question about LBL after a breast lift...

Hi Everyone-

Just wondering.. I had my breast life in January, and my breasts looked perky and fantastic... but now that I've had my LBL last week, my breasts have def been pulled down a bit.  I have been told by yhe surgeon and residents that the results of my LBL are great- but i have been veryyyyyy swollen so I really have no idea what the end result looks like.  I am really, really hoping that as the swelling in my abdomen abates and the tension on the abdominal skin gives a little (it is extremely swollen and tight) the breasts will lift back up a bit.  Has anyone else experienced this?  I see my surgeon again on Monday and I will ask him about it but just wanted to hear from some who have been there done that.  Thanks in advance. 

Christine,

I had my procedures together and did not have any issues.  Sure sounds to me like it's swelling, but I'm sure your surgeon would welcome the question.  I just wanted to assure you that the abdominal swelling does go down.  It took me a full 6 months to cease some sort of swelling every day and 9 months before I didn't swell on a regular basis.  I saved a copy of a progression photo Dr. LoMonaco so graciously made available on his site, entitled progression of swelling, to keep my head on straight about it.  My own progress followed right along with the stages he depicts. Dr. L. and his site are so helpful to all of us.  I'm hoping Dr. L. will approve of my reposting this very helpful photo.

The below is courtesy of Dr. LoMonaco's site:

Thanks for sharing the photo (thanks to Dr. L as well).  It's incredible how much we swell up and how long it takes to settle.  I'm a week and a half out and I tried on a pair pf jeans- can' barely bet them up, nevermind closing them!  i knew to expect this, but at the same time it can be disheartening.  From my surgeon's comments it seems I swell up more than other patient's he has had, but I do heal well so for that I am thankful.  Was hoping to be in a bikini this summer but maybe that will have to wait.  Thanks again. 

I can't tell you how much I personally appreciate that you shared the pics you saved from Dr. L's website.  In mid-January, I had an extended tummy tuck/BL/BR and I am absolutely thrilled with the changes from before to after - my "rocking" PS removed 10 pounds altogether, and the difference is dramatic!  However, I'm right at the 2-month point and in "swell hell" from just above the waist on down - occasionally, I even see it in my ankles and feet!  Although I know it's normal and will eventually go away, it sure does mess with my head when I see myself bloated and feel like my tight tummy is gonna bust wide open!  The pics you posted are the first ones I've seen that actually prove that a relatively flat tummy really is in my future.
Thanks again to you (and Dr. L)   !

Debby

I'm not sure what you mean by "my breasts have def been pulled down a bit"? Do you mean they look droopy or are the physically positioned lower on your chest than before?

When I had my LBL, my surgeon told me that the tension placed from pulling the skin downward would also pull my breasts down lower on my chest - and he was right, they are a lower. My next procedure is a breast lift where he will reposition them upward again as well as fixing the droop and enlarged aereola. 

OTOH, you definitely have swelling with a LBL so maybe that could be the effect. I hope you post back what your surgeon tells you - maybe his experience is different than mine. The other thing is that your breasts are probably swelling a little bit too - I have found that when I have an injury (and plastic surgery is a huge injury) that causes me to swell, other parts of my body where I had recent past injuries also tend to swell - so you may have that too which would cause more tension?

Thanks for the reply- I feel like it is a combination of both, positioned slightly lower and droopier than before.  Regardless, I look 100x better than I had pre-BL but I loved the perkiness.  I did forget to add that i had a revision of the axillary scar on the breast lift during my LBL because after the swelling decreased there was still some laxity of the skin that he addressed.  I am not sure how much of an affect that has either, but I do have some swelling there and I have had swelling in the breasts since my BL in January although it has gone down quite a bit 

When my surgeon and I discussed all of the work I would be doing and I asked what order he recommended he told me that I it didn't really matter so I should address what bothered me most first so I went with my upper body.  He really is a gifted surgeon and I trust his judgment- so I am trying to reassure myself that he wouldn't have done the procedures in an order that would greatly change the overall aesthetic.  I hope I am not just giving myself false hope. I will def report back after meeting with my surgeon this week. 

Could it be then that the scar revision area is swelling more and distorting the breasts?

The other thing to keep in mind is that there are many ways to perform these surgeries under the skin that we as patients don't realize and maybe my surgeon's techinique pulls down the breasts, but your's may be doing something a little different that doesn't. I also had lost almost 200 pounds so there was a lot of excess skin to deal with and I was borderline in need of the anchor cut in addition to my LBL - I'm thankful that in the end I didn't need the anchor cut and I'm thrilled with how I look - but that may have meant my surgeon had to create more tension or use a different technique?

And you're right, we'll never be perfect, but we are 100x better. I'm having my breast lift in a few months, I hope I'm as happy with mine as you are with yours.