Breast Augmentation: Cost, Reviews, Photos

All surgeons and patients are different and recovery depends upon both. I am going to refer to augmentation performed in the subglandular plain for this part of the answer.

Recovery is measured in days not weeks. At ten days postoperative, you will be able to care for your children. You will have to wait 6 weeks before resuming exercise in a gym but you can walk 3 to five miles at about one week.

Arm movement is not limited after surgery. Pain and hardness after surgery is determined by your surgeon and his operative technique.

The less trauma your tissues experience, the quicker you will heal. Submuscular augmentation requires a longer healing period. The pectoralis muscle is torn off the chest wall and this hurts.

It takes about two weeks to recover. Activity is limited, The pectoral muscle needs to recover and reattach to its new surroundings. If this does not happen the muscle could displace your implants superiorly or laterally.

Post operatively your implants may have a tendency to rise and a binder may be necessary to hold your implants down and in place. (Gary H. Manchester, MD (retired), San Diego Plastic Surgeon)

Breast Augmentation Recovery

Most patients feel tired and sore for a day or two following their surgery. Most of my patients return to work within the week.

Any stitches used will dissolve within a week or 10 days prior.

Within the first few weeks most swelling and sensitivity and pain and hardness with be gone. Breast Augmentation scars will fade in a few months and continue to fade away for up to one year. (Michael A. Fiorillo, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)

Breast Aug Recovery

It really depends on the placement of the implant (over vs under the muscle). Over the muscle I have had competitive swimmers compete in 10 days to 2 weeks. Under the muscle is different. When the muscle is cut you really have a different concern.

I have had someone bleed after submuscular breast aug after working out at the 3rd week. That does not mean that working your core and aerobics is not ok. Just work with your doctor to make a plan that works for you. Not everyone is the same. (Paul Albear, MD, Tampa Plastic Surgeon)

Breast Augmentation Recovery Time

When I first went into practice, every patient was advised to take two weeks off. Within the last 5 years I have offered a pain pump which allows my patients to move around more quickly and comfortably.

This has cut the patients off work time down to one week. Patients will not be able to work out until I release them. Patients may remain tired for up to six weeks. (Christine Sullivan, MD, Columbus Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery after Breast Augmentation

Recovery after breast augmentation is dependent on many individual factors. In general, most patients recover in 5-7 days and return to normal activity. Return to exercise and normal gym routine can take at least 2 weeks. Many of my patients opt to have breast implant surgery under conscious sedation, which speeds the recovery after anesthesia, decreasing nausea and headaches. From El Paso. (Frank Agullo, MD, El Paso Plastic Surgeon)

Quick recovery from breast augmentation

In general, recovery after breast augmentation is quick. In my practice in Fort Worth and Southlake, Texas, the surgery is done under general anesthesia as an outpatient. Everyone has some discomfort after surgery but this is usually easily managed by oral pain medications.

Normal daily activities can be resumed in a few days but I recommend at least 2 weeks before resuming an excercise regiment to decrease the risk of complications and discomfort from use of the chest muscle. The scars should fade with time, and be very well camoflouged.

Almost all of my patients have their implants placed under the chest muscle, but if they are placed on top of the muscle, then the recovery is even faster. In your consultation, your surgeon should cover all of these issues. (Jonathan Heistein, MD, Fort Worth Plastic Surgeon)

Back to work after implants?

Recovery from breast surgery depends on many factors including implant size and placement, patients pain tolerance to name a few. In general, most will require 3-5 days off from a non-physical job and up to 2-3 weeks from more physically active jobs. You will need help with your children for a few days, but this mainly depends on their ages. Scars are generally presentable after 4-6 weeks but can take up to 1 year to fully mature. (Douglas L. Gervais, MD, Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon)

Rapid Breast implants recovery in los angeles

most of my patients who have breast augmentation in los angeles usually take 4-5 days off work after breast implants. Obviously, it also depends on the type of work you do. I allow my patients to start light exerciseing in about 10 days. (S. Sean Younai, MD, FACS, Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon)

Breast Implant Recovery / How Painful is Breast Augmentation

Each surgeon seems to have their own approach to treating or preventing pain and hardness after breast augmentation. My approach is to start with regional nerve blocks and leave Marcaine in the pocket, both because of it’s assistance in pain control and some older studies that suggest it helps kill any bacteria that may be left behind around the implant.

