Slight symmastia and slightly rippling

Hello everyone... I'm new here but am really happy to have found this forum because it seems like the best place to find people that have experienced something along the lines of what i am. Let me tell you my story... I had my BA in July 2007 with a private surgeon in Essex (where i live). The surgeon who was recommended to me by a number of people and i was completely happy with what we agreed after two consultations. I had 375cc Partial Unders taking me from a 32B to a 32DD/E. Well, it's now over two years on and i've noticed some slight rippling in the cleavage area on my right boob (this is something that has definitely just appeared as i've never felt it or seen it before) and my boobs seem to be slowly but surely getting closer and closer together. I remember the surgeon saying when i had my first post-op check up that they were quite wide for my frame and to make sure i keep and eye on them but this wasn't a problem at the time because they looked great, however, I'm now thinking that this is what has contributed to the symmastia occuring. When i wake up first thing in the morning there's a perfect gap but certain bras (and even sports bras) seems to squish them together which then raises the skin in the middle and by the end of the day it's slightly more raised away from my breast bone even without a bra on. It's not major but i know it's there and it's bothering the hell out of me...

I went back to see my PS in January to make sure the rippling wasn't anything to worry about (like a rupture) and he said it was fine and as long as it wasn't making me too unhappy then the best thing to do would be to leave it alone. He did however comment on the fact that my boobs/implants were very close together but we didn't go any further than that because at that time it wasn't an issue. Well, of course since then it's all i can think about (!!) and after doing some research online it's apparent that i have a mild case of symmastia (i didn't even know what this was until a month ago!). Re: the rippling, he mentioned that going from partial overs to complete unders would help and i'm kinda hoping that if this is what he wants to do it may help with the symmastia too because esentially it's creating new pockets which he could be very careful with! Perhaps changing from mod profiles to high or ultra high profiles will help also. I'll only know once i've spoken to him i suppose.

I have another appointment scheduled with him next Friday (5 March) which i'm going to discuss all my options re: revision surgey at. The surgeon was very happy to see me again and said in the January consultation that if anything that we'd discussed bothered me in the future to come back and see him so i'm quite enthuastic about him having solutions (fingers crossed). He is a breast reconstructive surgeon as well as a plastic surgeon so hopefully i'm in good hands.

God i feel like my post is all over the place and not very well written at all but hopefully it all makes sense!! I'm posting on here to hopefully get some feedback on other people having positive outcomes to these complications. Has anyone else experienced a similar thing? Please tell me i'm stressing myself out over something that can be fixed! It's honesly all i've been able to think about for the last month!

I thought it might also be helpful to track my journey on here for others - so that anyone else in a similar situation can follow!

Thanks for listening and any comments/advice will be gratefully received!

CM xx

Should probably also say that i'm due to go on hols on 12 June and am hoping to get something done to sort these problems asap. Does anyone have any idea on recovery time for this kind of revision surgery and, if i'm going to unders, do you think it's wise to have this change before my holiday? I understand they take a while to 'fluff' and i'm wondering if 2-2.5 months isn't long enough for them to settle?

Thanks again!

Welcome to the forum, sorry you are having some problems. With regards to rippling, the only options to fix it are going smaller or putting on weight - or fat injections which only get reabsorbed.

With the symmastia, it is quite tricky to fix as internal sutures will be put in to hold down your sternum. I would say try not to wear push up bras after your revision - if you have one until it is completely healed (3-6 months)

Good luck with what you decide x

So sorry you're going through this Colleen, sounds like you have a good surgeon so I'm sure he'll sort everything out for you. xxx

Sounds like you are in good hands and you have an attentive, sympathetic surgeon....good luck with the outcome but I think Nads is right, weight gain or smaller implants for the rippling....

Welcome to the forum though!

Thank you for your messages! Smaller implants would be ok if it gets rid of the rippling. I'm not too keen on putting on weight because, if anything, i'm trying to lose a few pounds for my holiday at the mo! It's weird though because i've not lost any weight for them to appear - they have seem to have come on their own. Perhaps it's a result of my skin thinning as i've got older? I was 21 when i had my BA and i'm now nearly 24.

With the symmastia i'm hoping it'll be slightly easier to fix than a worse case scenario because it's only a mild case. The skin only raised about a 1cm by the end of the day when i'm braless but i know it's there because i can push them together from the sides so the implants touch and this raises the skin further which i don't think i should be able to do. I'm trying not to wear push up bras or sports bras at the mo because i feel this is making it gradually worse. Ideally, if i switch to narrower implants, i'd like a definite gap of about 1-2 cm of flat skin against my chest bone.

