BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101

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  • annemarieh
    annemarieh Member Posts: 140
    edited November 2012

    Goodmorning Grier! I too am getting Sientra implants. Right now I have Natrelle TE. (I still have not discussed what shape of implants yet). Going back into OR friday to have some necrotic tissue removed. Good luck!!

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  • julee_stayin_strong
    julee_stayin_strong Member Posts: 52
    edited November 2012

    Going in for my second fill today. I'm wondering about all the excess fat i have under my armpit, i am over weight, but is this just excess swelling or am i going to have a "mini-muffin top" under my arm??? i am only 3wks out of surgery. it seems like my boob is just to the side, maybe it is too soon to really tell??? let me know what you guys think. THANK YOU!!!Laughing

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  • sherry67
    sherry67 Member Posts: 556
    edited November 2012

    Grier,

    I'm getting sientra implants and do not have there expanders...good luck

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  • Layla2525
    Layla2525 Member Posts: 827
    edited November 2012

    How can a person get the tear drop gummy bears? Are they approved for use in USA?

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  • Chantal10
    Chantal10 Member Posts: 105
    edited November 2012

    Hi layla2525, yes, they are approved since April, at least in California, but I believe it's nationwide, actually sure of it. You have to weigh pros and cons. Silicon, softer, not as "heavy", but can ripple, esp if you are thin or thin chested.. The tear drops are much firmer, "heavier", and can, but not always, rotate and they generally lessen the ripple factor.

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  • cailindearg
    cailindearg Member Posts: 101
    edited November 2012

    I just got the tear drop silicone Sientra implants 2 weeks ago. I'm assuming they are the same as "gummy bears", they are approved in the US. Originally my PS was talking about saline implants but I said I was interested in these silicone "tear drop" shaped implants. He just ordered them and my insurance approved it. I think they became available in the spring of this year.

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  • Merlcat
    Merlcat Member Posts: 177
    edited November 2012

    Woohoo! I am SO excited...PS is pleased with my healing and ROM, filled another 60 ccs and now PS, husband and I are please with size, SO January 23/13, I am having this brick of a TE replaced with cohesive gel implant, fat grafting ( yay, I get to ditch the little wad of fat I have at the top of my leg near my hip) and a lift on the other side

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  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,920
    edited November 2012

    Nicole: I need your TE information. Please read #3 in the thread header.

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  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,920
    edited November 2012

    Chantal: I do not think you are a good candidate for gummies, now that you have had silicone rounds. Some of the principal investigators and users of the gummies feel that in a woman who previously had rounds, the anatomicals just were not rendering a satisfactory result. I am wondering if the pockets are too large for the implants. What volume and STYLE do you have currently? What volume and style of TEs did you have? Maybe we can figure this out.

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  • Nicole4
    Nicole4 Member Posts: 104
    edited February 2015

    thanks :)

    I am 5'5", 124 lbs, ribcage measurement 32.5

    tissue expander 133 MV 12 (I think they are Allergan)

    at surgery the planwas to fill 60cc, but they could only do 30 cc, they said I am too thin and that my skin was turning purple, so they took some out leaving 30 cc in each one.

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  • Estel
    Estel Member Posts: 3,353
    edited December 2012

    Nicole - I'm about your size...they put 50cc's in me at first and I was really tight.



    Remember as you go through the fill process they can take it out anytime if it hurts too badly. I found muscle relaxers to be more helpful than narcotics for pain (Flexeril or Valium). But we all are different.



    You're in the best place for support, advice and encouragement.

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  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,920
    edited December 2012

    Nicole:  Let's see how you do with subsequent fills.  A Style 20 HP implant with a volume of 425 ccs would be the very minimum I would recommend for you in terms of implant volume.  But I would like for you to report back with future fills and let us know how you are doing and how your skin is doing as you expand.  It also would be possible to go with a Style 15, which is a midrange projection implant - with a volume of around 371 ccs.

    Deborah

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  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,920
    edited December 2012

    julee:  The additional adipose tissue lateral to the TEs, which I fondly think of as "mud flaps" - is partially a gift from the mastectomy - a defect created by the MX - and SHOULD be addressed as a revision at the time of the exchange or three months after the exchange.  Ample ribcages tend to have a greater chance of ending up with the mud flaps.  You could endeavor to lose a bit of weight over the next few months and then see what remains.  Then, it is a matter of liposuction for the remainder and/or some excising of the redundant skin.  But weight loss really seems to help in this regard the most and it also is a major incentive for all of us, as it just can help the future implants look better on the chest wall. 

