For those who follow along on instagram, you might recall that in 2020 I had a breast reduction and lift done with Dr. Schimpf at Sweetgrass Plastic Surgery, with beautiful results (read all about it here). My ultimate objective was to remove as much breast tissue as possible to make early detection of potentially malignant lumps easier. However, surgeons are limited in how much tissue that can remove during a lift because they have to leave enough tissue behind to provide sufficient blood flow to the nipples to reduce the small risk of necrosis (note: the areola is moved, and can also be reduced in size during an anchor incision lift).
At a January 2021 follow up with Dr. Schimpf, we discussed the possibility of removing additional tissue with liposuction, but ultimately he recommended a second breast reduction. This time the procedure would only require an incision under each breast, rather than the anchor incision done during my first surgery. My first reduction was a walk in the park, so this was an easy decision to go forward with.
When Dr. Schimpf was wrapping up my appointment he made the ‘mistake’ of asking if there was anything else I wanted to discuss. I didn’t think there was, but as he was about to bid farewell and exit the exam room, I found myself spontaneously asking if he thought I was a good candidate for an under eye ‘lid lift.’ I truly didn’t plan on asking about this, nor had I given the procedure much thought prior to that moment, but the question just came right on out, and I’m glad it did!
This appointment was done after almost a year of mask wearing, which drew my attention to my aging, crepey, under eye skin more than ever before. I turned 40 literally as lockdowns were starting back in 2020 while we were still blissfully unaware of the future impacts COVID19 would have on our lives and loved ones, and ever since I’ve been feeling my age in ways I never had previously. My eyes were just the most visible of them all.
Dr. Schimpf took a good look and confirmed I was a candidate for both an upper and lower blepharoplasty (such a funny word), and that he could perform the procedure at the same time as my breast surgery. In response, I’m pretty sure I pumped my fist in the air with excitement. I don’t think I even asked any additional questions, which was not smart on my part, but I was already confident in Dr. Schimpf’s surgical skills because of my previous breast surgery, so I had faith that whatever he did would be an improvement.
My surgery came quick the following month, and I truly was not nervous about it at all. Maybe that’s weird? I suppose I just had the mindset that if my results weren’t what I expected, or if I ended up with scars, I could always “fix it” with makeup.
Here we are one year later, and I’m happy to report Dr. Schimpf totally delivered and I am THRILLED with my results! I documented my recovery in quite a bit of detail, as I know how helpful it can be to see others experiences when deciding whether or not to go forward with this type of surgery, and there isn’t a whole lot out there on this procedure. Obviously everyone’s different, so I encourage anyone considering cosmetic surgery, especially facial procedures, to do tons of research before going forward with it.
I think I’m probably more laid back than most about the potential for scaring or less than perfect results. I see some women completely obsess over their anchor scars following a breast lift, and other women who won’t go forward with a lift at all because the idea of any scars on their breasts is a total deal breaker for them (note that my vertical anchor scars are barely visible two years out). Their feelings are completely valid, but I truly could not have cared less about having boob scars. I literally did not give one single F. I’m only sharing this little tidbit so everyone can understand my mentality, and take it into account when hearing my commentary on my experience. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had amazing results during both surgical experiences at Sweetgrass, but I think it’s also safe to say that some people have unrealistic expectations when it comes to cosmetic procedures and feel like it will solve all their problems.
I know I’m typically very long winded on here, but since I documented my experience in real time, I’ll let my video fill in the rest. I have to warn that the video is 21 minutes long, but that’s after I trimmed it down from over an hour of recorded post-op content, so just know that it could’ve been worse;)
For those whose attention spans can’t tolerate my 21 minute video, I do have this little two minute video that basically just shows the progress pics over the past year.
If anyone has questions about my experience, please feel free to drop them below!
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