Breast Augmentation: Cost, Reviews, Photos

Most of my patients take medication for pain for just the day of surgery and maybe the day after and then stop it.

Most will return to a desk type of job on the 4th or 5th day after surgery.

I recommend avoiding strenuous activity for the first two weeks and then resuming aerobic activities followed in a week or two by upper extremity exercise and weights etc.

Most patients who run return to running a little later. Most of the time I place the implants under the muscle. (Ralph R. Garramone, MD, Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon)

Breast augmentation recovery stages in San Francisco Bay Area can be looked at in several ways

Recovery from breast augmentation surgery can be looked at in several ways. In terms of pain medication requirement, most patients will take prescription pain medications for 1-3 days following surgery. With regard to returning to work, patients who have desk types of jobs are generally advised to stay out of work for at least 5 days following surgery.

Healing from all surgical procedures, especially when an implant is involved, requires avoidance of mental as well as physical stress. This is another reason to not rush to return to work.

In terms of physical activity, we ask our patients to avoid lifting anything heavier than 10 pounds for 10 days following the surgery. Similarly, aerobic and sexual activity should be avoided for at least 10 days. In terms of appearance, breast implants often appear quite good after as early as 7-10 days, with most swelling having resolved by that time. Bruising, if any exists, can be expected to resolve completely within about 2 weeks.

The above refers to submuscular breast augmentation, which is the procedure we perform in the overwhelming majority of our patients. Subglandular breast augmentation, which means the implants are placed over rather than under the muscle, generally involves less post-operative discomfort. However, the activity instructions are essentially the same. The risk of capsular contracture is actually higher when the implants are placed over the muscle, and therefore activities which could cause localized bleeding and subsequent contracture must be avoided. (David Rapaport, MD)

Breast Augmentation Recovery stages – The details are important.

After years of experience I have found that each patient is so unique and each patient’s recovery is also unique as well. Generally speaking, I tell my patients that the first few days following surgery will be uncomfortable and that can usually be well controlled with medication.

We always insist that you are up and walking the night of surgery and a specific short walking routine is maintained for the first week following surgery. Most patients with a sedentary job return to work in about one week.

That being said, I am careful to let my patients know that they will be more tired that first week or so and should not plan on anything extra apart from their job. For those patients with more physical jobs we suggest at least two weeks prior to returning to work. No heavy lifting for four to six weeks depending on the patient and their usual activities. Lower body type aerobic activities may begin at about three weeks after surgery in most cases.

We try to be very specific with each patient during the initial consultation. Important information is the type of work you do, if you have children and their ages,whether you have another adult in the houshold who will be available to help you. Another important factor is if your lifestyle requires significant travel, either by car, train or plane.

Be sure to share as much as possible with your surgeon so aspects of your recovery stages can be answered in more detail. Regarding scars – : the best result for almost any plastic surgery procedure is seen at one year after surgery, including the condition of the scars. The result from the scars would be compromised by sun exposure or the use of tanning beds. I ask my patients not to intervene on their own with oils, creams or lotions applied on the scars unless they consult with me first.

Most times the healing properties of the human body are enough to produce minimal scarring.I sincerely hope that you will be one of the many happy post surgery patients who ask “why did they just not do this sooner?” (George Hricko, MD, Natick Plastic Surgeon)

Plan to take 2-3 days off to rest. Recovery really depends on what type of work and activities you do. Lifting and carrying light items can be done at 2-3 days, heavier items may take 5-7. Running and other aerobic exercises should be put off for two weeks, and weights can be resumed at about 3-4 weeks. (Gregory Diehl, MD, FACS, Long Island Plastic Surgeon)

What to expect after Breast Augmentation…

Recovery from Breast Augmentations in Bay Area depends on many factors such implant placement, size of implant, and pain tolerance. Discomfort is usually Mild to Moderate. Anticipate 3 – 5 days of pain medication depending on whether your implants are placed above or below the muscle. Swelling may last any where from 1 – 6 weeks. Most of the swelling subsides after 2 weeks. Generally shorter if the implants are above the muscle. Activity will worsen swelling. You would have lifting restrictions, no strenuous or repetitive upper arm activity for 2 weeks. You may return to work in 3 – 7 days if the implants are above the muscle or 5 – 10 days if they are below the muscle. Scars generally will mature at around 1 year after surgery. I recommend wearing scar pads on the incision to help make the scar look the best as possible. Best of Luck. (Heather Rocheford, MD, Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon)

Breast Augmentation In San Francisco Bay Area

It takes about 3 weeks to feel like yourself again. The day after surgery, I have the patients come into the office to remove their initial dressing, and put them in a post-op bra, which clips in the front, making it easier to put on.

Once the large surgical dressing is off, you can apply ice to the chest to help with swelling and any discomfort.

Head elevation is useful for the first 48 hours, to keep swelling after breast augmentation away from the surgery sites.

