*I copied over a post I wrote on another forum to share the information*
I got about 320cc of textured teardrop-shaped implants in 2012. I don’t remember the manufacturer, and the amount was different on each side, but I can’t remember the exact numbers. I had them removed in the summer of 2016, in my 5th year.
It’s already been more than 3 years since I had them removed. Both the insertion and removal were done through the inframammary fold. The scars are not severe, but other people who have had surgery would probably notice them..?
The reason for removal was delayed capsular contracture.
At first, I was swayed by the doctor’s words that I should make them as big as possible to avoid regret later, and that teardrop implants have a set shape so even if you put in the maximum amount they won’t look unnatural, so I put in the largest size I could get. And I regretted that, and I still do. (I’m not trying to blame the doctor. In the end, it was my decision.)
At first I was so, so, so, so, so, so happy to finally have breasts, something that had been a lifelong stress for me. During recovery, the pain and the difficulty moving were all no big deal. I’m 165 cm tall and have a fairly solid build, and I always thought it was unfair that if I was going to have no breasts, I should at least be slim and delicate, or if I was going to have a larger build, then my breasts should be large too. On top of that, I have a barrel chest and wide-set breasts, so even if I gathered them together with a bra like everyone else, one arms-up stretch and all that effort would come to nothing and they would spread out again~~~~
But after the surgery, there were several problems.
1. Even after the swelling went down, the upper part of my breasts never dropped. You could not see the teardrop shape at all, and from the side the upper breast looked larger than the lower breast. So I went back to the hospital for a consultation, but they said it was fine and that it turned out well. They said my nipples were naturally low-set, the pocket space was narrow, and my skin elasticity was good, so that was why... I also worked hard on wearing the upper band, but in the end it did not improve much. It did get better over time, but the upper fullness never completely disappeared.
To make matters worse, the inframammary folds on the left and right were different, so the nipple heights were different too. That meant the upper fullness on the left was more severe, and the left breast even looked as if the teardrop implant had rotated. When I mentioned this problem, they said it was because my nipple heights were different to begin with. Then I thought they should have adjusted it during surgery, or at least asked me beforehand how I wanted it done... haha
The upper fullness was there, and the nipples were low, so from the side the nipples were not at the highest point of the breast but in the shadowed area.
I chose teardrop implants because I wanted a teardrop shape, but there was no such shape to be found. For a natural look, when standing, the breasts should drop a little and there should be some folding of the tissue under the breast. Mine had absolutely zero skin touching skin. It was a really taut, completely full breast all the way up to the upper breast.
2. My breasts, which had been packed in as much as possible, were so tight that for more than half a year my outer breast area (toward the side of my torso) and nipples hurt so much that I could not even touch them, let alone wear a bra. (It seemed like it was from the skin stretching.) It was like when you have body aches and you touch the skin surface and get goosebumps with a sharp, stingy pain? That kind of pain continued.
I tend to be pretty insensitive, so I just thought time would make it better, and it did get better eventually, but even now, after removal, I have no nipple sensation. No matter who touches them, I barely notice (*-_-*) The only thing I can still feel is pain, that is, nociception. If a nerve has been completely severed, not just damaged, it will never come back.
3. I already wore size 55 half to 66 clothes, and having to wear size 77 because of my breasts was also stressful. It was not just that my bust got a little bigger. The size itself became completely different, and I already had a fairly solid build, so making my breasts as large as possible made it hard to find clothes that fit in the first place. (Back then there were not many big-size malls like there are now.)
Looking back, I think it was a surgery that did not consider my body type in many ways. Even so, I did end up with breasts, and I am not the type to be that sensitive, so I spent several years like that. But then one day, the upper fullness in my left breast seemed to get worse and worse. Since it had been a long time since the surgery, I went in for an ultrasound as a checkup, and it turned out that there was inflammation exactly where I had felt something was wrong, fluid had collected there, and contracture was also progressing.
