[JohnnyA]

I hear Dr."String King"Johnson is semi-retired and no longer doing the alternative string implants. Does anyone know a Physician he may have trained to do the string who is currently doing the procedures ? Who do the girls go to that have string implants for "maintenance"? Thanks for the considerations. JA  

[**DONOTDELETE**]

the unending stream of knowledge of breast implants we affectionately know as miss charms im sure will have an answer for you.    

[Whink]

You should not forget one thing:  Not every String procedure was a success.  Just ask Queen Sable, who went through a tremendous ordeal with hers until she finally had them removed in favor of returning to conventional implants.  I have also read of a few other cases that didn't go as planned.  

BUT, congratulations to him and the women who are his success stories like Chelsea Charms, Minka, Maxi Mounds and of course our resident expert Melonie Charms.

Several of the success stories have talked about going to back to Dr. Johnson for routine maintenance but someone like our resident expert (again, Melonie Charms) should comment on that one!

all the best
Whinston

[Seelie]

Elizabeth Starr got an infection in one breast I seem to recall. But I don't think that was directly related to the string.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

totally forgot how sable was one of "the originals".    anyone have any news on her?  shes looking the best she ever has in my opinion in her pictures of late.  

[melonie_charm]

... as I understand it, once the initial clinical trial of string implants was completed (I think it involved 100 patients or so), the FDA has banned further use of string implants in the USA pending an approval study.  As this study would cost in excess of $100,000 with no guarantee of approval, and considering 99.9% of women who get breast implants are perfectly happy with breast sizes they can achieve straight out of a saline or silicone implant catalog, no implant company has been interested in funding such a study.  It is because of the FDA ban on further use of string implants that Dr. Johnson was forced to stop doing them, as are all other plastic surgeons in the USA (and Canada).  I have heard rumors that a Thai doctor is doing them, but that's a whole lot more risk and expense than I'd be willing to assume.

In regard to my friend Sable, I'll let her respond to your question directly, other than to state my own opinion that I think her new custom made implants look fan-f$%k!ng-tastic!  

[JohnnyA]

Melonie - So who do the "string alternatives"go to for maintenance  ( fluid reductions,etc. ) since one draw back to the string is continual production of serum. Minka, Kayla, Elizabeth, or you must have a physician familiar with the alternative. I ask because I have a friend who was a "C-cup" string patient of Dr.Johnson. She is not a model or feature, doesn't want to be "known". She just liked the "alternative" concept..She wants to reduce the serum, but Dr. Johnson's office simply says,"he will replace the string with saline only". She thinks the string is GREAT and has had no problems except for the continual fluid production has her larger than her intention. She had gone to a Physician in Las Vegas over a year ago that Dr. Johnson had referred her to, but she has misplaced his number and Johnson's office "can't remember". Is Johnson retired ? She thought the guy was FANTASTIC until the past couple of years when his staff changed and he seemingly became less interested in practice. She said he was an incredible Pioneer in earlier days. Any referal would be appreciated.  

[Catch]

Hi Mel!The word on the Tai doctors (note plural) is they will start doing the string implants at the end of 2002 or the first of 2003.  If memory serves that was on a message board on a Yahoo big boob group.  Maybe Chelsea's.  

[ac man]

sable is on ifriends alot, you can check her out there,and i agree with melonie, her latest set are hot!!!

[melonie_charm]

Your friend who originally got string C cups is facing the same situation as any girl with any size string implant.  Local plastic surgeons are reluctant to deal with them, even though it is a super simple matter to remove serum from string implanted breasts.  If she can't find a local doctor (doesn't even need to be a plastic surgeon!) to pop a 60cc syringe directly into her breasts and draw the plunger back, she's faced with the same choices as I am - A travel to Houston to see Dr. Johnson on a semi-regular basis for serum removal, or B accept the fact that her string boobs will stop growing on their own ... eventually, or C return to Houston once to have saline implants put in to replace the string!  How big has she grown ?

[JohnnyA]

Thanks for the response Madame M. - Hard to say the size she is approaching but her "target" was 600cc and she feels like she is around 1000cc. You hit the nail on the head about local doctors "fear" of the string. When you check his website, he CAUTIONS about infection if the area around the needle insertion is not 100% clean so she definetly wants to go to a Physician. She was ALMOST certain that Dr.Johnson had trained a few other Physicians, she thought one in Las Vegas and one in Tucson, in the string technique. She lives in San Diego, so either location would be fine.Appreciate your considerations. JA  

[ninjrk]

I can't really blame the doctors for not wanting to draw off serum.  Sure, it's simple as all heck.  However, no amount of povidone or chlorhexidene, aseptic technique, sterile gloves, or what have you will eliminate the very small risk of introducing infection into already inflamed and reactive tissue, never mind the huge bundle of a foreign body in there. Actually, I'd be most worried about the implant topography, as a big bundle of suture is tailor-made for harboring infectous bacteria. Throw in the fact that you cannot get them legally replaced (meaning that you cannot correct the damage) and all it would take is one good lawyer to put you out of practice for good.  Would that risk be worth the price of an office visit?  

Unfortunately, it doesn't help the ladies who already have them in there.

Matt  

[melonie_charm]

I vaguely recall that around the time I first visited the venerable Dr. J that a couple of other plastic surgeons names were mentioned who were somehow involved with string implants.  Unfortunately, at this point in time it really doesn't matter if there is one surgeon or a dozen surgeons who are technically proficient with the string implantation procedure.  Since the FDA has banned further use of string implants pending the successful completion of a device approval study (which would cost 6 figures and which no implant company or individual has so far been willing to finance), string is dead in the US and Canada.  You're also correct that your average suburban 'housewife's plastic surgeons are very concerned with such issues as malpractice suits and malpractice insurance premiums, meaning they potentially have a great deal to lose and nothing to gain by treating string implant patients.  You're also correct that string is dead even for previous string patients like myself - if I were to develop complications with my own string implants my only option would be 'european' (and very expensive!).

[Catch]

This is a terrible problem of only Dr. J offering to "adjust" the string implants.  Physicians fear the FDA like bubonic fever.  Has anyone contacted the FDA directly about the legalities of maintaining string implants that were inserted before the ban?

It seems if the FDA policy could be clarified more surgeons might be willing to help out.  Aspirating serum from the breast is a very simple procedure. It seems surgeons fear the legal exposure - not the procedure.  

[JohnnyA]

Madame Charms - When Dr. Johnson was contacted to request a serum reduction by email, his response was terse reading only, " The only work I will do on PPP string implants is remove them." Period. End of the story. This is a very ODD position for a Physician to take toward a patient ABOUT THEIR OWN WORK. My friend LOVES the string alternatives. She had told me that Dr.Johnson was an amazing physician until a couple of years ago when there was an abrubt change in his practice and approaches to patient care. Like all BEA members,your candid and informative responses are always appreciated.It is also odd that the FDA could restrict something like PPP string which it was my understanding has been an APPROVED implantation substance for many years in the body.I was under the impression this is why Dr.Johnson used the PPP in the first place. In your connections within the industry, do you have any idea who other ladies like Kayla Kleevage, and Minka,who both live in Las Vegas and have string I understand, go to for "maintenance"?