    Deborah

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  • Layla2525
    Layla2525 Member Posts: 827
    edited December 2012

    Thx Chantal,its fascinating to hear the progress of the gummy bears and such.

    I got smooth Mentor gels but they havent quite turned out like I thought. I am getting used to my Barbie chest but fiance who was fine with all of it,now has taken to drinking a lot and that leads to no fun undercover if you get my drift. I have never been around alcoholics so not sure what to do. Thinkg of callg the psychol they sent me to after the bmx. I sat there with a smile on my face all the time wanting to cry. How could a man possibly understand?

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  • Estel
    Estel Member Posts: 3,353
    edited December 2012

    Layla- call and talk to someone. You don't say this but if there is a hint of this in your mind that somehow his drinking is your fault...that isn't true. Call and talk to someone!



    Hugs to you! And I hope with time you are with happy with your results. Few of us were happy with what we looked like right away. I don't remember how long it's been since your exchange but know that they will settle and months down the road if you're still not happy...you have options. Many have gone back for tweaks or revisions.



    Love to you. Praying for you. Call someone! xo

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  • blackcat2012
    blackcat2012 Member Posts: 242
    edited December 2012

    I am scheduled for a uni-mx with immediate reconstruction and reduction as I am a 38-I. My question is if I go down to say a C cup and I lose weight as I am 180 lbs and I am supposed to be like 110 lbs, will I end up lopsided???

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  • hawaiik
    hawaiik Member Posts: 69
    edited December 2012

    Aloha Ladies,

    Home from the hospital today,feeling pretty good considering. Stayed just 1 night. Nothing at all like the pain from the BMX. I did not have expanders instead had direct to implant saline Mentor smooth round adjustable's, same time as BMX.



    Yesterday Almost 1 year later I Exchanged to silicone , had some scar tissue released, and some fat grafting. My foobs look even better now than they did with the saline . I have those pesky drains again , but PS says they should be out by Wednesday YAY!

    My PS took the fat from my abdomen lower and upper, and from my hip flanks.

    I didn't throw up this time either YAY! So I'm pretty sore from below my neck down to my hips but its doable with a few pain pills here and there .

    You ladies are great!

    Hawaiik

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  • Blessings2011
    Blessings2011 Member Posts: 4,276
    edited December 2012

    blackcat2012 - I was over 200 pounds when I had my BMX. I got big honkin' expanders that were appropriate to that body size, then I learned that my belly fat was contributing to the  estrogen production in my body. (I'm 100% ER+. ) I decided to lose weight, if for no other reason than to remove more estrogen from my body.

    I asked the PS what would happen if I had my exchange surgery and THEN lost weight, and he told me that the implant size would not change.

    "So I'd have stripper boobs, right?" I asked.

    "Well......." he answered.

    So right there I told him to stop my fills at 620 ccs.

    I postponed my Exchange surgery until I lost the weight. I entered a weight loss program (medically-supervised, at Kaiser) and for four months, was on a liquid diet, with another three months on restricted calories.

    I got skinny, but my TEs didn't. At Exchange, the PS ended up doing a lot of pocket work to make sure the smaller implants didn't move around in there (the TEs were wider) and I'm so glad he did.

    Here's my point - even though you will have a reduction on your non-cancerous side, breast tissue contains a lot of fatty tissue, and when you lose weight, you will lose fatty tissue. So yes, there is a possibility you could be lopsided, as 70 pounds is a considerable amount of weight to lose.

    So far I've lost 60 pounds, and more than 65 inches all over my body. I'm so glad I waited, because now my implants are the perfect size for my body.

    If you are planning on losing that much weight, you should definitely discuss this with your PS.

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  • blackcat2012
    blackcat2012 Member Posts: 242
    edited December 2012

    Thank you!!!

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  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,920
    edited December 2012

    blackcat:  I was hoping Blessings would answer this question and she has done so. 

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  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,920
    edited December 2012

    hawaiik:  Thank you for letting us know how you are doing.  As far as the drains are concerned, this too shall pass....

