Mastopexy with or w/o implants = HELP!

Dogsneverlie

Hi - posted a few times about insurance declining FG for left radiated breast and that I was meeting with the Chief of PS for options. After exam, he told me due to loss of tissue/volume (half of breast tissue gone) he would not recommend FG for me - he said I would not be happy and he has been using FG for six years; he said it works best for addition to implants and if there are dents or ripples/fillers that need to be fixed. Instead he said that he would like to do a breast lift to improve asymmetry and do a reduction on the healthy breast. He said by doing this I would be very happy with the results.

Of course I said "I have small breasts as it is, not sure I would like being so small, I know that they would certainly look normal but they would be small". I am normally about a B cup and am guessing I would drop to an A cup..........which might not be toooooo bad but I am not petite - personally I think smaller breasts look nice on an athletic or petite frame - I am kind of stocky like my dad! He said he could add small implants if I wanted to for a slightly larger breast volume but that I did not need to.

I am in a pickle..........I don't want to go thru the procedure and then be sad/unhappy about the size but I have always thought to myself I would only do implants if I ever needed a mastectomy.

He is positive insurance will approve this procedure with or without implants.

Any comment/info or experience would really be greatly appreciated.

THANK YOU!!!!!

kareenie

find someone who is willing to do fat grafting and then fight your insurance to get approval.

Ami1026

Hi Dogs - I had a UMX for DCIS, and had the same fears as you about not wanting to be unhappy with a smaller size (I had large breasts to begin with.)  My PS also gave me the option of a lift/reduction on my natural side for symmetry, or if I wanted to stay approximately the same size as I was pre-BC, I could move to a larger implant on the MX side and a lift/implant on the natural side.  This is what I chose, and I am very very happy with it.  I feel like the implant on the natural side creates a better visual match with the implant on the MX side aesthetically.  Beware though, although I am technically the same bra size (34D) as I was before, they are obviously higher, perkier and fuller and look a lot bigger than they did!  However, my PS has done an amazing job, and no one can tell that anything was ever wrong.  To be fair, I have had numerous surgeries - had to have the natural side lift re-done twice, have had 3 rounds of fat-grafting, had nipple recon (it flattened), had dermal filler injected to fill the nipple (love it) and the areola tattoo (also amazing.)  seriously, you cant tell I ever had a mastectomy...I have a few light scars, but all considered it looks great.  It all depends on what you are looking for and what is important to you.  fight for what you want. :-)

Dogsneverlie

Ami - thank you so much for sharing, I truly appreciate it.  Your info helps me mentally prepare for the possibility of some follow up procedures - my PS said there is always a possibility because you just don't know 100% if some touch up might be needed.  I have pendulous breasts so I am pretty sure that I will be shocked and amazed at the lift and will need to get used to that!  When you had the lift, did your PS do the keyhole approach?  That is what I will need - I understand there will be scarring but I am OK with that, I would rather have the scarring versus what I have now.

Kareenie:  Thank you for responding - while I would have loved to just have the fat grafting done, due to the surgeries and radiation my breast is really out of shape and the nipple points way down.  The PS showed me and my husband how the lift would correct the positioning and I could just do the lift and reduction but I don't want to be smaller than I already am.  I don't plan to go larger, will try to stay as close to a full B cup as I can but as Ami mentioned, they will probably still appear larger due to positioning, etc.