Recovering from your Breast Implant Procedure


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It is important that following your breast enlargement surgery with implants, that you wear a supportive sports bra until your surgeon says you can return to underwired bras. The dressings that were put in place during your surgical procedure will be removed during an appointment at the clinic, around seven days after the procedure.

Another aspect to prepare for is the possibility of drainage tubes being positioned in your breasts. If you have had these inserted, they will be removed the day after the breast implant surgery, prior to returning home.

You will notice for a short while after the surgery, that your breasts will feel rather swollen and firm. This should subside after a few weeks, when you will then feel that the breasts are must more natural in both their position and feeling. This factor is aided by the wearing of a well-fitted, supportive sports bra.

How Long Will Recovery Take?

The time it will take to fully heal and recover from your breast implant procedure depends a great deal on you as an individual, as well as the extent of surgery. If your breast implants were obtained for a more extreme change in breast size, your recovery time may be significantly longer than that of someone who underwent a more subtle change.

The time it will take to recover will also depend on your pre-operative health. If you were a very healthy individual prior to surgery and were of a healthy weight, mind and did not smoke then you should heal quicker.

Should I Take Any Medication?

It is possible that you will be prescribed medications such as painkillers and antibiotics with strict instructions on how and when to take them. These instructions should be strictly abided by to aid healing and recovery. The drugs will also help ease some of the pain and discomfort that may be experienced after your breast implant procedure. Try and compliment the use of medication with plenty of rest. You should ask a family member or friend to help with housework etc. for a week or so after the surgery to take the pressure and stress off yourself.

Advice for Aftercare and Recovery

This section has been composed to offer you some broad guidelines to follow, which can aid your recovery and healing. More specific pieces of advice will be made available by your surgeon, however, this can give you a rough idea of what you may be expected to do.

  1. If you are administered any medication by your surgeon, it is important that you take it as per their instruction. These medications may be for pain relief, such as paracetamol. However, if you are given any aspirin-based drugs, you should consult another medical professional as these have been known to result in a bleed occurring.
  2. Regardless of your job, you should take some time off work. The exact amount of time depends on the type of work you do and your surgeon should be able to offer further advice on this subject. However, those who do rather inactive work (such as a desk job) will probably be able to return after a week or so.
  3. For the first six weeks after your breast implant procedure, you may notice that you have pink, firm scars. These will begin to fade and get less obvious over the months following your surgery. You should be prepared that any scars that form can take up to 18 months to mature fully. It is likely that you will be given advice at the clinic as to how to aid scar healing so they are less noticeable.
  4. You should avoid exposing any scars that resulted from the surgery to the sun or sunbeds for the first 12 months after your surgery. This can be done by either covering them up with clothing or by using a complete sun block.
  5. You should consume a lot of fluids during your recovery and maintain a healthy, balanced diet that is rich in important nutrients. Some people experience a lack of appetite for a short period after the breast implant surgery, despite this you should still try and eat and drink an adequate amount.
  6. To prevent the potential formation of any blood clots, constipation or chest infections, you should keep up some level of easy activity. This may seem unappealing due to feeling tired after your procedure and if you feel too lethargic then listen to your body and rest. Frequently, this fatigue is just a side effect of the general anaesthetic wearing off and is consequently nothing to worry about. However, despite the tiredness, you should at least attempt to walk around a bit each hour to maintain a healthy flow of blood. As you feel better, you can gradually increase the level of activity.
  7. If you smoke, then you are at a higher risk of developing side effects such as bleeding and chest infections. The habit can also be the cause of slower wound healing and the occurrence of a wound infection. Therefore, it is highly advisable that you quit smoking or at least significantly cut down on the number of cigarettes you smoke each day BEFORE undergoing the breast implant surgery.

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