Why would my surgeon say no bra and then tell me to wear a bra?

Thank you for your question.  What you will find as you read the many answers your question has elicited is that each surgeon has their own post-operative protocols and that there is no universal standard when it comes to the use of compression garments in the immediate post-operative period.  In my practice, I recommend that my patients wear a light weight compression garment for the first 4 weeks to help reduce discomfort and swelling following a breast augmentation.  I also have my primary breast augmentation patients wear a light weight compression band to help facilitate the settling process that implants will undergo.  I would recommend discussing your concerns with your operating surgeon and I would encourage you to ask as many questions as necessary in order to truly understand your surgeons thought process and recommendations.  From what you describe, it seems as though your surgeon has placed you in a sports bra because of the discomfort that you were experiencing.  As far as the asymmetries between your breasts, you are so, so early on in the healing process that I would discourage you from making any judgements of your results this soon.  The appearance of your breasts will continue to change over the next 3-4 months as your muscle and skin continue to stretch to accommodate your new implants.  You may find that one side settles sooner than the other and this is common and most early asymmetries in size and shape are temporary and will sort out as your body heals.  I hope this helps and best of luck on your recovery!

Every surgeon is different for their post op instructions and what type of garment , if any, to wear after breast surgery. I like to tailor to the needs of my patients, specifically for each individual. I generally tell my patients that it is not necessary for them to wear a bra immediately post-op, however if they feel more comfortable wearing one, then they absolutley can, as long as it does not have an underwire. It sounds like in your case, thats what your surgeon was doing. You voiced concerns you had about pain and discomfort, and his solution was for you to wear a sports bra, hoping it would help decrease swelling and in turn, decrease the pain you are expiriencing. 

Thank you for your question. I often recommend that patients find a sports bra that opens in the front and that is comfortable to wear. They can take breaks during the day and I also encourage breast massage after a week. It is important for your implants to move around and develop a comfortable space (or capsule) within the breast.  The bra provides compression to help manage swelling during the first few weeks after surgery.

The post-operative management following breast augmentation
varies from patient to patient and depends on a multitude of variables.No two patients are ever exactly alike and,
for this reason, treatment plans need to be individualized.In addition, patients frequently experience
changes in their status, which requires modification of their treatment plans.It’s
not unusual for patients to experience asymmetry and superior implant
displacement in the immediate post-operative period.In many cases, these problems are related to
swelling and improve with the passage of time.In the
immediate post-operative period, I suspect your surgeon was avoiding a bra to
allow your breasts to drop into normal position.Unfortunately, your swelling worsened and you
developed increasing pain and discomfort.For this reason, he switched to a compression bra to minimize
swelling.It’s
not unusual for surgeons to modify post-operative treatment plans when their
patient’s situation changes.It’s also
normal to have transient asymmetry in the post-operative period.For these reasons, it’s important to be
patient and maintain good communication with your surgeon.

Because you are very early in your recovery, your breasts may be healing at different rates and this may be the reason of your asymmetry. Surgeons suggest different things when it comes to the postoperative period, and it seems that your surgeon may have though wearing a bra would be better after seeing you.

Please ask your surgeon why he recommended this for you. Perhaps it was because he wanted to accelerate the rate at which your breasts "drop", and then once they got to a certain point he asked you to start wearing a bra to give you the support you need as you recover. Since you are still early on in your recovery, you'll need to wait until about the third or fourth month to better assess your results. I know your breasts look a little odd right now, but as your body adjusts to them, they will probably look better. Best of luck!

Each plastic surgeon has their own, individual post operative breast augmentation protocol; this protocol changes throughout the surgeon's career and varies according to the individual patient and surgery.

Your plastic surgeon's usual protocol is probably to have his patients avoid wearing a bra as much as possible for the first three weeks after a breast augmentation to allow the breast implants to "fall" as quickly as possible.  Your plastic surgeon probably told you to start wearing a sports bra after you complained of pain in the hopes that the sports bra might offer a small amount of support and help alleviate your pain.  However, it is doubtful that wearing a sports bra or not wearing a sports bra will have any long-term affect on your final results.

Additionally, it is not uncommon for your breasts to be a little uneven after breast augmentation.  This asymmetries should dissipate with time as the swelling decreases, your muscles and skin relax, and the implants descend into their final position.  Your final result will not be visible for at least 6 months.

I recommend that you try to relax and continue to follow your plastic surgeons postoperative instructions.  Make an appointment to see your plastic surgeon immediately if you have increasing pain, drainage from your incisiona, or other signs of infection.

It is very early to make any assumptions about your final result.  Swelling may take 3 months to resolve, so hang in there until then.  If you're in pain, make sure you are being followed or at least seen frequently to make sure you don't have any infection.

Every surgeon will have a different protocol for after surgery care. It sounds like he had you wear the bra after telling you not to because you were complaining of pain. Without seeing a photo it's hard to comment on one looking larger than the other. Your surgeon would be the best person to answer these questions as everyone here would only be guessing.

A bra is used for comfort and support after breast augmentation surgery.  If you need to go without the bra for a short period of time, it will not affect your final outcome.  As long as your surgery was performed correctly, the bra will not have an impact on your final shape or result.

Best wishes,

Dr.Bruno