Picture update!

Here are a few shots from last Monday, when I needed a break from unpacking (my partner moved in with me over the weekend- hurrah!) and decided to indulge my fashion shoot instincts for a moment or two.

In this first one, I like that the first thing I notice is probably completely invisible to everyone else; it was "cool, you can see my scar!" But of course I don't mean the scar that y'all are probably looking at first, but rather the tiny pinprick scar on the right side of my neck, that looks like a mosquito bite just over my right carotid artery. It's the scar from my laser catheter heart surgery I had in 7th grade- my first surgical scar! Not quite as impressive as the next two I have, somewhat farther down, eh?
You can see, though, that my scars are continuing to fade, soften and smooth out. Their visibility still strongly depends on lighting and also my posture. There are some angles/lighting conditions in which they're practically invisible, and some in which they continue to stand out in stark pinkish contrast. This picture is a bit of both, I think- the left scar isn't much visible in the direct light, but the scar on the right is definitely darker. Also, you can see how I still have residual...not puckering exactly, but slightly funky texture along the center insides of the scars. That's where all of the stretch marks that used to be on the sides of my breast went, when my skin got re-arranged. I guess it's true what they say, that stretch marks are forever! Those stretch marks were part of what tipped my decision in favor of Double Incision surgery instead of Peri, because I thought they indicated a certain lack of stretchiness in my skin that would make bouncing back to total flatness tricky for my chest.

A couple more angles. On the last one you can see, besides the stretch mark issue, that I've got just the tiniest hint of what's called a dog ear on the center ends of my scars, particularly on the right. It's where there's a little extra skin so if I bend over at an odd angle, it pooches out a bit. I could have a revision and get that snipped off (Dr. Brownstein, who did my surgery, performs revisions for free...which really means that HE doesn't charge a fee- I'd still have to cover the cost of any anesthesia or surgical facilities needed). I'm not that nervous about it, though. It's not dramatic, and it hasn't even been two years since my surgery- my chest is probably mostly 'settled' but if I lose or gain any weight, or put on some muscle, things could still shift around.

Dr. Brownstein is going to be at the Trans Health Conference in Philly in May, so I'll probably ask him then if he's got an opinion about whether I need a revision. Although I'm sure I already know how he'll respond- he's so laconic, I'll probably get the verbal equivalent of a shrug and "whatever floats your boat, man." I really respect and admire him, and I have great faith and trust in his skill and his good intentions, but the man really isn't very cuddly.

Anyway. Pictures!