So I was trying to figure out what to do, and I went to get a consultation at a well-known revision clinic in Bundang that specializes in contracture. They told me it was not very severe, and that if I had revision surgery, because the pocket had already been opened and because tissue would be lost during removal, they would probably need to put in a larger implant, or at minimum the implant size would have to be the same as the current one, so it would be hard to reduce the discomfort I was feeling. They suggested trying to control it as much as possible with medication instead. (They were really kind and gave me a very human consultation. I only consulted there, but I was very grateful. After posting, I looked it up and the hospital still seems to exist, but there is almost no information about it.)
When I thought about it, I started to feel like maybe I had been forcing myself into shoes that did not fit me. Even if I had revision surgery or controlled the inflammation this time, there was no guarantee the same problem would not happen again.
So I decided to have them removed, and I had the removal done at the hospital where I had the original surgery. (I remember the consultation coordinator was very sorry about it.) Ah, I remember they said I did not need capsule removal, so I did not have it done, but I am not exactly sure.
My review after removal is:
1. From right after the surgery, my body felt so much lighter, the shoulder pain just disappeared immediately, and unlike when I had implants, the recovery period was not long. It really felt like I had returned to my own body.
2. My size increased compared to before surgery. At first I thought the area where the implants had been would be compressed tightly with bandages and end flat, but the tissue gradually filled in. By around 3 months, I could get cleavage when wearing an Emaphil Chomori bra (I could not even do that before surgery). The funny thing is that the upper fullness became even worse, the shape was even less attractive, and in the end the left side where the inflammation had occurred is now larger. I think it probably stretched a bit more because of that inflammation haha
But the shape is absolutely not pretty, and because the breast pocket opens all the way to the side of the torso, there is no boundary at all between the underarm fat and the breast. And it has sagged a lot haha. There is no upper breast at all, and the tissue has gathered underneath, making exactly that sagging-breast shape... haha
When I go bra shopping, I do not need anything that gathers or pushes up. I would just be happy if it could simply hold my breasts properly. But the area is so wide that the cup size goes up to C-D, while the actual volume does not match, so even with padding it still looks empty. Anyway, when I buy and wear bras like that, it feels like I am forcing on a padded bra and pretending haha So these days I only wear bralettes, and if you calculate purely from my underbust and bust measurements, I am about an 80 B to C.
Even just gathering them with my hands, they look full and pretty, but when I let go...
3. This is the advantage I like most. My breasts are soft.. and warm. When I realized that, I almost teared up. It felt so... like this really is my body now haha
When I had implants, they were firm and cold, but to be honest, I did not really notice it that much then. But after removal, having breasts that are entirely just my own skin feels so warm and soft and so good. I end up kneading them by myself at home haha
So, to answer whether I regret the surgery itself in the end, I do not regret the surgery itself.
I spent over ten million won and went through a lot in many ways, but I still got to live several years of my life as someone with breasts, and I was happy. In fact, my breasts were so full that even in a wire-free halter-neck bikini, or with only nipple covers on, I could take photos with a pretty shape haha
People around me sometimes ask me, since I wanted breast surgery and have both had implants and had them removed, what I think. So I tell them that even if you have to go through that much pain, suffering, scarring, and maybe even the worst-case scenario of things going more wrong than I did, if you feel that you would rather die in surgery with breasts than live without them, then go ahead and do it. (That was how I felt, which is why I had the surgery.) If the situation allows it, we should try the things we want to try and live our lives that way.
But I do regret that it might have been better if I had started with a slightly smaller size and made it more natural from the beginning. If I had done that, I think my satisfaction would have been higher too, and I might even have had revision surgery for capsular contracture or inflammation.
+ Ah, one more thing!
My mother also had fat grafting for the same complex, but I would recommend implants instead of fat grafting. She suffered a lot wearing full-body compression garments because of the areas where fat was harvested. They say liposuction is good, but even if you go somewhere and have it done, it still becomes lumpy, and the areas where fat is taken for surgery become even lumpier. On top of that, the fat retention rate is low, so now nothing is left (ta-da-)
Also, because she is older now, when she went for breast cancer screening, the fat that had neither dissolved nor survived grafting had clumped together and calcified, and they found as many as 7 stones. (She thought they were lumps, so she even had a detailed examination.) She was also told that if she ever developed actual breast cancer or another lump later on, surgery itself would be difficult because those fats of different densities were tangled together!
I hope this helps even a little to anyone who is worrying about these things. Thank you for reading!
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