Breast Augmentation: Cost, Reviews, Photos

Easy recovery tips from breast augmentation can vary from patient to patient and from surgeon to surgeon. If you are fortunate enough to see a surgeon who has been trained in the “24-hour breast augmentation” AKA the “Rapid Recovery Technique”, it is likely that your recovery will be very swift and you will have little to no down time.

In my patients who have primary BAM with 400cc or less implants, 70-80% of them have little to no pain after BAM.Most of those patients are able to return to work the very next day and carefully resume normal activities in a gradual fashion (depending on their own tolerance). I took a course with John Tebbets, MD, to learn these specific surgical techniques and I have been so very impressed with how well my patients have done. As always, ask your own surgeon and follow their advice. (Steven M. Gitt, MD, Tampa Plastic Surgeon)

Breat Implant Recovery and What to Expect

This may be the perfect question as it is one of everyone’s main questions when they are considering a breast augmentation. With a rapid recovery technique or 24 hour recovery protocol you should have no problem getting back to work on day two as long as you do not have a heavy lifting job in which case you may need a few more days.

The only restriction if you have the new textured gummy bear implants is that you should not upper body work outs for about 4 to 6 weeks. I have added a video that explains all rapid recovery breast augmentation technique and has a testimonial on it as well.  (Brian Windle, MD, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)

Back to work after breast augmentation

Each individual has a slightly different experience in terms of how quickly they recover and can go back to work. Also, it depends on what type of job you do. That said, in general, if you have a job that is not physically demanding you should plan to take a week off. Some of my patients will have surgery on Thursday or Friday and be back at work Monday.

The main thing I emphasize is that after a week you’ll be able to do what you need to do, but you will be more tired than usual as your body is expending energy healing. Also, I have my patients avoid lifting anything heavy for four weeks.As for scars, how fast yours fade is best answered by how you have healed from surgery, cuts, or scrapes in the past.

If you have very light and sensitive skin your scars could remain pink for several months. We consider a scar to be in its final form at one year, but most patients’ scars will fade in the first few weeks to months. (Meghan Nadeau, MD, Phoenix Plastic Surgeon)

Recuperation Tends to Be Totally Manageable

The recuperative process after breast augmentation can vary depending on the specifics of your procedure, but you should not let that stop you from going for your aesthetic goals. For example, if you choose a submuscular implant placement, it will likely take you a bit longer to get back to your usual activities than if you chose a subglandular placement.

Still, in most cases, patients can return to light activities and office jobs within about 1 week. While you recuperate at home, you can manage your pain with prescribed medication. Many women don’t stay on these products for more than a few days before they’re able to transition to over-the-counter drugs. During this time, you will be mobile, but you should avoid heavy lifting and other strenuous activities while your body heals.

Of course, these are all general guidelines. During your consultation, your surgeon will be able to give you a better understanding of what to expect after your specific surgery. Nonetheless, you can rest assured that hundreds of thousands of women each year find breast augmentation — and easy recovery — a manageable and fulfilling process. (Shim Ching, MD, Huntsville Plastic Surgeon)

Breast augmentation recovery expectations & tips

Recovery from Breast Augmentation generally varies from person to person and also depends on the placement of the implants.

If the implants are placed under the muscle, there tends to be a slightly longer soreness period, usually lasting around a week. With implants these days, all stitches are placed on the inside of the breast and closed with a special glue that stays on the incision for several days after. Normal activities and exercise can begin as soon as you feel able and comfortable to do so. I would advise to start slow and work up to your original level. Listen to your body and know your limits. Your doctor can explain some massage techniques to keep the breasts soft and the “pocket” open. Over the next couple of months, the breasts will relax and settle into their new shape and you will be ready to go shopping for new bras. (Lawrence Bundrick, MD, Manhattan Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery tips from breast augmentation

There is always a bell curve. How long recovery takes depends on whether the implant is under the muscle or above, whether a lift is done, and other factors. In our practice we emphasize a Easy Recovery Breast Augmentation. We strive for minimal bleeding at the time of surgery, precise pocket dissection, and short operative time. All this leads to minimal bruising and swelling , which gets you on the road to easy recovery. Most of our patients return to work at one week, but there is no rush in getting back to work. If your job is physical, you may need more time. Discuss the specifics with a board-certified plastic surgeon and ask all your questions. Below is information on Rapid Recovery Breast Augmentation. (Francisco Canales, MD, )

Easy Recovery after Breast Augmentation surgery

Everyone recovers a little differently after breast augmentation. I recommend that patients take a week off work, staying at home doing pretty much nothing.

Most people can go back to work after a week but no exercise or heavy lifting for a month. You may feel like you can do more but it’s important to stick to this schedule in order to achieve the best possible result.

We have seen instances where patients have done too much too early which caused the implants to move out of position. Pain control is an important factor and that’s why we use the pain relief pump at our clinic.

Its a small box with a pump inside. You go home with this device clipped to your pj’s. It works automatically all night long and circulates freezing solution around the area so that you will have almost no pain.

