Breast Augmentation: Cost, Reviews, Photos

Breast augmentation recovery

Most of our patients tell me that the procedure was easier than they expected.

They typically use the pain pills for 2, maybe 3 days. Most people take a week off from work, if they have a desk job, and this is plenty of time.

We have you take about 3 or so weeks off from vigorous exercising at the gym, just to avoid the problem of effort-related hematomas. Scars fade with time.

They’ll initially be pink in color in the first few months, then fade to a pale, white line over 10-12 months. (Thomas Fiala, MD, Orlando Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery stories after Breast Augmentation

Recovery stories after breast augmentation is highly variable; however, most patients are back to non-strenuous activities after several days. Implants placed under the muscle tend to be more painful than those placed on top of the muscle, although the use of a long acting injection (Exparel) during surgery has significantly decreased post-operative pain. More strenuous activities can resume at 2-3 weeks and a full resumption of activities can be expected soon after. Most swelling after breast augmentation has subsided by 6 weeks and the scars are completely faded by 1 year. (Adam C. Augenstein, MD, Charlotte Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery stories after a Breast Augmentation

Recovery stories varies form person to person, but in general implants placed under the muscle cause more soreness and discomfort( 5-10 days) than implants on top of the muscle(3-7 days). Most patients are back to their daily activities within a week and most can return to work within 7 days as well. If your job requires physical activity or heavy lifting you may need more time off work. The scars are pink initially but will definitely fade over the first 12-18 months. You will not be able to drive for the first few days after surgery and no rigorous physical activity for several weeks. (Niki Christopoulos, MD, FACS, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

What to Expect for Breast Augmentation Recovery

Planning for adequate recovery is an important part of any plastic surgery procedure. With breast implants, this is especially true as we want to minimize trauma and inflammation in the breast to decrease the chance of capsular contracture (capsular contracture is a tightening of the lining that your body forms around an implant that can require reoperation to treat).

Accordingly, I am more cautious with return to activity after breast implants. During surgery, I place a long-acting local anesthetic block to the nerves that supply the breast, and I believe this provides huge benefits the recovery period and need for pain medication

Here are my guidelines for recovery and return to activity: 3-5 days – Return to non-physical work and light activity. Plan to still have some soreness and know that you will be tired more easily. I do encourage patients to use their arms and gently stretch (as long as this can be done without pain) so as to maintain full range of motion of the arms.

You can return to sexual relations and regular daily self-care activities as long as these can be done comfortably. Unfortunately, it often takes longer for the breasts to become more comfortable for sexual play.

1 week postop visit – If a bra is being worn, we will assess whether to continue its use or discontinue the bra and apply an elastic band (if we are desiring more downward movement of the implant). You visit with our massage therapist for a 1hr appointment and she will begin very light lymphatic and breast tissue massage and give teaching for performing self massage.

2 weeks – Return to moderate activity. Light-impact cardio exercise and some yoga postures and stretching are appropriate, and elliptical trainer or spin bike are a good place to start. Begin to increase light massage of the breasts.

4 weeks – Begin a graduated return to full lower-body activity. You may start back to running if the breasts are comfortable while wearing a supportive athletic bra.

6 week postop visit – We evaluate for implant position and relaxation of the breasts and come up with a plan for you accordingly. Sometimes we are near optimal position and go into a support bra. Other times we need more movement and step up the downward massage of the breasts.

8 weeks postop – Begin a graduated return to full activity, including upper body.

6 months – okay to stop breast massage. For patients perform physical work, especially with the arms (such as a waitress, hairdresser, surgeon, etc), it is critical to plan extra time for return to work. It is important to discuss this issue in detail when you visit with a surgeon, but in general, plan to allow for at least two weeks off.

The basic bottom line for recovery is this – increase activity gradually as you listen to you body for how it is responding. With breast implants, I would rather error on the side of caution for returning to full, strenuous upper body activity. (Nick Slenkovich, MD, Denver Plastic Surgeon)

Breast augmentation recovery blog is a blog which focuses on on the problems of recovery after breast enlargement plastic surgery. Breast augmentation recovery depends on the surgical technique and the individual’s tolerance to surgery and pain. It also depends on the type of work you do and how physically demanding your job is.

Generally speaking, it takes longer to recover from surgery performed under general anesthesia compared to local anesthesia.

Regardless of the type of anesthesia, I do not believe you will need to take more than 5 days off of work (one week) to recover from surgery, and you may be able to return sooner depending on your pain tolerance – specially if you do not have a demanding job.

Breast augmentation scars typically heal very well and are well concealed specially if placed in the inframammary fold (the crease underneath your breast) or axilla (your armpit). It varies from one individual to the other because we all heal differently.

