Hey friends! If you saw my IG post about the BA surgery I got last year, I’m here to answer all the common questions I’ve gotten and create a preface for later, as a ton of ladies have asked about breastfeeding with implants. Most of the women asking are curious because we have all been told time and time again to wait until after having kids to get implants. I can’t find much info online from women who’ve gone through this, so I’ll be one of the first to share my experience because I know I would want to know. Here’s why I didn’t wait until having kids: I wasn’t planning on getting pregnant for at least ten years after surgery. Every 10-20 years, it’s even suggested by some doctors to get them redone. I figured if I got them now, I’d get them redone right after having a child and it would be no biggie. Well, that changed faster than I expected, so now I can share with you what it’ll be like after, and if it’s really worth waiting until after or not. The blog today will be about all the questions from surgery, and nothing about pregnancy, since nothing has really changed much yet, except a few stretch marks that I’m combating with this.
How did I choose a doctor? – I asked friends who had the surgery done where they went and if they had a good experience, and I researched on RealSelf. I interviewed three different surgeons and ended up going with a doctor that several other women I knew went to and had a good experience with. It’s also to make sure they are board certified surgeons. If an augmentation is less than $5000, it’s probably not a good idea to go with that doctor. You get what you pay for, and this is a serious surgery.
How much did it cost? – My surgery total was $7,500. However, I got a discount of $500 for being a referral from my friends. This included all the pre-surgery and post-op visits, and surgery medications. Pain medications afterwards were not included in this. Paid for most of it upfront in cash and did a financing option through Care Credit for a small amount that remained. If you look into it you will see that they offer a lot of promo deals, but you HAVE TO pay it off by the promo period or else you get smacked with interest from the entire year/6 mos. I paid more than the minimum due each month to ensure this didn’t happen, and planned for it budget wise. However, I would recommend just saving up and paying cash in full if possible. I luckily paid off my balances before Coronavirus hit and the economy dropped, but you never know when something like that could happen, so best case scenario is paying for it right away or if you want to build credit then you could still save up, but pay it off the credit right after you use it.
How much time did I need off of work? – I took 7 days off. I got my surgery on a Thursday and planned only to take off through the weekend, but Monday I was still in a lot of pain and just getting back together. I think I could’ve managed by Tuesday, but I didn’t have any sessions scheduled just in case, and ended up going back the next Thursday. Being a personal trainer, I’m on my feet and moving around a lot. I think if you work a desk job you could go back after 3-4 days. I know some women go back right after, but you’re in a lot of pain and typically tired, especially if you use muscle relaxers or pain meds after surgery.
When could I workout again? – I started light cardio with the OK from my doctor after two weeks, and light legs after 4 weeks. Upper body couldn’t be touched until 6 weeks post-op, as well as jumping/running. They were still a little sore and certain movements felt weird for about 6 months. Back exercises, chest exercises, running, jumping, and planks are all a little weird right away. I don’t recommend training anything on chest other than upper chest after implants because it will push them apart and you will have a bigger gap between your breasts.
How much pain was I in? – I was SO nervous for the pain. But it was surprisingly not that bad at all. It felt tight and sore more than painful. Here and there would be a twinge of pain, but it isn’t all that bad. The worst thing for me was nauseousness from anesthetics and pain meds. I got off all of that after two days because it kept making me sick and I could barely eat. You definitely feel pain, and it’s worst the first 3 days, each day getting better and better, and within 4-6 days you’ll feel pretty normal again for having just had such a big surgery. Arms overhead and opening doors can be challenging for a little while, just don’t push it if you feel any pain and have someone with you for several days after.
Did I need help from anyone? – Yes x9024801971039. You cannot do this surgery alone. They will put you under for the surgery and you’ll be very loopy after. You need someone to drive you home, feed you, help you use the bathroom (seriously haha), eat, drink, get up and out of bed, adjust pillows, make sure you take your meds every few hours, etc. You will also need someone to help you shower because you can’t put your arms over your head. I think the first shower I had was like the worst shower I’ve ever taken haha. I was really uncomfortable and everything was tender. They get better after that first one, but you’ll need help showering for about a week or so.
How long does the surgery take? – I was in and out of the facility in 4-6 hours. Surgery probably took 1 hour, but there was pre-op things to do, and they wait until you wake up and walk around to let you leave.
