Breast Augmentation Recovery Tips
Breast augmentation is a surgical procedure that is associated with a six-week recovery period. Taking special precautions, including following all instructions from your surgeon, after breast augmentation surgery is one of the keys to ensuring a successful and quick recovery. Plastic surgeon Gregory T. Mesna offers these useful tips to help during breast augmentation recovery.
What to Expect during Breast Augmentation Recovery
Everyone's body is different and so everyone who undergoes breast augmentation surgery may have a different recovery experience, however, the following are some commonly experienced symptoms following the breast augmentation procedure.
Immediately following breast augmentation surgery, patients generally feel tired and groggy. This is because breast augmentation is an invasive procedure, requiring general anesthesia. Typically the first few days following breast augmentation are the most painful. Patients are prescribed pain medication to help decrease pain and improve comfort.
For the first to second week following breast augmentation, it is common to experience pain, bruising, swelling, and tenderness. During this time, strenuous activities should be avoided. Most patients are able to resume regular activities after about six weeks. Check with your surgeon before engaging in strenuous activities.
Tips to Help with Breast Augmentation Recovery
Following your surgeon's instructions is most important to help ensure a successful recovery, but you can further help the recovery process with these tips.
- Stop Smoking: Smoking inhibits the body's healing process and should be stopped at least two weeks prior to breast augmentation surgery and shouldn't be resumed until after incisions are fully healed.
- Avoid Strenuous Activity: Strenuous activity must be avoided for at a minimum of six weeks following surgery. In addition, patients should try not to reach above the head or bend over, as these types of movements can reopen or irritate incisions.
- Be Sure to Rest: Get plenty of sleep and rest following breast augmentation surgery to help with the healing process.
- Don't Rush Back into Your Normal Routine: Even if you feel back to normal within a short time following surgery, it is important to ease back into your regular routine so as not to over exert yourself or cause complications with the breast augmentation.
- Wear Compression Garments: Compression garments, including surgical bras, provide extra support and help hold the tissues in place to aid with healing. Compression garments also help reduce swelling.
- See Your Doctor at the First Sign of Complications: Though pain and swelling are normal immediately following surgery, pain or swelling that worsens can be a sign of infection or other complications. If you notice the pain or swelling gets worse following surgery, tell your doctor immediately.
- Follow Post-Operative Instructions: Be sure to follow all instructions from your surgeon to help reduce complications and improve your recovery.
Schedule a Consultation With Dr. Mesna
Breast augmentation offers many benefits, including improved breast shape and size, as well as increased self-confidence. To see if breast augmentation is right for you, we welcome you to schedule a consultation with Dr. Mesna today!