Diet is normal as tolerated. Pain will be worse when swelling is—which is maximal at 36-48 hours after surgery. You will have pain pills to take to help with this.

For the first 3 days after surgery In Bay Area, I recommend keeping the arms near one’s sides and not reaching for things, to minimize pectoralis muscle motion, and minimize the risk for bleeding. After 3 days, I encourage arm motion, to avoid any limitation in shoulder motion. The goal is to raise both hands straight above one’s head so the backs of the hands touch each other. Once there, you are good to go. Then the only limitations are to avoid any medications for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after surgery that could “thin” the blood, and increase the chances of bleeding.

Your doctor most likely gave you a list of what to avoid. Also smoking should be avoided for 3 days before and 3days after surgery, to optimize the chance of successful wound healing. The last restriction is to keep the wound clean and dry til sutures out (about 10-14 days). Now there are some excellent bandages on the market (e.g. Nex-Care) that you can put over the wound and dressing (usually Steri-Strip), shower and then remove.

If it still gets wet, use a hair dryer to blow it dry. Once sutures are out, no further limitation in activities. Go ahead and do what you want, but always let pain be your guide. If it hurts, wait, and try again in a few more days. If it’s comfortable, then proceed. You can drive after about 5 days, once you are sure you could slam on the brakes if someone suddenly drove out in front of you, or stopped suddenly. When you can go back to work depends on the job. I would avoid heavy lifting (20 pounds or more) for 3 weeks. If it’s no heavy lifting, then as soon as you feel up to it, probably in about 1-2 weeks. If your implants are placed on top of the muscle, they do not hurt as much, since the muscle doesn’t have to stretch, and usually you can work in a week. No underwire bra for 6 weeks after surgery. You may find, you don’t even need one at all, due to the new look and position of the breasts. (Karen Singer, MD, Tampa Plastic Surgeon)

Complete recovery from breast augmentation in Bay Area can take up to 6 weeks. For the first week, I usually recommend no work and minimizing your activities. By 6 weeks, most women are back to full activities, except tanning. Also, please avoid driving while taking any pain medication.

Most women need pain medication during the first week. If your job is fairly sedentary, or you can avoid lifting, you may usually return to work after the first week. Scars typically take several months to fade. Using scar products like Mederma or Scar guard and avoiding tanning can help give you the best scar results. (Connie Hiers, MD, San Antonio Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery after breast augmentation is somewhat related to breast implant size and profile. The larger and more projected the implant the more muscle stretch and pain the patient may experience. I generally provide my patients with an implantable pain pump which significantly decreases the amount of post op discomfort. (Scott Wells, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)

San Francisco Bay Area Breast augmentation is outpatient surgery. The procedure takes usually less than one hour. After surgery, you may experience some mild soreness that should be easily managed with 1-2 pain pills every 6 hours as needed.

Usually, most patients do not require pain medications beyond 2-3 days. After surgery you will have swelling in the upper pole of your breast. The swelling resolves over 2-3 weeks. I recommend no heavy lifting or strenuous activity 6 weeks after surgery. (Arthur M. Cambeiro, MD, Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon)

Breast augmentation aftercare

You should plan on taking 4-5 days off work for a desk job and 2-4 weeks for a strenuous job.

Arm motion can be as tolerated right away in most cases, but repetitive arm motion and heavy lifting should be avoided.

After 2 weeks or so you can resume light housework, routine childcare, and light cardio activity. Heavy lifting (over 15 pounds or so) should be limited for 4-8 weeks, depending on discomfort levels and how evenly the implants are settling.

Patients are most sore in the first 3-5 days, but it helps a lot to use ice and a compression bra (as well as pain medication and a muscle relaxer).

After that, things are just a little sore for a while. Patients who choose small implants and have some looseness/sag to the breast may have less discomfort than those who choose large implants or who have very tight chest skin or muscles.

Scars look their worst about 3-4 months after surgery and gradually fade away. If you want to use scar cream, a silicone scar cream is best, but you need to commit to using it for at least 3 months to get the best benefit. (Dana Goldberg, MD, Jupiter Plastic Surgeon)

Typically most of my patients go back to work after 48 hrs

Recovery after breast augmentation surgery in San Francisco Bay Area differs of course for different patients but majority of my patients feel good enough after 48 hrs that they go back to usual activities and work and return to gym in 2-3 weeks.

Pain pumps help with intial recovery and inserting the implants through an armpit inscision not only gives you no scars on the breasts but typically results in minimal or no bruising – see personal stroy below and typical pics (Gregory Turowski, MD, PhD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

This is a commonly asked question as many women are active and desire as short of recovery as possible. Placement of an implant within the breast will result in some initial discomfort which usually is significantly improved within 2 to 3 days. During this initial healing, patients usually find themselves in quick recovery from their initial surgery.

Indeed, most patients stop taking their narcotics in 2 to 3 days and begin using non-steroidal pain medications such as Motrin or Aleve. Placing an implant under the muscle will likely result in slightly more discomfort than one placed above the muscle, however, patients in my practice, patients routinely find themselves feeling better than what they expected or read elsewhere.