What about breast implant illness? I studied breast implant illness heavily before I considered such a big and invasive surgery. My understanding of it is that each individual person has a threshold of toxicity in their body before they were go over the edge and into this illness. For some women, it happens right away, some 10 years later, and some never have anything happen. It’s highly dependent on your toxic threshold. If you are relatively healthy and use non-toxic products, that can lower your risk as well. I took the chance, because it’s something I wanted to do forever, and if that ends up happening in my future, then so be it. I’m very happy with my decision and I’ve felt amazing since, no issues at all. To each their own!
What size did I get/how to choose a size? – You can’t just choose a cup size. Everything is measured in CCs. 300 CCs on a taller or wider frame would likely come out to a smaller cup size than a shorter or narrower body. It is different for everyone. They will measure your body to see what range will look best on your specific body type. Most doctors will recommend you stay within a certain range. Heads up – if you want them to be big, many doctors will conservatively give you a range that might not be as big as you want. My doctor said the biggest I should go is 400CC, I jumped up to 425CC two weeks before my surgery because I didn’t want to regret going too small (a common regret women say after), and it was worth the jump. He said they would be a little big, but to me they are actually perfect for what I wanted, and they fit my body very well. So just check around with a few doctors to see who is more or less conservative about it and maybe check with other girls with similar frames to you as well. I personally jumped up about 4 cup sizes, but was super flat beforehand. Also sometimes women will need different sizes in each breast – this is SO normal so don’t feel weird about it if that’s you. Pretty much everyone has a bigger and smaller breast, some people it’s not noticeable and some people it is, your doctor will be able to even that out if you wanted. Mine were close together so I did the same size, but one was noticeably tighter and more sore after (the smaller one naturally.) Another thing I forgot to add is that you can choose between Saline and Silicone (and gummy bear), and where they are placed (over or under the muscle). I would suggest researching these things yourself to see what you personally like best, but I did Silicone/Under the muscle. I personally liked the silicone ones better because of the sturdiness aspect (they can’t leak if they tear) and under the muscle because it looks more natural, especially when you’re really lean!
Did I need a bunch of new clothes? – Actually no. Most things still fit. Tighter tops needed to be replaced and sports bras/real bras did as well.
Do you need to wear a bra all the time? – You should, especially right away. You’ll want to wear your surgical bra for 2-6 weeks, depending on what your doc says. I found it the most comfortable though and wore it for like several months. It’s very supportive. You’ll want to keep supportive bras on all the time to keep them in quality shape, even at night. Occasionally I take it off for comfort, and when the nerve pain was worse it was hard to have a bra on 24/7, so listen to your body when you need it!
Do you still have scars? – Yes, eventually your breasts “drop” and cover up the scars, however being that I am really lightskinned, my scars are pretty dark, kind blue/purple colored. I haven’t tried much to lighten them because they’re so covered up, but I’ve heard of people getting good results from ScarAway Strips and Bio Oil. I used them both for a few months and they helped, just got out of the habit now.
How long do scars take to heal? – I can’t remember exactly when they fully healed, but I had to leave tape on them for at least 3-4 weeks. No swimming or anything during this time. I think around 4-6 weeks I started swimming again and could take the tape off, I replaced the tape with Scar Away strips for a could months and by month 3 they were pretty normal. You also want to massage your scars with bio oil or lotion to help break up the scar tissues afterwards. It feels weird, kinda like a rope under your skin, and sounds crunchy haha! But it gets better and eventually the skin will feel normal again.
How long does the pain take to heal/go away? – Physical pain took about 1 month to fully subside, nerve pain got better after 2 months, but hung around for about 6 months. My doctor said it can take up to a year for nerve pain to come back fully. Your breasts are kind of numb right away too, so if you have an itch you really can’t scratch it until the nerves come back… such a weird feeling!
Is it normal for them to look weird right away? – YES! They can look square or like “torpedos” for a few days. The first week or two, they really won’t look “normal”. Give them time! They’ll look amazing after 4 weeks, and they’ll drop after that. Around 4-6 months is when they’ll settle to what they really will look like forever.
Questions? – Did I miss anything? If I did, reach out. I’ll add it onto this!
Thanks for reading! 😊
Resilient & Radiant 