A breast augmentation is a major surgical procedure that requires a great deal of pre-surgical planning. Following your cosmetic surgeon’s medical advice and taking care of yourself will help you to heal and recover quicker. On average you can expect a six to eight week recovery period, but everybody is different and your timeline might look slightly different. Let’s consider the factors that influence breast implants recovery.
What Influences Your Breast Implants Recovery?
Every person heals at a different rate, and there are variables such as the size and location of the breast implants, the type of breast implant and the skill level of your cosmetic surgeon to take into account.
Breast Implants Recovery: What Your Timeline Could Look Like
24-hours after your breast implant surgery
After your surgery, you will recover in a post-operative room until the anaesthetic has worn off. This may take a few hours so it is important that someone else is available to drive you home afterwards. Your breasts will be strapped to your chest to provide support during healing.
Following the operation and after the anaesthetic effects have subsided you are likely to experience
- Tightness and soreness
- Nausea
- Fatigue
Because of the surgery, you will feel pain and discomfort so you must take the pain relief that has been prescribed for you. You might also experience some light bleeding at the incision sites. If you have any concerns or the bleeding gets worse, be sure to contact your cosmetic surgeon,
Five to seven days after breast implants
You will notice some bruising and swelling, which will fade over time. In the week following your surgery, you will still feel discomfort and pain and will still need to take pain relief when necessary.
By this stage, you will be able to return to your day-to-day norm but you should still avoid strenuous exercise and heavy lifting.
Your cosmetic surgeon will probably instruct you to massage your breast tissue, which can help to reduce swelling and relax your breast tissue.
Three to four weeks after your breast implant surgery
By this point, you should not feel pain or discomfort any longer. Your bruising and swelling should have gone down but it may still be slightly visible.
By now you will be able to do light exercise and move around but you should still avoid anything too vigorous. A post-surgical bra can help with support and speed up recovery.
Six weeks after a breast implant
By this point, you will have resumed most of your usual activities. Even so, it is still a good idea to avoid strenuous exercise. Your breasts should look and feel different and you will be ready to have your check-up with your surgeon.
What Are The Possible Side Effects After Breast Implant Surgery
All surgeries pose some risk. When you have breast implant surgery you have the general side effects such as bleeding, scarring, infections of the incisions, or complications related to the anaesthesia, in addition to those that are specific to breast implants:
- Breast shape changes due to scarring
- Pain or numbness in the breasts
- Asymmetrical breasts
- Dissatisfaction with the procedure
- Changes to the appearance of your nipples
- Wrinkling of the skin covering your breast implant
- Incorrect implant placement
- Development of fluid
- A rupture or leak in the implant
- Breast implant illness
Most patients can expect an approximate eight to ten-year lifespan from implants before they need to be removed or replaced.
Breast Implants Recovery: How To Accelerate Healing
A successful breast augmentation is highly dependent on how well you recover and heal after the surgery. There are steps you can take to speed the process up
Make sure your home is ready for your post-surgical arrival
Being prepared means you have less to do in recovery and you can focus on healing. Make sure you have lots of nutritious food, and that it is prepared or have someone available to help you.
Use a recovery bra
Recovery bras are designed to speed up healing, manage swelling and pain.
Take your medication
Taking pain relief can ensure you get restful sleep and that you are comfortable during recovery.
Care for your wounds
Follow your surgeon’s advice to care for your incisions. You may need to apply cream or bandages.
Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing
Make sure you have ops that you can open and close down the front because lifting your arms up is not comfortable.
Your pre-operative state can affect how quickly you heal. You should try to enter surgery being relatively fit. If you are a smoker, you must quit well before your surgery as it does compromise the speed with which you can heal and makes you more susceptible to infection. Follow all of your surgeon’s pre-surgical instructions, including discontinuing certain medications.
Make sure you go into the surgery with a realistic expectation of what can be achieved and remember that there is always the chance that secondary or revisional surgery may be required to achieve your desired result.
To find out more about breast implants recovery or to book your consultation, please contact us for a confidential appointment: (02) 8599 7161
References
What’s It Like to Recover from Breast Augmentation Surgery?
https://www.healthline.com/health/breast-augmentation-recovery
How long is the recovery for a breast augmentation?
https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/blog/how-long-is-the-recovery-for-a-breast-augmentation
Breast augmentation recovery – what you need to know
https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/blog/breast-augmentation-recovery-what-you-need-to-know
Breast Implants
https://www.webmd.com/beauty/cosmetic-procedures-breast-augmentation
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