Roll on 5th March - it really can't come quick enough. I've called today to see if i can get in sooner but i think my surgeon is on holiday until then! :( I'm really not sure what will happen re: cost this time round either. I'm fully prepared to pay for the whole thing again if needed but i've heard that Symmastia is a surgeon's error and, even if this isn't the case, the fact my implants width may have contributed to these problems is really the surgeons doing because he advised on what size and profile i should go with. I'll discuss all this with him (nicely of course!) and let you know how i get on.

Thanks everyone!! x

Who was your surgeon hun???

5th March is only next week, it'll fly by xx

Sorry to hear about your troubles sweety xx

Fingers crossed for you on the 5th xx Hopefully your Ps will be able to sort this out for you quickly xx

hope it get sorted soon for u! hope your ok! xxx

Hi Colleen...Sorry to hear about your problems...I can relate to this, not the symmas....but revision surgery anyway....
Im a month out now....I didnt pay a thing to have problems put right....and however tempting it may be, do not offer to pay for the re-do....a good sympathetic surgeon will foot the bill for this.....especially as your research has proven blame sits at his door.
My PS wasnt to blame with my problems, yet money was never an issue with him....my happiness in his words was ultimate, quite rightly too!! These op's aint cheap !! Good luck on the 5th.....stay strong....and remember, if it is was you suspect....He owes you xxx

Thanks for the comments everyone! I'm going to see my ps in the morning and can't wait! Will update u all when I get back :) x

Good luck today, hope it goes well.

x

Hi everyone!! Great news today! The surgeon said i could go back and have smaller width implants put in, changing from moderate profile to high profile so i don't loose any of the projection, and this will help me 'gain' a gap in the middle. He said i didn't have symmastia as other people see it and it would be reatively easy to 'put right' (or get the look i want) with a change of implant diameter and minor pocket revision. I'm sooo pleased!! He was laughing with me because he said most people don't want a gap and here i am asking for one!! lol. Rearding the rippling, he said when he does a pocket change he will double over the pocket tissue on the cleavage area of my boobs (even though i've only got the problem in one he will do it for both sides) so that i am using my own tissue to give me and extra layer (instead of going for alloderm or sttatice which we also discussed) and therefore that will repair that issue also. He was very positive and knows exactly what i want after me taking a slide show of photos to explain what look i'm after (lol). Ahhh i'm so excited! Another good part is that i don't have to pay for the whole thing again... he said he would book me in for 'pocket revision surgery' which is not the same price as a whole new or re-augmentation and would put the new implants on standby as he normally does with any revision sugery (in case he opens up and there is a problem with the implants that wasn't known about prior to surgery) and this way they'd be cheaper than me paying for the hospital to get them in specially. He went into detail about how he doesn't believe some hospitals are acting right these days with regards to patients wellfare and how they're only interested in earning money which he doesn't believe is right as it's the patient's happiness which should come first and that really put me at ease that this is going to be affordable and it's the right thing to do. I hopefully won't have to stay overnight either which will save me over £1,000 because the hospital overnight fees alone last time were loads! Ahhh i'm so excited and pleased with how it went! Just waiting for my letter next week now to confirm the price and procedure and then i'll hopefully be booking in for sometime in April so that i'll have recovered fully for my holiday in June!! :) :) :)

It's a shame i can post photos on here to explain what i want and what i've got but hopefully that side of things will open up on my account soon!

Thanks for listening everyone!!! xxxx :)

i bet your pleased you have such a nice surgeon, may i ask who you went with?
i hope you get a date quickly and don't have to wait long x

I am really pleased and it seems like i was worrying about something that can be fixed! My mum, who came and sat with me listening to what we were both saying, is pleased too (and she's a big critic so if she's pleased that's a big step! lol).

I had it done at the Nuffield Hospital in Brentwood with Dr Niranjan and would recommend him to anyone thinking of having augmentation or re-augmentation/revision surgery. If anyone wants his number please PM me - i'd be happy to give it out!

xx

Cx

Also it turns out i didn't have partial unders like i thought... i had overs but behind the Fascia tissue to give me a slight layer cover the implant! Seems like i was so excited at my first consultation that i didn't really take much in at all (lesson learnt)! Not that this has caused me any problems because my revision isn't anything to do with that but i thought i'd mention it because what i said before was incorrect.

Colleen thats fantastic news hun, you must be over the moon. Your surgeon sounds a real treasure.

xxx

So happy for you Colleen and April isn't long away at all, you'll be done and dusted and have nice new boobs in no time at all! xxx

That's a really good positive result, I can feel you're excitement through your text!

What do you have to pay then for your reop??

So great to hear that you are getting everything sorted and your surgeon sounds great
Lots of love
Grace
xx