We’ve also found that your breasts look better with the pump because your muscles are relaxed. Most patients say that the breast augmentation surgery recovery was easier than they thought it would be. (Frank Lista, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)

Easy Recovery Takes a Few Days to a Week

Breast augmentation surgery recovery varies but in general is a little longer with larger implants because the tissues are more stretched, especially the muscle, which causes more pain. In my practice, patients can generally return to work in about 3 days if they have a desk job and a week if they are in a profession such as hair stylist, waitress, flight attendant, or nurse, where they use their arms more.

The scars begin to fade within a couple of months, but complete fading takes up to a year or more. However, the scars are fine lines and rarely cause patients much distress. (Thomas A. Mustoe, MD, FACS, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

The easy recovery from breast augmentation is considerably better and quicker that year’s past. Most patients will use pain meds for a few days and then switch to anti-inflammatories. With long acting local anesthetics and muscle relaxers , the immediate post op recovery is much better than it used to be. Most patients can drive in 3-5 days and most will return to work in a week as long as they are careful with heavy lifting, etc. Technical improvements have substantially improved the recovery and should not prohibit you from a smooth recovery. (G. Wesley Price, MD, Chevy Chase Plastic Surgeon)

Quick recovery breast augmentation

Breast augmentation surgery recovery has been dramatically reduced in the past eight years. It is very common for patients to go out to dinner 24 to 48 hrs after surgery.

This depends heavily on surgical technique and the use of long acting anesthetics around the implant (Pramit Malhotra, MD, Ann Arbor Plastic Surgeon)

What to expect with breast augmentation recovery

Typical breast augmentation surgery recovery involves 2-3 weeks off from work depending upon the physical nature of your job. When will you return to work, you will still be sore with certain arm motions for a few more weeks.

This gradually subsides. The final look and position of your breast will be present at 3-6 months after surgery, although you will like your shape and look relatively soon after surgery. Scars fading varies from 3- 6 months, occasionally longer. (John Zavell, MD, FACS, Toledo Plastic Surgeon)

Your Recovery after Breast Augmentation

Expect the pain to last the first 2-5 days. There will be noticeable swelling, and some patients may have bruising as well. No lifting greater than 20 pounds or working out for the first 4 weeks. Stretching and massage should both be performed 1 week post surgery. Any type of dress or bra fittings need to be done no sooner than 1 month after surgery. (David L. Robbins, MD, FACS, West Des Moines Plastic Surgeon)

Breast Augmentation has consistently been the most popular cosmetic surgery operation for multiple reasons;

It is affordable, makes a great change in your appearance, boosts your attractiveness and self-confidence and does NOT have a prolonged down-time.

The discomfort associated with breast augmentation depends on your pain tolerance and how the operation was performed.

By avoiding blunt pulling of tissues and using careful technique many surgeons produce nearly pain free breast augmentations. Much of the post-operative discomfort can also be avoided by placing local anesthetic in the breast pocket.

The initial tightness of the skin / chest gradually goes away and is more than made up for by the new more attractive appearance. Most surgeons prefer no major exercise or heavy (more than 15 pounds) lifting for 4-6 weeks to prevent implant displacement up and sideways. The scars are hard to see at 6 months and improve further up to a year after the surgery. (Peter A. Aldea, MD, Memphis Plastic Surgeon)

Easy Recovery for Breast Augmentation Surgery

Generally easy breast augmentation surgery recovery is between 3-5 days depending of the age of the client and the implant size chosen. Younger clients in the 20-30 group tend to bounce back faster but still need to limit their aerobic exercise and heavy lifting for a four weeks after surgery. I find the larger implants sizes in a small chest have more tightness and generally the muscles are working harder to expand and contract so they made have a little more discomfort from surgery.

At 6 days at your follow-up appointment incisions are healed and you learn how to massage them for softness. Many college students select Thursdays for surgery and are able to return to class on Monday with no problem other than carrying books in your hands with no heavy back pack for a few weeks. (John Ward, MD, Phoenix Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery After Breast Augmentation

Recovery after surgery can definitely vary from patient to patient. That being said, most of my breast augmentation patients are off their pain medicine and ready to return to work within 48 hours.

Typically, they can resume certain cardiovascular exercises at 3 weeks post-op and weight training and yoga at 6 weeks post-operatively. The scars tend to become more and more red over the first 6 weeks after the operation and then begin to fade over the next year. (Sacha Obaid, MD, Dallas Plastic Surgeon)

Breast Augmentation Recovery: What Can I Expect?

Easy recovery from breast augmentation is very well tolerated.Typically patients are back to normal daily activities within several days.Some patients even go back to work after a few days! Most patients take pain medication for only 2-3 days.

Light exercise may begin at 2 weeks with regular activities and exercise at 4 weeks after surgery. Weight lifting or strenuous exercise should be held off until 6-8 weeks after surgery. A larger implant on a smaller body frame or implants placed under the muscle may require a little more recovery time.

Initially the breast implants may sit high on the chest, as the surrounding tissue will need time for settling to accommodate the new volume of the implants.By 6 months the implants will “drop” and settle into its correct position on the chest wall. (Gary Motykie, MD, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)

Breast augmentation recovery

Your recovery depends on many things. In general though, I think it’s import to do the dissection (surgery) with as little collateral damage as possible and bang things up as little as possible. Every step I take is designed to do this. Even a little unnecessary trauma is undesirable. My patients take Motrin postoperatively which controls their pain and avoids narcotics and their side effects allowing for more rapid recovery.