Any scar goes through the phases of healing and may become slightly firm, raised and pink or even pigmented for the first few weeks to months. These changes however typically fade in most individuals and the scars turn into a flat line at 6 months but may take up to a year. (Mohammed Alghoul, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

Breast augmentation recovery

I tell my patients they should take 3-5 days off from their regular activities … work, school, etc. Then I tell them not to exercise or lift anything heavier than 20 pounds for 4-6 weeks, depending on their recovery. And that’s it! (James Knoetgen, III, MD, Fresno Plastic Surgeon)

Breast Augmentation Recovery blog

Each patient recovers differently from any surgery the feelings afterwards are different, some patients feel more and some feel less o almost nothing at all.

But overall the recovery consists of taking at least 1-2 weeks off work, the more the better but if your job only permits 1 week than it is fine you should just avoid heavy lifting and driving for the first 2-3 weeks depending on what your Plastic Surgeon tells you.You will have to sleep in a sitting position for about 2 weeks after that depending on how you are feeling you can sleep all the way down, but only facing up avoiding putting to much pressure on just one side, again until your Plastic Surgeon says you can.

You would be wearing a compression bra for 6 weeks, you should eat healthy avoid eating greasy foods, no smoking, just follow your post-op indications and you should have a smooth recovery, complications tend to occur when patients start doing activities before the Doctor allows them but so long as you to as your indicated and you should be great.

Scars tend to fade between the 5th and 6th month after surgery and it can take up to a year for them to completely go away, but it depends a lot on you, and how you usually scar, each patient is different, but usually around that time period. (Luis Suarez, MD, Mexico Plastic Surgeon)

Breast Augmentation Recovery: What Can I Expect?

Recovery from subpectoral breast augmentation usually involves 1-2 weeks of discomfort requiring pain and/or muscle relaxant medications. You will be up and active the day after surgery and can shower the next day.

You can raise your arms above your head the next day and are encouraged to gently begin stretching your pectoral muscles. The incision will be covered with a steristrip tape and no other dressings will be necessary.

You should do only light activity for the first two weeks after surgery. You should avoid elevations in your heart rate or blood pressure for that two week period to help insure there is no bleeding after surgery. At the two week mark, I allow my patients to start cardiovascular exercise (including running) with a very supportive bra.

More strenuous strength training can begin at around 4 weeks. The amount of time off work depends on your job responsibilities. Desk work usually will require 4-7 days off.Scars maturation and fading takes a full 6-12 months to happen. Usually, scars are fading and softening nicely by 3-6 months. By 1 year, a scar should be a thin white line. (Brian Kreul, MD, Medford Plastic Surgeon)

Post-op recovery after augmentation

The most discomfort is generally during the first 48hrs. Once you have made it through that, the discomfort tends to resolve pretty quickly. Plan on taking one week off of work if at all possible and restriction of activity (heavy lifting, strenuous exercise) for at least an additional 6 weeks, depending on your surgeon’s preference.

Scars generally remain dark for the first several months and may actually get darker during this timeframe rather than lighter. Most will begin to fade after about 3-6 months and continue to do so through the first year. (Earl E. Ferguson III, MD, San Antonio Plastic Surgeon)

Breast surgery and recovery blog

Breast augmentation surgery takes about one hour but the recovery must be fully understood by the patient. The recovery is not as long as other plastic surgery procedures but expect several days. Usually patients miss a few days of work and a comfort level is reached about 48 to 72 hours after surgery. (Frank J. Ferraro, MD, Paramus Plastic Surgeon)

Breast lift and augmentation recovery varies from person to person. Some individuals have had children and their skin and breast tissue is softer and more loose.

As a result, breast augmentation may not pose as much discomfort. I would mention that the larger one goes with implant size, the more discomfort (again depending on one’s anatomy and skin/soft tissue envelope).

The individuals with tighter skin who have minimal breast tissue wanting to go with a larger implant size typically have the most discomfort.

Even then, the post operative pain subsides over the course of a week and then it’s more of a sore feeling. I usually recommend you take a week off work for most individuals, yet some people may go back much sooner!

As far as the scars, they do typically fade over the course of 6 months to as long as two years. The lighter complexion you have the quicker the scars seem to fade. (Joel B. Beck, MD, FACS, Bay Area Plastic Surgeon)

What to expect after breast lift and augmentation recovery

Obviously right after breast augmentation and lift the breasts will be swollen. This swelling will grow progressively more and more for the first thee days. The third day is when the breasts are the most swollen. After that the swelling will start to gradually subside. This swelling will take around three months or more to completely disappear.