Pain and hardness is just not a dramatic issue. No matter what one chooses, it is reasonable to think that there will be some discomfort but no dramatic pain. To suggest that you will not have any discomfort is probably a bit unrealistic, but one should not expect to be in significant pain either. Be very wary of claims of painless breast augmentation.

It is important to address these issues with your surgeon beforehand so that you know that he or she has a plan. Using a board certified plastic surgeon is not guaranteed to eliminate pain and hardness immediately after your operation but it can eliminate the pain of a bad result. (Jeremy Pyle, MD, Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon)

Be Back to Normal Day-to-Day Activity within 3 to 4 Days Following Breast Augmentation

In general, the total recovery time for a breast augmentation is approximately one month. Normally, you are back to most normal day-to-day activities within three or four days. This would include driving your car.

If your job is more of a sedentary desk type of work, normally you can return to this type of activity within three or four days. We tell our patients not to raise their elbows above their shoulders for three weeks and try not to lift more than five pounds for three weeks.

With these restrictions, most women can return to a desk job within three to four days after surgery. If, however, you do heavy lifting or work on an assembly line you may need three weeks of lighter duty before you return to full unrestricted work.

Most scars begin to fade within two to four months after surgery. Normally, this improvement goes up to one year and sometimes two years. (John J. Edney, MD, Omaha Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery from breast augmentation

The recovery from Breast Augmentation depends mostly on whether the implants are placed over the muscle or under the muscle. If over the muscle the recovery is minimal and things like exercise can begin in as little as ten days.

However, most implants are placed under the muscle and the recovery is significantly more prolonged.

ypically a woman will need to take a full week off of work and will need someone to help with children for 7-10 days.

Driving can start at 10 days as well. Certain types of exercise that are low-impact and that do not engage upper body or core muscles(for example pedaling a stationary bicycle) may start at two weeks but most types of exercise(running, impact aerobics, weight-lifting) will require a six-week waiting period. (Richard Restifo, MD, New Haven Plastic Surgeon)

Concerns about the recovery period are very common amongst patients considering breast augmentation surgery. It’s important to realize that every patient situation is unique. Some patients have jobs that involve heavy lifting, while others sit at a desk.

Some patients have children, while others have a significant support system available to them. Some patients have more extensive procedures, while some patients have a low pain tolerance. All of these factors can impact the recovery period. I generally recommend that patients take a week off from work.

The patients who have desk jobs may return sooner. Light exercise can usually be undertaken at about two weeks, and strenuous physical activity can be resumed at six weeks. At that time, I tell patients that they may return to full activity, without restrictions. Two situations deserve special mention; these include childcare and driving. I tell patients that they should not drive a motor vehicle until they are no longer taking narcotic pain relievers.

Also, I believe that if you have small children at home, some type of childcare assistance should be available for at least one week following surgery. When all of these factors are considered, most patients feel that the recovery was less difficult then expected. (Richard J. Bruneteau, MD, Omaha Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery from breast augmentation obviously varies from patient to patient. In my experience the most important variable is the relationship of the implant volume to the patient’s soft tissue envelope.

In other words – how much stress is the chosen imlant putting on the patient’s soft tissues? Believe it or not, this seems to be more important to predicting recovery than even pocket (above or below the muscle).

When patients choose an implant commesurate with their soft tissues – narcotics are seldom required and recovery quick; when patients choose an excessively large implant – narcotics are usually needed for a few days and recovery can take up to a week. (Michael B. Tantillo, MD, Boston Plastic Surgeon)

A lot of patients are worried about recovery and how to put life on “hold” for a short period of time. There are a lot of variables that go into how much downtime a patient needs.

