Top Surgery Recovery Updates (a place for all members to update after surgery)

[talex]

Hey all, I'm two weeks post-surgery tomorrow, and so far everything's going pretty ok except for I  have a pretty decent size hematoma on one side and there's also swelling - that one side is significantly bigger than the other side, which looks really good overall. Thanks for all the info you've all shared here, I've learned a lot and it's really helped, but I'm super worried that maybe I should get a second opinion from another doc on this because my surgery doesn't seem very concerned - she said it's unusual and doesn't happen to her often and thinks it's 'non surgical', but idk.. Did anyone else have a ton of swelling that's gone down? Thanks for any info.

-t

[RaptorChops]

Talex- If you can you should post some pictures so we can get an idea of what your swelling is like.

I also had swelling causing my left side to be much larger than my right. The swelling has gone down quite a bit but it's still there (i'll be 3 months post up next wednesday). Also my nipple on the side that was swollen is also a tiny bit larger and puffy compared to my right. I also have a lot of creasing on my left side which I assume is from the swelling going down and the skin being stretched from it. A lot of guys on here always seem to have that "problem" side. It will go down in time and just continue to take good care of it. I use cocoa butter soap on my scars and nipples in the shower. Afterwards I massage cocoa butter into my scars and nipples. I also still occasionally put neosporin on my nipples because they do get a little itchy at times.

[talex]

Thanks Raptor, I saw your pics and def thing our swelling is similar. Pic is here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/jn6zhb32l6d3osu/hPz9mHZnhP7z6xInvSXv9_7dKCLkIUFyPVXgpPSantadBWQaz78tB9IUpElCgtsKYwuq06-IFzsty_lZvCb2QvsESkbVLWwfxILmCafT5i5-oGnHiOFrDh2vp7DvfBAFg1Vt_6a2iSWfj_CG_QdjtGyrGLNn1JAbcco81hqNo4i0XQJs5JhrcViyFgwxUDVEqsnXJUJw9H5z4YqET7dUJVSveK.jpg?dl=0

I plan to do a follow up photo this week at my appointment with the doc (Dr. Yokoo at Kaiser in Richmond, California.)
Other than the hematoma and swelling, over all the surgery was a very positive experience. I was VERY nervous and anxious (I get that way about all medical stuff regardless of how nice the doc/nurses are). Everyone at the hospital was super nice, especially the first nurse who prepped me. They gave me an anti-nausea patch behind one ear and with the exception of some nausea in the recovery room, I felt fairly ok throughout. Currently moving past the pain meds, which feels great and my energy is returning. Living in the compression binder is getting old, but I managed to wash my own hair yesterday which felt GREAT - we have a tub with one of those hose sprayers, the previous owner used it for her dog I think, lucky for me.

Thanks for any advice or support, I know these things happen sometimes and overall I'm pleased with my outcome, just a little concerned as I feel like other people's surgeons felt these areas need to be drained and mine didn't!

-t

[Bimmer Guy]

Nathan, your chest looks great.  Great incision lines (thin and straight lines) and great areola shape/size and placement.  I am glad you posted on the thread.  Looks like a good surgeon to recommend.  Please make sure you show us after you get everything off. 

[RaptorChops]

Talex-

Everything looks good to me. They probably didn't use drains because maybe you didn't have much breast tissue? Anyways you're lucky because those things are such a pain lol. Over all I think you will heal well just take good care of it

[palexander]

gotta love when your nipples start peeling and feel raw
i know that it means i'm healing, but it's still pretty nasty....

[AndrewB]

gotta love when your nipples start peeling and feel raw
i know that it means i'm healing, but it's still pretty nasty....

Aw I'm sorry dude, that must suck. I think the fact that my surgeon used bolster dressings or maybe the fact that I wasn't supposed to dress them at all after she took those dressings off changed how mine healed—I never went through a goopy, bloody, gross nipple phase; at the 3-week appointment the PA just flaked off a bunch of scabs and revealed pink skin underneath. Aesthetically they look awesome, but no more or less feeling than had I treated my nips the way Crane or Garamone or any other well-known surgeon seem to instruct. Wonder why they don't explore their methods a bit and try this one for size?

