Breast implant removal... should I/ shouldn't I

[whistlingwinds]

I had breast implants when I was 18 and quite honestly, quite a vulnerable soul. Body image issues etc.

Now, approaching 30 and just having had my first baby (6 mths girl) I am really considering having them out...

My reasons being..

I am a completely different person now. Self confident, strong beliefs about the topic of the "sexualised woman".

And most importantly, I can't bare that when my little girl hits puberty she has thoughts about "Why don't mine look like mummy's?" Or for her to think surgery is necessary.

My mum and sister (2 other hugely influential l women in her life) also have breast implants and it's dawned on me how "normal" she will think this is.

Obviously I will have scars regardless which when she's old enough, I will explain my reasons for both procedures.

But i would love to show her that a woman can feel strong and womanly without turning to surgery.

My biggest worry is that following a very successful breastfeeding journey with her, an implant removal procedure might affect my ability to breastfeed further babies. any experiences with this greatly appreciated.

Would love to know thoughts / experiences. X

I was with you all the way until you said removing them might risk future breastfeeding. Personally that's something I wouldn't want to risk.

I must admit I don't know much about implants but I was under the impression that having them in the first place meant you couldn't breast feed. So I'm glad to hear you were able to!

Could you remove them later? Once you've had your children and completed breast feeding. Your daughter will be older by then too, and will better understand the issues and why you want then removed.

If you want to get them done for you 100% go for it, after you've had your babies, in case it does affect any future breastfeeding.

However, after 16 years and 3 children I can tell you now they will not look obviously fake, so does your daughter actually have to know?

I would second this!

Have the implants removed after you've completed your family, OP.

As an aside, I'm really interested in your journey regarding breast implants. I wonder how common it is for women to reconsider having them a few years down the line.

So good to hear you're breastfeeding with implants, I encourage mums that they can do this no problem (under muscle implants/dependant on location etc). How did you find engorgement/any uncomfortableness with them during feeding? I would like to increase my knowledge in this area!

Surgeons should be able to remove them with you specifically stating you do not want the breast tissue disturbed, however even if any ducts were cut, amazingly, ducts heal and find new routes to deliver milk! There is research papers on this, read a long time ago, mind.

I had no problems with pain or engorgement. I would say my breastfeeding journey was seamless. I wish I'd carried on longer but I felt pressure from partner and family to stop which is sad.

I still managed 4 months though which I'm proud of. No pain, no engorgement except maybe twice as a result of drinking alcohol so using formula and boobs ending up a bit full.

Thank you, that's really good to know/potentially pass on.

Well done for BF to 4 months :) I find it interesting that you were pressured to stop? I thought with info out there, people would do the opposite?!

I also think it is great your consideration for your daughter regarding implants and her views/confidence. My sister has them (10 years) ; she has 3 daughters and the implants haven't appeared to influence their confidence in life/their body so far (aged 15 + 19, youngest is 3y - unaware). Hope this helps.

Take care, good luck with your decisions

So glad you could breast feed without problems OP. My understanding is that breast implants don't usually impact breast feeding - it is breast reduction surgery that removes breast tissue, and disrupts the milk ducts that nearly always causes breast feeding problems.

Breast implants typically need replacing every 10-15 years anyway, so you will probably be approaching a time when you may be likely to need to replace them anyway.

You should be aware that whilst it is possible to have implants removed on the NHS for problems such as rupture, leakage, and capsular contracture, the NHS will not replace them. They also do not perform any sort of correction to the shape which is left, which may be a bit saggy. That is a different procedure (mastopexy). This may mean that you would need to have both the removal and mastooexy done privately so that they can be done at the same time.

I'm sure you would still be able to breastfeed after simple removal of the implants, but if you were to have further surgical treatment like mastopexy then you would do well to discuss it with the surgeon and specifically ask about breastfeeding.

I think it's a good idea as far as modeling a positive body image for your daughter, but if that's the only reason, your insecurity might manifest in other ways. I've done the same thing, fixing one body part and suddenly noticing the next worst thing to feel terrible about because my brain had been primed to be unhappy with. If there are other women in your family with implants, that might be the result of a family culture that encourages self-image issues.

Anyway, just bong thoughts. Removing them might be a good idea, if anything, to eliminate the need to go under general anesthesia again for revision as your body or the science changes.

I'm wondering whether some of your reasoning around this question is still carrying something of the idea that for a woman, what your breasts look like says something about your value or values or who you are as a person. It might be that "turning to surgery" on your breasts again at this point of your life would be, not just a reversal of the original procedure, but also perhaps a recapitulation of the idea that you need to surgically modify your breasts when you don't feel they fit the kind of woman you are or want to be.

You are self-confident, strong and womanly, with breasts that have fed your child, and whether you still have implants this time next year or not, that won't change the great qualities you've cultivated in yourself or your ability to be a strong, confident woman in your child's life. Assuming no current medical need for removal/replacement, it might be that you don't need to change your breasts again to reflect who you are and what you believe. Maybe you would be able to think of them as being wonderful, functioning breasts that you also happen to have had implants placed beneath for aesthetic reasons in the past, a decision you wouldn't make now but which you can explain your current thinking on when appropriate, and that your breasts don't reflect on you as a person, or your beliefs and strengths.

Alternatively, if you just want them out yesterday already because you don't like what they represent or symbolise to you, or for the other reasons you mentioned, that would be entirely reasonable — I could be barking up entirely the wrong tree.

The decision should be yours and yours alone. I understand where you are coming from regarding your daughter though.

Everyone is different so you would need to speak to a surgeon regarding your procedure and future milk supply.

Don’t let your family push you into stopping bf if you want to do it. Your baby, your choice. I chose not to bf, but no one would’ve stopped me if I’d wanted to.