Tips for a good recovery after a breast augmentation

You have decided to have a breast augmentation and you have many questions about the after-effects of the operation. How to recover after breast implants ? What care to take following this cosmetic surgery ? What precautions to take after breast augmentation ? Here is our advice for a successful postoperative recovery !

Rule n° 1 : Get plenty of rest after a breast augmentation

Recovery is an important step after breast surgery. There are several techniques to increase the volume of your breasts:

• Prosthesis placement.
• Lipofilling: injection of the patient’s own fat into her breasts.
• Composite breast augmentation, which combines the two previous techniques.

If the techniques of plastic surgery are perfectly mastered by plastic surgeons, the intervention is still a surgical act in its own right. The operation, whether under general or local anesthesia, lasts approximately one hour and requires a mandatory rest period.

On average, after a breast augmentation, patients must respect a convalescence period of two weeks.

Even though some women recover very quickly, a post-surgery check-up is necessary A complete rest of at least two days is essential. Do not make any physical effort on the upper limbs during the first three days. Avoid household chores and do not lift your children or loads of more than 20 kg for six weeks.

However, do not remain inactive. Go for regular walks to recover your strength more quickly. Allow about a month to resume sports activities, provided that they are gentle.

After three months, you will be able to resume all the activities you did before the breast surgery.

During the first two months, you will have to sleep on your back so that the healing around the prostheses goes well. It is strongly recommended to place a few pillows in your back so that your chest is well supported.

Post-operative care to be carried out

After leaving the operating room, follow the instructions carefully recommendations of your plastic surgeon.

You will have several post-operative appointments with the surgeon to make sure that the prostheses are correctly positioned and that there are no inflammatory reactions.

Generally, the stitches are resorbable and you will not need an additional consultation to have them removed. As for the bandages, if they are waterproof, you will be able to shower normally, and this as soon as the day after the surgery.

However, you will have to wear a sports bra or a support bra for 4 to 6 weeks to let the breast prostheses position themselves correctly and avoid pain due to the compression of the breasts.

Finally, it is necessary to wait between 3 and 6 months for the healing to be definitive, however you can gently massage the scar to accelerate the process.

The duration of post-operative pain after breast augmentation

Pain varies from one patient to another and also depends on the volume of the implanted breast prosthesis and the implant site. Indeed, the larger the volume, the more the tissues will have to adapt to the breast implant. The same applies to implants placed under the pectoral muscle, which are more painful than those placed behind the mammary gland.

In most cases, the pain lasts from one to three days and often take the form of muscle cramps. Some patients may also experience fatigue and a feeling of heaviness that should subside within 15 days after surgery.

Your plastic surgeon will prescribe painkillers and muscle relaxants to relieve post-operative pain and allow you to get through this phase as serenely as possible.

For information After the operation, an oedema appears in the breast area. Don’t worry, it’s a normal reaction. It will disappear by itself in a few weeks.

Being aware of a different sensitivity in the chest

You should be aware that after breast enlargement, you will not find the same sensations immediately. Approximately 40% of women report a loss of nipple sensitivity when implants are placed subcutaneously, with a return to normal in the months following breast surgery.

The risks of loss of sensitivity Long-term sexual pleasure is rare, but it does exist. They are often in correlation with the chosen technique. If the prostheses are inserted through an incision under the submammary fold and not through the areola, the nerves are less likely to be damaged.

Don’t hesitate to ask your surgeon about the methods used !