I have been using an anesthetic (Marcaine) in the breast pocket prior to the insertion of the implants which is not unlike that used at the dentist but has a longer duration of action. This has improved patient’s recovery as well. I also believe that the principles of breast pocket dissection described by Dr. John Tebbets have also improved patient’s postoperative recovery after breast augmentation surgery. Ultimately I explain to patients that it will be approximately 4 to 6 weeks before they feel like they did before the surgery. However, it is not at all uncommon, that many patients reach this level of comfort much sooner and are often back to work within the week.

Patients are instructed to wear a non-underwire support bra 24/7 except when they shower. All incisions are sealed with dissolving sutures and topical adhesive on the wounds so that suture removal is not required. As far as scarring is concerned, the process can take many months (9-24) as this is the normal healing time required to achieve final scar results and often varies between patients.

Virtually all scars heal with excellent results yielding a fine white line that becomes very acceptable to patients. My experience with scar management other than massage or gel strips has been virtually nonexistent as scars have simply not needed revision. (Melek Kayser, MD, Detroit Plastic Surgeon)

Postoperative recovery time after breast augmentation surgery

Recovery after breast augmentation surgery in San Francisco Bay Area varies between patients. Other factors that may influence the recovery time include position of the implant whether it’s under the muscle or over the muscle, size of the implant, and general difference between pain tolerance. I have had patients who are state they are ready to return to work without any pain within 2 to 3 days of surgery, and I have others that require about 10 days off one from work.

The time you take off really depends on the type of work that you do in general I do not release patients back to work for seven days as a precaution has during this immediate postoperative period there is risk for hematoma and bleeding if activity is too vigorous. Consult your local plastic surgeon to determine what their ideal timeframe as. This will allow you to make a determination of your return to work. (Christopher Khorsandi, MD, Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery time after a breast augmentation

Recovery time and the healing of scars for a breast augmentation mostly depends on the patient. Some patients heal faster than others & some patients tolerate pain better than others. For a breast augmentation, there will be discomfort & pressure on your breast as well as some pain in your upper arms, which won’t allow you to lift or pull back your arms.

This should last about an average of 3-5 days. As for the scars, usually it takes about a week to remove the stitches, once removed, its should take a couple of weeks to fully see the wounds healed & scars fading. (Mel T. Ortega, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)

After breast augmentation recovery in Bay Area

The implant selection, the size, your body habitus and your specific job are all factors that go into discussing with very good predictability what your recovery is going to be like. Your consultation process is indeed a process and we take very seriously what you do and what your outcome goals are. That being said, most patients are able to have their suture Steri-Strip off on the 7th day, are able to shower the day after surgery and shampoo their hair, they are able to dress themselves from the day of surgery and are readily able to drive in 1 to 3 days after operation.

If you have a heavy lifting job, I tell patients to restrict their heavy lifting to under 25 lbs. for 3 weeks. If you have a newborn baby or are taking care of children, you can pretty much handle taking care of your household responsibilities a few days after surgery, especially if you have the help of your significant other. This is what I go into when I discuss this with a patient. For example, if you jump out of airplanes, I would recommend waiting 6 weeks. (Paul Vanek, MD, Cleveland Plastic Surgeon)

Breast Augmentation Recovery : What to expect

With Breast Augmentation, there will be swelling and sometimes bruising. There is discomfort for a minimum of the first 3 days and the level of discomfort depends on each patient´s pain thresh hold. Each patient is different. If the patient has a desk job or a low activity job, they can return to work in 5 – 7 days.

But if a patient has a job involving lifting heavy things alot of physical activity, the patient will have to wait 3 weeks to month. The scars can start fading in about 3months but the scars do not heal completely until one year. It is important to avoid direct sunlight at least for the first 6 months. (Alfonso Gonzalez Cepeda, MD, Mexico Plastic Surgeon)

What to expect during breast augmentation recovery

Typically breast reduction surgery is an Ambulatory procedure (no hospitalization is necessary) . Although you will be able to move around following the surgery, you should expect to take at least two weeks off of work in order to allow your breasts to begin to heal properly.You should also avoid sleeping on your stomach, and make sure that you do not get your wounds wet for one week after the surgery. Exercise and heavy lifting should also be avoided for up to four weeks. Engaging in any of these activities too early can hinder the recovery process or cause complications. Swelling after breast augmentation will last for approximately four to six weeks before it starts to subside and it can take up to six to twelve months for scars to begin to be less obvious. You may notice a loss of nipple sensitivity, which should begin to return to normal after two to three weeks. This can take up to three months in some cases, but this depends on how much stretching of the nerves occurred during the surgery, and the volume of breast tissue removed. If the procedure results in nipple numbness, it can take six to twelve months for normal feeling in the nipples to return. (Norman G. Morrison, MD, FACS, San FranciscoPlastic Surgeon)