If you have a desk job, you may be able to go back to work in 3-4 days. If you have a job that requires more lifting and use of your arms, you may need a couple of weeks off.

I often do breast augmentations on Wednesday and patients go back to work on Monday.

I advise that you have an in person consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon. (Joseph W. Aguiar, MD, Tampa Plastic Surgeon)

I think this is a big concern for everyone considering breast augmentation. Every patient has a different experience, that being said, there are several predictive factors.

Patients tend to have less pain and hardness if: they have had children before (the breast skin has been previously stretched), they choose smaller implants, or the implant is placed above the muscle. I tell my patients that they can expect to be on pain medications for 3-4 days and back to work in 5-7days, assuming they don’t do any heavy lifting at work.

Heavy lifting should be restricted for 4-6 weeks for implants placed under the muscle. Scaring is affected by many things. The location of the scar, patient skin type and surgeon skill all play a role in the final result. For most patients the scars will fade and be not noticeable in 4-6months. Scars will continue to improve all the way to 1 year after surgery. (Bradley A. Hubbard, MD, Dallas Plastic Surgeon)

Breast Implant recovery varies based on a few things. In general some women go back to work between 3 days and 14 days. If you go from a very small breast to a very large breast the stretching of the skin can cause more discomfort than if you have had a smaller change in size.

If you had a lift at the same time this may increase your recovery time to the longer time frame because there are more incisions. Most of my patients return to “desk work” in 3-5 days, but if you have a career that is more labor intensive and physical your surgeon may want you to wait 2-3 weeks to go back to full activity. (Timothy Janiga, MD, FACS, Reno Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery After Breast Augmentation surgery

The early part of recovery after breast augmentation is about 3-5 days. After that, most women are ready to return to administrative or office work and resume light activities. I usually recommend starting arm and shoulder stretching immediately after surgery and light exercise after 2 weeks. At 4 weeks I advise women to return to the gym and start on their regular exercise program. To minimize discomfort after surgery I prescribe a strong anti-inflammatory medication which is started before surgery and I also use a lot of a special long acting local anesthetic (local freezing) to help prevent discomfort after surgery. With this, most women only take their regular pain medication a couple of times after surgery and have usually stopped taking pain medication by 2-3 days afterwards. (Cory Goldberg, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)

Breast augmentation is usually performed in an outpatient setting under general anesthesia, though in some instances, may be performed under sedation with local anesthesia and nerve blocks.

Recovery times vary on an individual basis, but patients are usually off of narcotic pain medicines in 1-2 days and able to return to work by 3 days.

Light exercise, such as brisk walking, leg weights, and caring for small children, can be performed after 2-3 weeks while full exercise may not be resumed for 5-6 weeks.

It will take 6-12 months for the final result of your breast augmentation to be apparent; during this time swelling will decrease, the skin will stretch and soften, and the implants will drop slightly.

It will also take 12 months for the scars to fully mature. Each plastic surgeon has their own breast augmentation recovery recommendations, but in general the following recovery can be expected:

1. Off of Narcotic Pain Medicines: 1-2 days
2. Return to Work: 3 days
3. Light Exercise: 2-3 weeks
4. Full Exercise: 5-6 weeks
5. Final Breast Augmentation Result: 6-12 months
6. Scar Maturation: 12 months Jaime Perez, M.D.  (Jaime Perez, MD, Tampa Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery from breast augmentation obviously varies from patient to patient. In my experience the most important variable is the relationship of the implant volume to the patient’s soft tissue envelope.

In other words – how much stress is the chosen imlant putting on the patient’s soft tissues? Believe it or not, this seems to be more important to predicting recovery than even pocket (above or below the muscle).

