Tenting

[tans3]

Hi Dr Sorokin,

I'm 6 weeks post op and I still have tenting in between my breasts. I can seperate them if I flex my pecs, does that mean I definately don't have symmastia?
The reason I am so concerned is because I had symmastia over the muscle and had another surgery to place them underneath the muscle so I wouldn't have the same problem.
Any advice would be great thanks.

[DrSorokin]

It seems more likely that the skin is still stretched and elevated (and therefore tenting) from when the implants were above the muscle. The fact that you can flex and separate them makes it less likely. I would do minimal flexing until your surgeon clears you to do so after any repair like this. You are only 6 weeks out which is very early. Give things time to settle down.....

[tans3]

Hi again Dr Sorokin, Thank you for your last reply.
I was just also wondering if you think it would be beneficial for me to buy a thong bra as my tenting doesn't seem to be improving. Thanks.

[Tdog]

Hi there! I thought I'd share my tenting experience with you: I had 500 HP silicone unders 3 1/2 months ago and STILL have tenting. I went to my PS & asked her about it over two weeks ago, and she put me in a thongbra & said to wear it for 4 weeks then see her again. I have to say that wearing it these last 2 weeks have made a HUGE difference (I'd say tenting is 70% gone), and I also think it has helped me drop completely. Mine isn't the true "authentic" thongbra (kind of the knock off version) but I think it's wonderful; it's called a post-op surgical breast separator which you can find on google and it's WAY less expensive than the Thongbra. My doctor gave me the same reason as it sounds like your PS did for the tenting; big implants on a small frame, and my skin is still stretching to accommodate them. She seemed very confident it would go away, but said if it doesn't she will open the pocket up and place some permanent sutures to hold the skin down in place. I highly recommend you getting one of these bras as it has brought great peace of mind to me, and I think it will for you also. From what I hear, tenting can last longer for some than others, but more often than not it seems to go away over time.

Also, I am so sorry to hear about your past symmastia experience. It makes my stomach turn and my heart ache for all the women on this site who have had to endure it. I'm sure that's why you're extra concerned with this surgery & recovery going as smooth as possible. If you do happen to get the thongbra keep me posted with your progress!

Best wishes!

[DrSorokin]

I agree with the last post, try the bra. What's the downside of trying it? I would give it a month and see what happens. Keep us posted...... Good luck!

[tans3]

Thank you both for your replies.

I went ahead and bought the thong bra...I couldn't seem to find a cheaper version. I've had it for just over a week now and it doesn't seem to have made much difference yet...but it certainly gives me piece of mind. I'm guessing it will take quite a while to heal since I the skin might have to grow back together or something that I don't quite understand lol

I'm glad yours has been helpful to you though. Has it kept improving for you?
Good luck with your bra too.

[Tdog]

Hi there!

I'm glad to hear you got a thongbra & have been wearing it. My doc said to wear it 24/7 religiously - which has a significant impact on my wardrobe (arrggghh), BUT I am so glad that I did. I just finished wearing it for the last 4 weeks (prior to this, I had worn it for 7 weeks immediately after my surgery).

So.......here's my update. Went to see PS on Monday. She said things are definately flattening out in my cleavage area but there's still a little bit of skin stretching to go before it's going to lay completely flat. She advised me not to wear ANY kind of push up bra because that's going to push them together - which we are trying to avoid, and stick to a basic lightly lined underwire. I got a great bra- a Victoria's Secret Bio-fit, and it's pretty comfy, but pricey. Coming from a world of $10 cute bras, I now find that I can't find any boob holsters in a 34DD that aren't at least $50 a pop. O well! Guess there's worse thinks (like not having any boobies!). Anyways, she said to sleep in the thongbra at night, and during the day I have a 4 inch long rolled up ace bandage to wear in my cleavage area (my bra holds it in place). That way, I can get back to wearing some kind of normal clothing other than tee-shirts yet still be supported. She also advised that the skin around my outer boob (under my armpit) is the skin that's needing to stretch to take the tension off my cleavage. So, she's having me push on the implants in an "outward" way, twice a day, to help loosen that skin a bit. It's helping, I swear it is, and I usually do it at night before bed. PS wants to see me back in 4 weeks to see the progress, but seems to be very confident that this will not need a second surgery to fix.

I know it's a pain in the butt to wear the thongbra (torture rack is what I named it). Keep your chin up because I do think that time will fix this problem. Take care!