Unhappy with Silicone implants-anyone ever switch them out for Saline?

SamuraiMom said:

Saline v. Silicone
Hi Kari,

Thanks so much for responding.

After trolling the internet for hours I had very little luck finding before and after photos of reconstruction patients with saline. Most photos out there are of augmentation not reconstruction. OR reconstruction with silicone.

But when all is said and done and another conversation with my plastic surgeon, I've decided to swap them out for saline. The flatness of the silicone doesn't give me the look I want. I've seen silicone on other reconstruction photos and they looked great but those were all on very petite people.

I'm at a 750 cc silicone and the feedback I've gotten is that I look flat. Mind you I am 195 pounds so I think that makes a HUGE difference in outcome.

To me, the silicone implant looks like a flat hamburger bun that never really looks outward and round on my particular body type.

In talking to other women with saline implants they say they are not as soft as silicone.

Lucky for me I have two dear friends with saline implants who let me have a poke.

They were equally as soft as the silicone. (both have had them for over a year so they had really settled in)


I struggled with the whole,"I should be happy to be alive and have made it through two major surgeries-so let it go-be happy with it all and move on with a nice push-up bra" phase only to come to this final conclusion.

If I don't feel sexy on the outside, I won't feel it inside. I just turned 40 last October and have just realized the importance of not settling in this arena.


I've decided to go to a saline implant with an external port. A week after the surgery and as many times as I see fit, I can go into the office and have the saline implants filled until I get the desired look all while I'm awake vs. the surprise results after surgery with pre-filled saline/silicone implants.

The control freak in me really likes to have that kind of input and ability to make post-op changes without additional surgeries.

After all, this seems to be one thing I CAN control now after this whole breast cancer nightmare!

I have vowed however to take pictures of my saline breasts AND my silicone breasts and post them on the internet (no face shot of course!) to hopefully help other women my size come up with their own conclusions.

Wish me luck and all the luck to you in your journey!

Love,

JoJo

SamuraiMom said:

What I hate most about this experience is that it has taken my optimism and replaced it with realism. A control freak like myself has finally given in to stop expecting a certain result and now to expect that anything can happen and be ready to roll in either direction-happy, sad, up, down, sideways and inside out.

Found out the saline implants I was so excited about to replace the silicone are no longer in production.

I know that I should take it as a sign that better to find out now that they weren't that great than later, but man oh man I wanted to have the control of filling them each week until I got the result. They were a control freak's dream come true.

I finally felt like this was the one thing I had control over in the process. I was amazed, excited and relieved.

So am I back to the reality of waking up from another reconstruction with the surprise ending.

I have to go through with it because I'm so unhappy with the silicone.

Two steps forward...sorry to moan.

Anyone out there been through mulitple reconstructions?

SamuraiMom said:

Breast Petals
Hi Cindy,
Do what feels right. I decided to keep my silicone after almost swapping them for saline. The softness factor played a big factor for me.I will tell you though I hated my silicone at the same point you are now. My surgery was 3-9-10 and now I'm feeling really positive about keeping them. They've settled in and look totally different. Week to week they continue to look better. Be patient before you jump back in to another surgery. If you don't have nipples, try breast petals (lingerie section at Macy's). It helped me visualize better vs. focusing on the huge scar down the front.
I know how you're feeling. Just keep talking to people...you'll figure it out. After all, YOU are the one who has to live with them.
XXOO

carkris said:

then a link to read
then a link to read more:


Women prefer silicone to saline after mastectomy

Mon, Nov 8 2010

By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who have breast reconstruction after cancer surgery tend to be happier with the cosmetic results of silicone implants than with saline-filled ones, a study published Monday suggests.
Silicone breast implants have had a troubled history. In 1992, the U.S. put limits on their use, over concerns that the devices could leak and potentially contribute to cancer or autoimmune disorders such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. But studies since then, including a report from the Institute of Medicine, an advisory panel to the U.S. government, have concluded that there is no clear link between silicone implants and those diseases.
In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved widespread use of two brands of silicone gel-filled implants for breast reconstruction and cosmetic breast augmentation.
Surgeons have long held that silicone implants produce better cosmetic results than saline-filled varieties. But it has not been clear what patients think, said Dr. Colleen M. McCarthy, a surgeon at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center iand the lead researcher on the new study.

link.reuters.com/zeg44q