perform revision surgery free of charge, charging only the anesthesia fee. So I simply decided on Mentor. But about four months ago, my breasts had become much harder than before and the pain persisted, so I became very worried about capsular contracture and underwent an ultrasound examination by the director at Fore. Fortunately, I was told that the ultrasound did not show any clear signs of contracture... I felt relieved then, but I still have pain and am worried, so I plan to undergo another examination at a specialized breast clinic.
In any case, I recently experienced a personal medical mishap and am so exhausted that I do not even want anyone to touch my body again. For now, I have no plans for revision surgery. However, I am deeply disappointed with the breast shape, the nipple pain and complete loss of sexual sensation, the experience of a thread protruding from the incision and the resulting scar, and the large difference between what I expected before surgery and the actual result. Honestly, even if capsular contracture occurred, I would not want revision surgery at the same hospital.
Those preparing for or researching breast surgery should visit and thoroughly research several hospitals, receive sufficient consultations at multiple hospitals, and carefully confirm how much improvement is possible with implants alone; what result can be expected given their breast shape and skin condition; whether the surgeon honestly explains possible complications and limitations; whether the surgeon's aesthetic sense matches their own; and how the hospital will take responsibility and provide care if expected changes or problems arise after surgery. Please make your decision carefully only after checking all of this.
After going through this experience, my greatest remaining regret is that I should have researched more slowly and carefully and looked more broadly into directors with extensive careers and real surgical experience before deciding.
This review is based solely on my personal experience and subjective assessment after undergoing surgery myself and observing the progress for nearly a year. It does not mean that other people will have the same result. I am writing it because I want to leave my experience exactly as it was. I hope it helps, even a little.