[Nathan90]

I'll definately post updates BimmerGuy

Here's the first. This morning I had the nipple spondges removed, have to be honest that my nipples aren't looking as bad as I expected. There's a bit more swelling on my right side so maybe I'll need to bind it for a bit longer than average and if it increases she'll remove it herself.

Here's a dark picture so it doesn't as horrible as in real life (with the bruise colours )

[billystuart92]

Nathan!! Looking amazing
Those incisions are just perfect!

I got my top surgery about three weeks ago with Dr Hassall but only just found out about this sticky haha
I'm wearing surgical tape or whatever it's called on my incisions atm so I'll post pics of that later but here's my nipple progress:

http://pho.to/9jbgi

One is healing better than the other but both look pretty good imo


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[captains]

Hey Nathan, does your surgeon have a website? I was pretty impressed with your results, but I couldn't find your doc (van Loenen, right?). Just curious, tbh. Doubt I'll be flying from Ireland to the Netherlands to get my work done, haha. Although who knows!


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[Nathan90]

She doesn't have a special website since she's officially just a 'normal' plastic surgeon but I think she might be the best we have over here. So sadly there's no place online where you can see a lot of her work besides a hidden Dutch Facebook group.

But I must say her work is rather consistent and best with the double incision, the peri usually needs a revision later.

I just had a look a the hospital website (Slotervaart Hospital in Amsterdam) but they don't seem to have an English page, so if you'd decide to contact them to discuss possible options just send me a PM and I'll send you the correct number and emailaddress. I can't tell you anything about price though since we're fully insured for it.


That being said, today's my three week mark. I took all the tape off this morning for showering and drying up and retaped it after. I'm feeling great, can do a whole lot more than I thought I might. Can't wait to start light workout next week 'cause I'm bored stiff by now haha.

[RaptorChops]

She doesn't have a special website since she's officially just a 'normal' plastic surgeon but I think she might be the best we have over here. So sadly there's no place online where you can see a lot of her work besides a hidden Dutch Facebook group.

But I must say her work is rather consistent and best with the double incision, the peri usually needs a revision later.

I just had a look a the hospital website (Slotervaart Hospital in Amsterdam) but they don't seem to have an English page, so if you'd decide to contact them to discuss possible options just send me a PM and I'll send you the correct number and emailaddress. I can't tell you anything about price though since we're fully insured for it.


That being said, today's my three week mark. I took all the tape off this morning for showering and drying up and retaped it after. I'm feeling great, can do a whole lot more than I thought I might. Can't wait to start light workout next week 'cause I'm bored stiff by now haha.

Looks really good Nathan. It looks like you won't have thick and noticeable scars. She did really good making thin incisions!

[Nathan90]

Thanks! I'm really happy with how it looks and am curious to what they will look in the future.

Though to be honest, right now I don't really care about how they will end up, I just want have my body back to normal. Getting really tired of spending my days like I am now.

[billystuart92]

Haha I feel like such a slob on these forums, so many people with such great bods!

Here's a pic of my chest including incisions
http://pho.to/9jkEi
I don't usually get acne THIS badly on my chest, I had a bad reaction to the adhesive on the dressings...

The scars look kinda gross but it seems to mostly be bits of adhesive stuck to them which I'm gonna try and get off tomorrow.
If you look closely they're not so bad, I think??
I like how they curve down compared to the ones I've seen curving upwards, just a personal preference for my own chest I guess.

There's only one spot that kinda bums me out, it's hard to see in photos but you might be able to see it better here:
http://pho.to/9jkHm

The end of one of my scars to the middle of my chest kinda ends in a large very noticeable bump
I'm assuming it's because I'm a chubby guy and therefor the surgeon had some trouble, and I don't think it's something that's gonna fade or go away with time, which is kind of a bummer...
Still, beasts having breasts!!


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[Konnor]

Quick update post because I haven't shared a photo in a while. I had surgery in March with Dr Medalie, so I'm a little over 6 months post-op. I sucked at using the scar strips and gel, so this is my results with minimal scar care. I'm very happy with the contour of my chest and scar healing at this point.

I'm not super happy with my liposuction results but that's more just the way my body reacted and not the surgeons fault. I had lipo done on my love handles and they filled up with fluid after surgery and had to get drained. The remaining tissue there is rather firm and likely will not soften and dissolve the way it was supposed to. Oh well.



Nathan, your surgeon did an awesome job! You are looking fantastic, especially for only 3 weeks out. Just don't try to get back into your routine too quickly or you risk stretching/damaging your scars.