The first two days the pain will be quite significant and by the 3rd day the pain will become significantly less. By the fifth day significant sharp pain will be quite manageable. It is important not to associate the absence of pain with being healed. The tissues around the implants are still highly vascular and if you are active you will collect more blood around the implants and this can lead to unwanted scar formation a few months down the road. For this reason I recommend you abstain from any activity even walking around un-necessarily during the first two weeks.

You should avoid exercising the lower body for around 6 weeks and upper extremities for 3 months. You need to give the breasts time to heal fully before trying to exercise too soon. External scars will go through a period of scar maturation. After two weeks they will start to form some scar and scars will look pink and feel firm. Each individual will mature scars at different rates. Usually the scars will remain pink and red for 3 months. By 6 months most people will have softened the scars and the redness of the scars will have started to fade. The whole process takes about a year. (Benjamin Chu, MD, FACS, Honolulu Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery after breast augmentation and lift

Your recovery time will vary depending on your age, where your implants were placed (above or below muscle), how big they are, and what kind of work you do. If your implants are above the muscle, your pain will likely be much less and you could return to a normal desk job within a few days. Your recovery tends to be faster if you are younger, and if your implants are smaller. If you put very large implants underneath the muscle, you will experience more discomfort, but can probably resume normal activities with a few days but you will still feel sore and may not want to lift more than a few pounds or get things higher than waist or chest level. Full range of motion is typically recommend within the first 24-48 hours, although slowly. This seems to help decrease the discomfort as the muscle is allowed to move and stretch. Most of our patients are off of narcotic pain medication during the day within 48 hours. (Roxanne Sylora, MD, Orlando)

Breast Augmentation Recovery Surgery

The recovery from breast augmentation surgery depends on if the implant is placed over or under the muscle. Most of my patients are back to work in 3-4 days, as most sit at a desk.

During these 3-4 days you will likely need some assistance around the house with chores and the like. Depending on what your job is, your return to work time may be a bit longer.

The majority of implants are placed partially under the muscle and thus patients are instructed not to use their arms or chest for lifting anything heavy for 6 weeks.

Recovery from breast augmentation surgery placed over the muscle is a little faster, but many patients are not candidates for this or do not want the added risk of capsular contracture.

With regard to the scarring, it should not be very noticeable as long as you don’t have a history of poor scarring. The way you have healed prior incisions or lacerations is the best indicator as to what to expect fro the quality of your future scar.

Your surgeon is the best resource to answer this question best as he/she knows the details of your case. (Luis H. Macias, MD, Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery time directly linked to surgeon expertise

As an expert in cosmetic breast surgery, one of the advantages in my practice is that I perform all cosmetic breast procedures – augmentation, lift, revision – as well as breast reconstruction surgery after mastectomy. I perform multiple cosmetic surgeries on a weekly basis. I mention this because as you’re considering a plastic surgeon, expertise and focus matters.

Because my expertise is breast surgery, my technique is very precise. That translates into expeditious receovery times for patients. In almost all instances, my patients are back exercising, working, and living their lives in 48 hours. No massage is needed.

Nor are special special garments or bandages required. Generally, simple Ibuprofen suffices to manage pain. Most patients are able to comfortably lift their arms in the recovery area.

That said, there IS a healing process. Scars fade in 9-12 months. Swelling after breast augmentation subsides completely in 6-12 weeks. Our patients love the quick recovery from breast augmentation surgery. (Peter J. Capizzi, MD, Charlotte Plastic Surgeon)

What Can I Expect For Recovery From Breast Augmentation Surgery

Of course this will vary from patient to patient but I will give you the most common recovery schedule from the 1,000 breast augmentation procedures that I have performed.

1.Pain level upon awakening “0”. (we give a injection around each breast while patient is asleep which lasts for 3 to 4 hrs.

2.Day One; patient taking care of her self. Might be taking pain pill every 4 to 6 hrs. Most rate their pain from 1-5 on a scale of 1 to 10.

3.Day two to 5: on the computer, out to the mailbox, might be driving on day 4 to 5.

4.Follow up visit day 6. starting normal lower body exercises5.Gradual return to normal upper body activity over the next 2 weeks. (Joseph Rucker, MD, FACS, Eau Claire Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery after Breast Augmentation

Breast Augmentation patients in our practice are discharged from the Recovery Room about an hour after the surgery is completed. Most patients do not complain about pain but rather a fullness or heaviness on their chest after surgery.

We recommend that our patients take their pain medicine every 3- 4 hours for the first few days after surgery. Patients should avoid lifting anything more than 5-10 pounds for two weeks after surgery. Patients may return to work 3-5 days after surgery depending on their occupation. Scars take a full year to mature.

The worst period of time for scarring is the first 2-3 months after surgery. It is important to follow the post op instructions from your plastic surgeon closely in order to obtain the best results from your Breast Augmentation. (Christopher J. Morea, MD, Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon)