April 2013 Poland

[difsnbo]

Hello all, just an update--
 Chest healing up nicely...not as perfect as I had thought but that's because I'm a bit overweight. I have started to eat better and will be starting an exercise regimen in a few days...have to get toned for optimal results!
 As far as the day-to-day routines are involved, I took out the stitches myself nine days post-op--I know, not 12 days exactly post-op as recommended but I felt it was okay. The chest massaging takes some discipline but have managed to do at least 20-30 minutes worth 4-5 days/week. The scar tissue is there (under the nipple area) but slowly dissipating.
 The Underworks vest is great...I bought a size smaller than what I usually wear and its really tight...good feeling though as it keeps things stable and pushes down on the chest area as needed. I wear the binder (the thing that was used immediately after the operation while in Poland) when I sleep and the compression vest in the daytime. As of today, Sunday (18 days post-op), I will be wearing the vest at night during sleep as well. I realized that it really does make a difference the longer one wears it. I hope to wear the vest at least 4 weeks post-op.
 Its been really great to wear knit polo shirts, collared dress shirts, and suit jackets without worries....so glad I was able to do this...just need to get the confidence back that I think I lost when constantly worrying about my chest before the procedure. Guess it'll take time and practice... Thank you again to all the guys that posted their experiences...it really helped me to work through a lot of my concerns and fears.
 

[Supersonic123]

Hello all, just an update--
 Chest healing up nicely...not as perfect as I had thought but that's because I'm a bit overweight. I have started to eat better and will be starting an exercise regimen in a few days...have to get toned for optimal results!
 As far as the day-to-day routines are involved, I took out the stitches myself nine days post-op--I know, not 12 days exactly post-op as recommended but I felt it was okay. The chest massaging takes some discipline but have managed to do at least 20-30 minutes worth 4-5 days/week. The scar tissue is there (under the nipple area) but slowly dissipating.
 The Underworks vest is great...I bought a size smaller than what I usually wear and its really tight...good feeling though as it keeps things stable and pushes down on the chest area as needed. I wear the binder (the thing that was used immediately after the operation while in Poland) when I sleep and the compression vest in the daytime. As of today, Sunday (18 days post-op), I will be wearing the vest at night during sleep as well. I realized that it really does make a difference the longer one wears it. I hope to wear the vest at least 4 weeks post-op.
 Its been really great to wear knit polo shirts, collared dress shirts, and suit jackets without worries....so glad I was able to do this...just need to get the confidence back that I think I lost when constantly worrying about my chest before the procedure. Guess it'll take time and practice... Thank you again to all the guys that posted their experiences...it really helped me to work through a lot of my concerns and fears.
 

You took the stitches out yourself?? Why? Isn't that risky?

[CJC85]

Hello all, just an update--
 Chest healing up nicely...not as perfect as I had thought but that's because I'm a bit overweight. I have started to eat better and will be starting an exercise regimen in a few days...have to get toned for optimal results!
 As far as the day-to-day routines are involved, I took out the stitches myself nine days post-op--I know, not 12 days exactly post-op as recommended but I felt it was okay. The chest massaging takes some discipline but have managed to do at least 20-30 minutes worth 4-5 days/week. The scar tissue is there (under the nipple area) but slowly dissipating.
 The Underworks vest is great...I bought a size smaller than what I usually wear and its really tight...good feeling though as it keeps things stable and pushes down on the chest area as needed. I wear the binder (the thing that was used immediately after the operation while in Poland) when I sleep and the compression vest in the daytime. As of today, Sunday (18 days post-op), I will be wearing the vest at night during sleep as well. I realized that it really does make a difference the longer one wears it. I hope to wear the vest at least 4 weeks post-op.
 Its been really great to wear knit polo shirts, collared dress shirts, and suit jackets without worries....so glad I was able to do this...just need to get the confidence back that I think I lost when constantly worrying about my chest before the procedure. Guess it'll take time and practice... Thank you again to all the guys that posted their experiences...it really helped me to work through a lot of my concerns and fears.
 

You took the stitches out yourself?? Why? Isn't that risky?

the nurse who done mine didnt exactly possess any particular skill but still the stitches are very small and would reccomend getting a nurse to do it, my scar is virtually invisible after a month

[difsnbo]

Supersonic123-- Its more of a hassle to get stitches removed with my work schedule and I kind of wanted to keep my procedure confidential...its not too risky as they were all visible and the trick is to cut each stitch below the knot and remove them completely with clean tweezers...the operated area in/around the nipple was (and still is) numb so no real pain involved when removing the stitches...I also made sure the skin that the stitches were holding together was joined together/healing properly before removing. I used a high power mirror as well...and sterilized the area of course.
 I will admit though, the external scarring in the nipple area is not that neat/clean...and I have dark areolas which lost a bit of skin/color in certain areas. This was due to the nature of the procedure and the quirky nature of the healing process...hope the color comes back to make it look less noticeable but would gladly bear these slight markings compared to what I had before with the gyno.

[El Fauno]

Glad all is going well mate. Its really good to hear these reports. My biggest worry is scar tissue pushing the nipple out making it look like puffy nipples again.

It would be great to see some before and after pictures

Agreed on pics.

Glad to hear you had a good experience (thus far?)

[difsnbo]

El Fauno-- I am happy with my results so far...am still healing I guess in the scheme of things. I do need to start an exercise regimen to help reduce my weight and firm up my chest and midsection as well. There is some scar tissue under both areolas (with the right side a bit more lumpy) but I think this is one of the quirks of the healing process (everyone's is unique) and should flatten out a bit down the road. Because of my weight, the skin is taking a while to retract/tighten up in the chest area...so this is another reason for me to start a vigorous exercise program.