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  • hawaiik
    hawaiik Member Posts: 69
    edited December 2012

    Thanks whippetmom, and Thanks to all you lovely ladies .

    Hawaiik

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  • Poke
    Poke Member Posts: 225
    edited December 2012

    Hello everyone ... I am also looking for some guidance. I had my BMX with TE placed 8/27. I have had only two expansions ... I started with 100 cc, got a 50 cc and a 60 cc expansion so I'm currently at 210. 

    Asian, 5'4", 125 lbs

    Consult notes: "Small a-cup breast with no ptosis. 12 cm base and 6 cm nipple to fold distance."

    I could not locate a formal rib cage measurement, but I took one as best I could and came up with 30 inches.

    Mentor 350 mid-height TE placed. 

    I want to be a bit larger than I was, but it's hard for me to understand what the final outcome will be because the expanders just make me feel like a mutant. The expanders wrap around my sides slightly and it's hard to imagine. Of course, I'm interested in gummies, if I could get them, but from what I read a few pages back, this may not be possible due to the expander I have? I have also heard the true gummies are not yet available. A friend of mine has them, but she was in a clinical trial. I haven't talked about options with my PS yet, I'm trying to get through chemo before I start fretting over reconstruction.

    Any help is greatly appreciated :)

    Thanks, Melissa

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  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,920
    edited December 2012

    Po_ke: Describe for me the distance between implants in the cleavage area. I am trying to determine the placement of your TEs, in light of your "wrap-around" comment. I think you would, minimally, want around 425 ccs in a high profile smooth round silicone implant. You are correct about the true cohesive "gummies" still waiting for FDA approval. But there are Sientra tear drop shaped implants which are new on the scene and available now. It just all depends upon your surgeon - whether he/she can obtain them. Supply is not keeping up with demand. You will learn more when you discuss this with your PS. But keep me posted on the positioning of those TEs. We want to make sure they are not too laterally placed/malpositioned.



    Deborah

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  • Poke
    Poke Member Posts: 225
    edited December 2012

    I'm not sure if I totally understand ... there are 2 inches between them from what I can tell. Oh my, 425 sounds like so much! I could send you photos if it helps, just let me know your email address or private message me. What happens if they are misplaced? Thank you for your help.

    P.S. Upon investigation, maybe they don't "wrap" but just stick out on the sides. Keep in mind, I'm not used to having much going on down there :)

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  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,920
    edited December 2012

    Po_ke: Have sent you a private message....

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  • Blessings2011
    Blessings2011 Member Posts: 4,276
    edited December 2012

    Po-ke - perhaps what you're seeing/feeling is the dreaded "side boobs" that many of us get with TEs.

    In fact, at the end of my fills, it was impossible to sleep on my sides, because the TEs were so hard, and felt like they were under my armpits.

    I did actually have very large expanders in, but everything was fixed at the time of my exchange.

    Don't worry...whippetmom will guide you through the process, and give you the right questions to ask your PS.

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  • christine47
    christine47 Member Posts: 1,454
    edited December 2012

    Blessings, looks like you are becoming one of the new experts . It is so wonderful to see ladies willing to respond to others in need!! Hope all are well, crazy, I am done and happy, but still enjoy checking in on this and the exchange thread.

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  • Blessings2011
    Blessings2011 Member Posts: 4,276
    edited December 2012

    Aw, thanks for the kind words, Christine47 - but believe me, I am FAR from becoming any kind of expert on implants.

    I was a medical counselor in my past life, so explaining things in a clear manner comes easily to me.

    But the real expert is whippetmom. I can't even fathom how she has gained such incredible knowledge with regard to implant sizing and type! Plus, keeping track of everyone's stats, and looking up current data is really time consuming, and shows tremendous dedication on her part.

    I had the opportunity to ask her about this....her answer was that she had the background, and she performs this service out of love for those of us who are scared, confused, and need guidance. She blesses us all with her skill and her talent!

    SO glad you are done and happy, and VERY glad you continue to check in. The "Voice of Experience" can be a wonderful calming influence to newbies.

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  • Nicole4
    Nicole4 Member Posts: 104
    edited February 2015

    that is so amazing, I feel so blessed, thank you so much!  Xoxo 

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