When paients choose an implant commesurate with their soft tissues – narcotics are seldom required and recovery quick; when patients choose an excessively large implant – narcotics are usually needed for a few days and recovery can take up to a week. (Michael B. Tantillo, MD, Boston Plastic Surgeon)

You can expect to take off about 5-7 days from desk work, and you can get back to cardio exercises in about three weeks or so.

You can start doing more strenuous exercises after 6 weeks, such as weightlifting. You’ll probably be sore, bruised and swollen, but all of these will subside in a couple weeks.

Full swelling takes a few months to go away, but it will be so gradual that it would be difficult to say exactly when it all went away.

It takes up to a year for scars to fully mature, but you can help expedite the process with silicone sheeting and gel. You should get a better idea of your recovery from your surgeon, who should give you instructions on what to expect. (Jerome Edelstein, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)

I use a rapid recovery breast augmentation technique and my patients feel discomfort for 1-3 days. Most are back to regular activities in 36-48 hours and back to work in a few days. Speak to your surgeon because your recovery will depend on exactly what surgical technique he/she uses. (Matthew Schulman, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)

So Breast Augmentation recovery goes through some predictable stages. Initially the breasts are tight, swollen, hardness and painful. Over the next 6 weeks there is a significant amount of settling. By 3 months I would say 90% of the swelling has resolved and the breast are soft. Of course everything has to do with your anatomy and what size implant you select but this is a rough guideline. I tell patients they need 1 week off work and 6 wks off exercise. Scars start fading around 4-6wksIts actually a pretty easy and tolerable recovery (Rady Rahban, MD, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)

Breast Implants – Recovery

Well, there’s a lot of info out there by now. You should definitely check out surgery dot org and plasticsurgery dot org. But, in general, here’s what I’d say. It takes about a week to get through most of the recovery, 3 weeks before you can start exercising, and several weeks to months to see the final results.

No exercise means no lifting of children, and whether or not you can take care of them depends on what’s involved with that. Driving? At least a week and for sure not until you’re off all your pain meds. Regular activities, and back to your normal routine completely? Probably a good 2-3 weeks. (Alan M. Engler, MD, FACS, New York Plastic Surgeon)

Breast implants recovery in a week or less

While all patients are unique, I have found that most recover from a breast augmentation in a week or less. Sub-muscular placement usually takes a little longer than sub-glandular placement.

The type of job one has also plays into the recovery period. Business owners and people with desk jobs return sooner than people with jobs requiring lifting such as nurses or flight attendants. Moms rarely get a break and are caring for their children in the first week. Usually the children are crawling on Mom before she can actually lift them. Your skin type and incision location, along with the type of closure, will determine just how long it takes for the scar to fade. Generally 6-9 months but I have seen it as short as 3 months and over a year. (Grant Stevens, MD, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery in general for breast augmentation is a fairly carefree operation done as an outpatient procedure with general anesthesia.

The patient can usually go home following the procedure and short recovery period. Although in my practice in Dallas, Texas we have a full overnight nursing care hotel facility for the patient to stay overnight if desired.

Most normal activity can be resumed in three to five days following surgery. I recommend my patients to refrain from exercise and getting their heart rate above 100 for at least three weeks following surgery. The patient can expect to be off work for three to five days immediately following the procedure.

No lifting over ten pounds is allowed for a week to ten days as well. Scars generally begin to fade and soften by three to six months at which time the scars are almost imperceptible. I recommend my patients use a specially formulated scar cream which I prepare for them to help with the maturation of the scars. (Rod J. Rohrich, MD, Dallas Plastic Surgeon)

Breast Implant Recovery

Breast implant pain and hardness depends on numerous factors. Under the muscle is somewhat more uncomfortable mostly because the muscle takes time to stretch out. Implant size plays a role but shouldn’t influence choice of size.

Aggressive stretching after surgery can abbreviate the recovery. Return to work depends very much on your job. For submuscular implants you should avoid any strenuous use of the pectoral (chest) muscle for many weeks. (Richard L. Zeff, MD, Portsmouth Plastic Surgeon)