how do you feel for capsular contracture?

[roseblacktea]

hi, post op about 8 days now.

how would you feel for capsular contracture?

or should i wait til they drop and heal a bit more?

i'm worried.

My plastic surgeon said that they are uncommon. But still, are there any prevention methods?

and should i start taking vitamin E?

[jess123]

hi my plastic surgeon told me to after they are heeled tho (when they should be soft say ) which can take quite a few months ~!!! mine took 7 months to fully soften up and feel totally like normal breasts.. cc ok my plastic surgeon told me to pinch the bottom at the crease where the implant is (i have overs and can feel the difference between my tissue and the implantso it may be a little different if u have unders..) but if u feel the bottom and it feels soft , like pinch it and if its soft theres no cc, also watch out for a high riding implant after it has dropped that is... im only experiened with overs, so im not sure when the dropping occurs with unders...

hope this helps

[jess123]

i think eating vegies with lots of vit e in are betetr than vit e tablets themselevs, eat some advocardos !! also green tea prevents inflamation..

[roseblacktea]

thanks! i'll try that when im healed. wonder how long mine are gonna take.

i can't wait

thanks

[Nikki]

My advice to you is to NOT worry. At 8 days post-op, it is literally impossible to tell if you're going to get cc. Things SHOULD be tight and firm to at least some degree at this point (if you have unders). You have to give your muscles time to stretch out so that the implants can fluff, drop, and soften.

[neats59]

Hi Nikki, Thanks for your advice. I'm only 4 days post op and feel terrific and I'm freaking out reading all these posts about CC. I can't wait to see my surgeon for my second post op on Tuesday just to get some more reassurance that everything is healing fine.

[2kittyma]

In my experience, you don't really have to "feel for" CC -- it pretty much lets you know it's there. On the other hand, you can feel around your breasts for any tight, hard, and/or painful areas that didn't exist previously; as well, if you press gently on the implants, they should move and depress, easily.

I've had 3 CC's in a year-and-a-half, and yes, CC is common; it's considered the most prevalent BA complication of all of them! Further, while each person is different, all 3 of my CC's developed within 24 hours post-op. My first one occurred after my first BA; my second one developed after the capsulotomy to correct that one; and the third one was after my re-do (to go larger). I had another capsulotomy to correct that one, and fortunately, I've been fine, ever since (5 months, so far).

I hope the following are helpful to you; they're all the steps I took, this last time around (some of which, I continue to do), after much research, and upon the approval of my new plastic surgeon (who did my re-do and last capsulotomy). Of course, some of these will not apply to you at this point, but might be helpful to other readers:

(1) A week before my surgery, I began taking Accolate, an asthma medication which has been proven, and is widely used, to help prevent CC in BA patients; I continued taking it for the ensuing 3 months. As well, I doubled my usual dose of vitamin E, to 2,000 IU's daily;
(2) On the day of my surgery, I started on 2 different surgical vitamins/herbs, Bromelain and Arnica, not only upon the recommendation of my plastic surgeon, but by everyone I know who has used it for their BA's;
(3) For the first 5 weeks post-op, I wore an elastic "band" (a/k/a "breast wrap") across the top half of my boobs, to create and maintain "pockets" larger than the implants themselves;
(4) Massage, massage, massage (but not until your plastic surgeon gives you the green light)! For the first 4 months, I massaged no less than every 2 hours ... thoroughly and fairly rigorously. I even did it while driving! However, now I only do it 2 or 3 times a day, but will continue to do it at least once a day, for the rest of my life (which is recommended; CC can also develop "late-stage," meaning 10 or 12 years after your last surgery!).

Good luck, and just think positively.

[Blvd756]

Vitamin E, Scar Multiplex, massage and compression all help to prevent against cc.

This is where you can get the scar multiplex- I believe that this is what has made my breasts so soft. I can squeeze them without feeling a single thing blocking my fingers.
http://www.smhomeopathic.com/store/product898.html