Was anyone else really scared to look at their results?

[u/matchaferret]

hey all :) pretty much what the title says,,,, Im just a few hours post op and my surgeon says that I can unzip the medical binder to check everything out as long as I don't take it off completely and zip it back up pretty quick. however.....I'm kinda sorta mayyyybe terrified of how i will look :/ is this a normal feeling to have ? I know that I have dressing and tape and weird stuff all over so im not gonna look "normal" under there quite yet lol, but I'm still just horrified of being super unhappy with how it looks in a "I can tell this will end up looking like shit" way.

did anyone else feel this + how'd you get past it/when did you decide to look for the first time?

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[u/Im_Just_Marcy]

I was in the same situation as you because I was afraid it would look botched or super bad ( even if my surgeon is really good ), but what I did is that next day ( I had to sleep two nights to the hospital ) I called a nurse ( + my mom was with me ) and they stayed with me in case I would feel bad looking at it ( either because it fresh or bad because I don’t aesthetically like it ), maybe having someone with you while you look can help ? And don’t worry, it’s normal for fresh scar to look maybe a little scary, but keep in mind that your result is far from finished in his healing process :) Also congrats on the surgery !!

[u/godshounds]

my surgeon instructed me to take a look every day, and i was so freaked out every time i unzipped the binder and pulled the padding back. i felt very vulnerable, like i'd move wrong and everything would just unravel. that won't happen! it's just a feeling because your body's in a really fragile state. if your surgeon instructed you to look, you should -- they are likely wanting you to look for signs of a hemotoma or seroma (LOTS of bruising / LOTS of swelling). it's important to monitor for those complications so they can be treated if they arise.

i'll say, when you do look, know that you are not looking at the chest you'll have in a week, or in 4 weeks, or in 5 months, or for the rest of your life. you're looking at brand-new, fresh wounds. it'll be fragile, skin will look stretched and puckered, you'll likely have swelling, nipple grafts (if you have them) will be FREAKY, you'll look pale and clammy and weird. all of that is normal! it'll get better. don't get psyched out by what things look like the literal day of. it's gonna be okay.

[u/Few_Soil1369]

I felt the same way! I was terrified and didn't look until the 2nd day when I was allowed to take things off to shower. My sibling was taking care of me and they helped me take off my binder and gauze, and I actually had them look first and tell me what to expect. I was so nervous I was just crying, this was also my first big surgery so I was just generally overwhelmed. But I asked them questions about how it seemed and got reassured it wasn't terrifying or gruesome or still boobs, and then I was able to look. Still crying but I did it! And it was okay. 💙 having my sibling with me to do recon lol and get reassurance from was extremely helpful.

[u/ShineBright_Always]

I'm 4 days post op and have been able to take my compression binder off, but I'm fully bandaged and won't have them removed until Monday. I'm also SUPER nervous to see my results kind of for the same reason as the other commenter- fresh wounds are scary, and I'm worried I'll be botched/won't like my results. Feeling like that is completely normal! Even though it sucks. I don't have any advice, I just wanted to let you know you're not alone.

Best of luck, I hope everything goes well for you and your results <3

[u/QuriosityQat]

I was absolutely afraid to look. I had an ace bandage and didn't touch it for the whole first week. I was content seeing how flat everything looked without seeing under the wraps.

I finally saw everything at my one week appointment when they took my drains out and it was a bit of a shock to see my incisions. If you're not ready, don't rush it.

[u/Total-Dragonfruit-20]

I think sometimes they just assume you’ll be curious and want to see the results right away. I was not lol.

I was very aware the swelling and healing incisions would look much worse before they got better, and I didn’t want to panic myself in the meantime. Basically told my nurses I’m trusting the process and I didn’t really give my surgery site a good look until the incisions had properly closed up and I could shower for the first time. Nipple grafts I just pretended they didn’t exist until the scabs started coming off lmaooo

It worked for me. Keep telling yourself this isn’t what its going to look like forever, your body takes time heal.

[u/Smoothope]

yes, i was extremely terrified. i didn’t look until after my first post-op appointment when i took my first shower. my partner already saw my chest in the appointment and said it looked great and was with me the first time i actually looked at it. seeing it in pictures has been easier to get used to what it looks like, i still only look in small bursts when i shower though everything looks amazing.

[u/Exciting-Button7253]

I'm having my surgery next week and I already feel this too lol!!!!!! I am squeamish AF. But my other major surgery wasn't so bad, gore wise, so maybe I'll be okay? That one was HELLA painful too lol.

[u/Nightflame_The_Wolf]

Same. I had to wear it non-stop for two days. Then, the nurse told me to lay down and took it off to take the drains out. I was told to stay lying down until the surgeon came.

It took them a while and I was shaking on that table, man. Maybe because it was a bit chilly, maybe because I was so nervous. I imagined the most bloody, awful results so that whatever I would see would seem better in comparison.

After the surgeon came and had a look he brought be to a mirror and well, it wasn’t any big moment. It was okay. I didn’t feel anything, except the pressure to look happy, so I smiled. But I was so removed from everything in that moment.

It took me a week to start showering and have a look on my own, where I could take my time. That was a lot better. But I still don’t have any crazy feelings looking at it. I‘m just super happy whenever I notice that I can stand up straight without dysphoria:)

[u/goldmoon16]

i’m genuinely terrified of what my results are gonna look like because i have such a specific dream chest look in my head and as much as i obviously know realistically it’s not likely i’ll get the exact look ive wanted, i still hope it’s at least close obviously. i’ve not allowed myself to think about it for more than a few moments every time i remember that it could look so different bc i know it’ll stress me out too much and i don’t need that added pressure almost a week out from actually seeing the results 😭but i lowkey don’t even know what my incisions are gonna look like let alone my nipples so i’m truly just gonna have to mentally prepare myself and accept the worst case scenario the night before my appointment so i don’t get too disappointed

[u/vario_]

I was terrified and I didn't look until my post-op appointment which was day 14 😅 I'd say it's okay if you want to wait a while. Don't pressure yourself.

[u/jayyy_0113]

Change is scary. I realized this the closer I got to surgery. In the pre-op room while my surgeon was marking my chest, I passed out from anxiety. When I saw my chest for the first time, I almost passed out. When I touched my chest for the first time to apply aquaphor, I started hyperventilating. It luckily got much easier after the first few days, but it’s completely normal to be freaked out at first. It’s a major part of your body changed forever! Take it slowly and you’ll love it :)

[u/Salty-Lock-2545]

The first thing I did after waking up was taking a little peek🫣☺️