Managing Your Expectations

As with everything in life, there is no guarantee that you will be 100% satisfied with the results of breast reconstruction. Your new breast or breasts may not live up to your expectations for size, position, angle, or balance. They may not be as soft or feel as natural as you had hoped. You are not likely to have normal sensation in transplanted tissue, and certainly not in implants.

The story of Annamarie's too-perfect breasts

Annamarie had a hard time getting adjusted to the firm, standout breasts that sat high on her chest. "Kind of like being an adolescent again, getting used to my surprising new breasts." Her surgeon didn't understand her problem. She consulted another surgeon and asked, "What should I look like?" This doctor told Annamarie that over time, her breasts would develop a more natural sag; the stiffness would probably soften and those standup breasts were what many models would consider a happy result. Her husband told her she had a better shape now than she had had before. That didn't altogether please Annamarie. She decided to give herself more time to get adjusted to her new, "perky" look.