I and my office staff will educate you on he maneuvers and steps we think are critical for a speedy recovery with he goal being 100% recovery by 24 hours. Nevertheless, we will want you to protect your recent surgery and will coach you on that too. I would anticipate 1-2 day recovery to a desk job and 2 weeks for manual labor. (Matthew H. Conrad, MD, Wichita Plastic Surgeon)

Breast Augmentation Down-time

In general, most of the recovery is during the first 5 days after surgery, which includes some soreness, swelling, and possible bruising. Most patients don’t require pain medicine this entire time but it is different for everyone.

Many patients are able to go back to work at this time, depending upon their job requirements. It is normal to have swelling that lasts for several weeks and I tell most patients to wait until 6-12 weeks before trying out new bra sizes. (Bryan Correa, MD, The Woodlands Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery can be easy

Most women in my practice feel good after 3-4 days following a breast augmentation. Except for women who have very demanding manual labor jobs, they are back to work in one week.

Most are back in the gym to two weeks (doing activities that don’t require their upper body). Taking care of your children depends a little bit on their age.

Often they can crawl into your lap and then you can stand up with them in your arms after about a week. Scars will fade over 3-6 months. (Daniel Sherick, MD, Ann Arbor Plastic Surgeon)

Rapid Recovery breast augmentation

Breast augmentation can be done with little to no downtime. By utilizing careful surgical technique and having the patient do postoperative stretching exercises every hour, patients can go out to eat and go shopping the day of their surgery, taking only Motrin. This post-op recovery program was pioneered by Dr. John Tebbetts from Dallas and we have used it in our practice for over five years. This is completely opposite of the “old school” approach where the patient is bound up, told to take it easy and give narcotics. Using the old approach, most patients were out of commission for 7-10 days or longer.

Our patients routinely are driving the next day, even returning to work one to two days after surgery. If your doctor isn’t doing this don’t be surprised – unfortunately most stick to the traditional approach which results in progressive tightening of the pectoralis muscles and significant discomfort. This cycle of swelling, stiffness, pain snowballs and this is why most patients report that the augmentation procedure was: “worse than childbirth”. It simply doesn’t have to be this way. (Bruce W. Van Natta, MD, Indianapolis

The main concern after breast augmentation in the immediate post op period is bleeding.

I tell my patients to minimize arm motion. No lifting more than five pounds in the first week. The patient can walk, cook, work at a desk or computer.

The pain is controlled with narcotic pain medicine and is usually controlled with Ibuprofen after three days. You can wear a regular bra the next day. (Farhad Rafizadeh, MD, Morristown Plastic Surgeon)

How long is the recovery after Breast Augmentation?

The length and character of your recovery period will depend on a few variables. The technique chosen by you and your surgeon (under the muscle or over), your surgeon’s technique (for better or worse, some surgeons are more gentle with tissues and their patients have less pain), and your individual tolerance for pain.

In other words even doing the procedure the same way in two different patients, they will have differing levels of pain that lasts variable amounts of time. The best thing to do would be to talk to your chosen surgeon and ask what the majority of his/her patients experience.

Maybe even ask to speak to a few or read testimonials, such as those found on this site. With regard to the recovery restrictions and scars, these are even more individualized from surgeon to surgeon- it would be difficult (if not irresponsible) for me to advise you about these things without knowing how your surgeon usually does things.

The best person to answer those questions for you is your surgeon- he or she will know what works to give his/her patients the best outcomes given his/her technique and routines. (Armando Soto, MD, FACS, Orlando Plastic Surgeon)

Hard decision about breast augmentation

Your breast augmentation recovery will depend on whether the implant is over or under the muscle. No matter what, no heavy lifting for 2 weeks; this includes children, groceries, vacuuming, etc. As for the children, it depends on their ages; I am guessing that they are young. You will need help to take care of them for at least a week. Everyone is variable, but the scars usually take 1-2 years to truly fade although many patients have scars that look faded at 6 months. The best thing to do is have a consultation so the surgeon can address your specific situation. Be wary of anyone who says “Oh, it is nothing”.

While it is a relatively simple procedure, the better prepared you are for the post-op period, the less stressed out you will be and this will make your recuperation seem very easy.

The key is information and preparation. You cannot prepare if someone tells you “don’t worry, its nothing”. (Tracy Pfeifer, MD, Manhattan Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery period is worth it!

Pain is very subjective, but most women need a narcotic for about 3 days after the procedure. I tell my patients not to lift anything heavy or strain themselves for four weeks after the procedure so as not to affect the muscle or stir up bleeding. Scars can take as long as a year to achieve their long-term appearance, but after 6 months they will mostly be there.

Although nobody enjoys the recovery process, it will be well worth it to enjoy the rewards of breast augmentation surgery. Good luck (Jeffrey Horowitz, MD, Bel Air Plastic Surgeon)