Billy, you're looking great! I know what you mean about the dog ear, I had a similar one on the inside of my right scar. It does seem to be flattening out and getting smaller with time though, so don't give up hope! My nips stayed pretty nasty til about 5-6 weeks post op. A lot of it was the scab tissue before it sloughed off. I gently s rubbed with a wash cloth to get the dead bits and bandage bits off. Just try not to pick at them too much, they'll heal up on their own pretty quick. I know what you mean about the chest acne too, it sucks!! 

[talex]

Woot! Five weeks and the scabs are finally off my nipples. They aren't totally symmetrical, but I'm ok with that.

Question - how long did y'all continue to use bandaids/ointment over the nipple grafts? I'd love to be able to stop soon, because between that and the silicon scar tape, I'm SO over having all this stuff taped to my chest.

I'll do an updated pic soon - the overall swelling from my hematoma is down a lot, that side is still bigger than the other side, but I'm not fretting too much about it as I know it's likely to go down and the results are still a thousand times better than what I had before.

I've also moved past the anxiety/depression stage of things, barely take ibuprofin, and hope to start working out again in a week or two - I still get twinges of nerve pain and numbness when I lift heavy stuff so I'm taking it REALLY gentle.

Thanks for the support, I felt weird posting here as a total stranger but it really really helped while I was recovering. You are a really terrific community.

-TAlex

[FTMax]

Question - how long did y'all continue to use bandaids/ointment over the nipple grafts? I'd love to be able to stop soon, because between that and the silicon scar tape, I'm SO over having all this stuff taped to my chest.

Until the scabs were completely off. I didn't want my shirt to rub anything wrong and accidentally peel anything. After that I'd play it by ear. If you think there is still surface level healing going on, I'd wear them for another week. I think I stopped after 2-3 weeks.

[Nathan90]

I'm at eight weeks postop today. Healed without much trouble and was able to do practically everything again from 4 weeks on (reaching and lifting). Which seems to be faster than average.

Couldn't be happier with how it's looking so far.

[talex]

Hey all, wanted to update now that I'm 13 (!) weeks post-surgery, and I REALLY appreciated everyone who took the time to send some support and answer my questions while I was recovering.

Link to current state of things -
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6mshkv9voojlyrv/IMG_20151113_151453397_HDR.jpg?dl=0

I'm really happy with how my results came out. You can still see a little bruising on one side from the hematoma, but it's almost entirely absorbed at this point which is a huge relief. I did have one other little issue when a few stitches came through in the center (eeeek!) I waited until they came to the surface and then pulled them gently - snipped them down to the skin and used antibacterial ointment and bandaids along with warm compresses until they settled down. A friend told me last night that he had surgery 3 years ago and once in a while a stitch still comes out!

I'm back to working out, and have full mobility. Nips aren't symmetrical, but that doesn't bother me much. Nothing compares to the delight of just throwing on a tee shirt and going outside, plus my clothes just fit right. I've never been someone who enjoyed summer, but I'm already looking forward to next year.

Thank you again. I was SO fricking nervous before surgery, the recovery did take a little longer than I thought, I suspect if I'd done this in my 20's I would have bounced back a bit faster. No regrets, although I'll be honest, there are days when it does feel a little odd to not have the extra skin! I don't miss 'em.

Cheers,

TC

[MrAction]

Surgeon: Andrew Ives
Where: Melbourne, Australia
What: Double incision w/ free nipple grafts
Time: 2 weeks 3 days post op

I wholeheartedly recommend this surgeon. He is extremely nice, takes care to get pronouns correct and make you feel comfortable, and is clearly quite competent. I was tossing up between Ives and travelling to Sydney to see Hassal, I felt that I preferred Ives' work in the end and I live in Melbourne so felt it would be much easier to get it done here.

I haven't had any complications, but a couple of freak outs. The first time I changed my dressings by myself, I found a lot of green pus and thought I had an infection. I texted a photo to the surgeon and he responded letting me know that it was pretty normal and I looked fine.

The second freak out was today. It looks like one of my nipples is lifting from my skin. Again, I texted the surgeon with a photo. He says it's likely just a scab coming off and nothing to worry about.

Here are some pictures:





Excuse the rectangles over certain parts of the images.