TE size vs. implant size

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Lynn77
Lynn77 Member Posts: 18
edited August 2019 in Breast Reconstruction

Hi everyone,

My changeout surgery is coming up and I'm more confused than ever re: what size implant to get. My tissue expanders are filled to 440cc, and although I like the size, they sit too far apart. I don't know if a smaller size implant is the way to go, and what projection would be best. I told my PS that I would like them to be closer together and he said he will try to move the pockets to achieve that.

Would love to hear if anyone had a similar issue with their TE's being too close to their armpits!!

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  • OnTarget
    OnTarget Member Posts: 447
    edited August 2019

    I'm not an expert on this at all! But my PS said he'll be moving mine a little closer together on exchange but not too much so I don't get mono-boob. I do know a woman who got very large implants after BC, and her sternum skin unstuck from its underlayment and she has mono-boob.

    Mine are filled to 500cc's right now and I'm planning to have about the same size smooth rounds put in. Everyone swears they'll look better and won't be too much in my armpits. Now to just wait and see!

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  • Lynn77
    Lynn77 Member Posts: 18
    edited August 2019

    Hi OnTarget,

    Yes, somewhere between mono-boob and armpit boobs would be good :)

    How long have you had your tissue expanders in? - I wish you all the best with your surgery

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  • hodgepodge
    hodgepodge Member Posts: 92
    edited August 2019

    Oh my goodness! I've been feeling the same way about armpit boobs. I've given up hope that I'll ever have "cleavage" again. :( But either way... that's gotta be better than mono-boob. I hadn't heard about that before!

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  • OnTarget
    OnTarget Member Posts: 447
    edited August 2019

    Lynn77,

    I've had my TE's in since mid April. I've finally come to terms with them. They don't hurt on their own, but the filling process made them dig into my muscles which hurt a lot. Now they're totally filled up and they're just hanging out and the skin is relaxing.

    I'm doing chemo for a few months, so I'll have the exchange after.

    I don't think my TE's look that bad. They're a little weird shaped, sure, but overall not horrible. My 2nd opinion oncologist saw them and said that they look really good, so that made my day!

    From my reading, the implants will not project as much as the TE's, but you can check online for the stats from the manufacturer to see what your TE projection is vs the final implants. One thing to note though, if you get your TE's overfilled, they do start projecting more than their statistics, so that will make some sort of difference I'm sure. My TE's are overfilled 100cc right now.

    I'm pretty happy with the size of my TE's, and my PS let me hold some of the potential implants. The 450 was smaller than I wanted, and the 550 just felt too wide. So we decided on approximately 500cc's. The Allergan Inspiras don't come in 500cc's, but my PS knows the look I'm going for, so he'll try the 485's or the 520's.

    I wish I could have done the soft touch, but my PS did a great job of explaining why they won't work. I don't have enough fat, and they would look really rippled. He demonstrated what it would look like and I was totally sold on getting the cohesives after that!

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  • Lynn77
    Lynn77 Member Posts: 18
    edited August 2019

    hi OnTarget

    Thank you so much for the info. Yeah, mine are overfilled as well. Next I see my PS I definitely want to see what the actual implants look like. I had seen them before my DMX but my mind wasn't focusing on them at that point.

    I will have to worry about the puckering because I'm going with saline instead of silicone because I have AUTO immune. It seems like this orocess will never be over.

    I hope your surgery goes great!!

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  • OnTarget
    OnTarget Member Posts: 447
    edited August 2019

    Thanks Lynn77, you too!!

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  • ipenelope
    ipenelope Member Posts: 301
    edited August 2019

    lynn- I had my exchange surgery done on June 13th and my left breast area, cancer side, the breast was not placed middle due to tissue loss and my surgeon wasn't able to correct the aloderm so she used fat grafting to the middle of the breast and gave me the roundness and cleavage that way. She also told me my ribs were flatter on that side so that's why my breast kept going out. I can hardly feel or see the difference between the 2 sides now. I did have a bilateral mastectomy.

    I hope all you ladies have a great week and keep kicking cancer's ass!!🥊🥊

    ~Katie💗

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