Breast Implant Removal and Lift: A 6-Month Follow-Up

This month marks the 6-month anniversary of having my breast implants removed and a lift performed, also called breast explant and mastopexy.

If you are new to my blog, make sure to read My Decision to Remove My Breast Implants and What To Expect After Breast Explant Surgery. These posts will shed additional light on Breast Implant Illness (BII) and my journey.

Sitting here writing right now is very therapeutic and provides me the gift of self-reflection. It is my goal that offers you insight, information, and encouragement.

I remember how severe my BII symptoms were. The illness took over my life and I was in constant pain. Now that it has been 6 months since my surgery, the dust has settled and I can easily and clearly express my thoughts, feelings, and experiences. 

The photos here are of me embracing my new breasts. They are much smaller now and uneven. My surgery scars are evident and my stretch marks from nursing 3 kids are apparent.

This moment was a pivotal one because it was my first photoshoot since my surgery. It was a big deal for me! I am learning to embrace my skin – in its new state and to come out from the shadows.

Despite my insecurities, I did feel something quite powerful. I felt renewed and free. Removing my breast implants has given me a new lease on life. 

Here is a breakdown of changes I have experienced since having my breast implants removed and breast lift:

Inflammation: I used to have bad inflammation all over my body. It was in my face, breasts, and stomach and it was so painful. I looked like I was pregnant and my breasts felt like a ton of bricks. Now, the inflammation is gone except for the flare-ups related to PMS and eating trigger foods. I am so happy my tummy feels comfortable and is generally flat. 

Migraines: The migraines that came daily would put me out and render me useless! No more pounding and tension in my head since my surgery. No more hiding in my bedroom with all of the drapes closed. I did have a migraine for the first time a couple of days ago and that took me by surprise. It is related to PMS and not BII, thankfully. 

Brain Fog: Gone are the days when I struggled with thinking and speaking clearly. I had to exert so much effort to remember things and formulate my thoughts. I feel sharp and my head feels clear! I also feel I can drive safely now as brain fog was so distributive to daily living. 

Aches and Pains: Every single day my entire body was in pain! My back, my left shoulder, hips, breasts, belly, head, and knees. The pain in these areas has been reduced dramatically. The only aches and discomfort that I feel are self-inflicted from a good weight-lifting sesh at the gym and that is a good thing. It means I am building muscles and not feeling symptoms from BII. 

Yellow and Dry Eyes: My eyes were scary looking, actually I should say sad looking. Yellow, red veiny, dry, and puffy. Since, my surgery my eyes have looked clear and white. They are beautiful and you can see the life and vitality in my eyes.

Jaw Pain: I had terrible jaw pain that intensified dramatically the week or two before my surgery. I was really worried that I couldn’t even open my mouth wide enough for the NG tube to be placed in my mouth during the surgery procedure. My jaw pain has subsided greatly and since then my dentist has recommended a mouth guard that I need to remember to wear nightly. 

Energy Levels: The chronic fatigue, pain, and lethargy was awful! I am an active person and go the to gym every week consistently. I hated to cancel exercise sessions and events with family and friends because I simply had no energy. I hate having to slow down to minimize the pain from BII and survive the day. Now, I feel fabulous and most mornings I wake up ready to conquer the world. 

Physical Activity: Since my surgery, I have enjoyed all forms of exercise. I have been cleared to participate in all sports and activities. I challenge myself to get 10K steps daily and I hit the gym 4 to 5 times a week and weight train. I love it!

Sexual Health: Let’s just say, that when you don’t feel well, you don’t feel sexy! And for me, there is no way I would want to have sex when I feel ill and in pain. Need I say more? Now, I feel so much better and since healing, I have the energy and desire for intimacy. And it makes me feel special that my husband thinks my small breasts are beautiful. 

This list contains the most important changes in my health that improved dramatically after my breast explant. I could go on and on…but the take-home here is removing my breast implants has changed my life! 

I was excited to see if the fluff fairies would visit me after explantation. What is “fluffing”? Well, it is a term used to describe when your breast tissues expand and fill out during the healing process. Your breast tissues soften and fill out the skin which could make them look fuller and shapely. 

Some say fluffing happens around the 6 to 9-month mark of the healing process. Note, that apparently, it doesn’t happen to everyone. However, in all of the research and reading accounts of women who have had breast implants removed most experienced fluffing. 

My experience is that I did have the “fluff fairies” visit and my breast tissues have filled up quite nicely. Are they perky full and round like my augmented breasts? No, they are not. But, they look natural and lovely. 

It was not anything dramatic but occurred over time. My once deflated-looking breasts after surgery are now more full and round. However, I do want to share that I did have more breast tissue to work with as shared by my plastic surgeon. This extra breast tissue would allow me to have a nice shape and a more favorable outcome. So, I guess the annoying 15lbs weight gain since getting my breast augmented helped in this aspect. 

The Feels

The last few years have been exceptionally hard for me. I have been dealing with a lot of health issues! Last year, I had my ovarian cyst, left ovary, and fallopian tubes removed due to a large 8cm ovarian cyst growing. And then about 5 months later I had my breast explant surgery and lift. My poor body was going through so much. 

When you have health issues it affects you emotionally and your world is impacted negatively. My body and mind have gone through so much. From this experience, I have been stretched emotionally and spiritually. How I can let this serve me is seeing these trials as gifts.

I am learning to love my body and appreciate the power it has. The power to create life and heal itself. Leaning on a higher power, to guide and comfort me during this process and choose hope every day. 

To understand that life can be messy and complicated and that is okay. The goal is not perfection but it is to live in the present. To love my body in all of its stages and not to compare my body to others. 

My body is beautiful the way it is and caring for it is the greatest gift I could give myself. We are beautiful and powerful women, ladies!  Let’s not let the world, media, or worse the voices in our heads tell us otherwise. 

Scars Are Beautiful

My body is pretty scarred up. I have had many surgeries on my feet, my stomach, and my breasts. You can also call stretch marks scars too! The scars from my breast explant and lift, plus the scars of where the draining tubes were put are still evident. 

I know that I am just 6 months post-op and the color of my skin affects the healing process and outcome. To be completely vulnerable to you, my scars make me self-conscious and it shouldn’t. The other day in the ladies’ locker room instead of changing my clothes around other women I chose to do so in a private area. I was afraid to reveal my scars. I know this is something that I need to overcome. 

I should be using scar silicone strips and I have not been motivated to do it. I have done it before and they are so cumbersome. This morning I found some unused scar silicone strips and I may put them on today. In the meantime, I have been rubbing the excess of my skincare concoction of facial cream, Frankincense oil, and castor oil (amazing healing properties) on my scars. 

Final Thoughts

I have thought long and hard about do I regret getting implants and I have to say I don’t know. I am even afraid to type this as I fear the “BII police” coming for me. My breast tissue was non-existent and my breast skin was flat and stretched badly from nursing all of my 3 children. Choosing to have my breast done restored my confidence and self-esteem and it was what served me at the time. 

Now, almost 10 years later my breast implants were causing a terrible inflammatory response in my body and it was getting worse as the years went by. There was no amount of dietary or lifestyle changes I could implement that could fix it. I knew that the culprit was my breast implants and that they had to be removed. 

The ultimate goal is to heal. 

Do I recommend breast implant removal? Absolutely, yes! I feel so much better after getting them out of my body. I am also thankful that I found a remarkable surgeon who is good at what he does and believes in Breast Implant Illness. 

I am thankful to have a lovely husband who was by my side and a supportive family to help me. Even my sweet mom flew out and stayed in our home for quite some time to make sure my recovery was smooth and easy.

I do want to say that looking in the mirror the other day, I do miss fuller larger breasts. I can’t shake off the feeling. I am human and this is how I feel. But, feeling healthy and energized now is the best feeling ever and I am so glad to be on the other side of this journey! 

This experience is one that I was meant to take. To help me heal and fully love and embrace myself in my skin. 

Thank you for reading my story and I hope it helped you. Feel free to reach out to me for any questions. I would be happy to help and I invite you to share my story with any family or friends who you think could benefit from this.  Sending you love and good vibes!

For more information on Breast Implant Illness, please visit the following site below. They have been a tremendous source of help for me:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Healingbreastimplantillness

My beautiful photos were taken by my amazing cousin who is a professional photographer in Utah. Check out her work.