Will my Breast Ever Get Soft After a Breast Augmentation? If Yes, How Long Will It Take?

400cc implants are not "harder" than smaller-size breast implants. Firmness in the first few weeks after augmentation surgery is related to swelling, as well as the youthfulness and elasticity of the "container" (your breasts and pectoralis muscles) your implants are within. Every woman is different!

For example, imagine a woman who is in her 40's, has had several children, breast-fed them all, and has lost weight recently. She will have loose breast skin (may even need a lift in some situations) and less muscle tone than a young athletic woman who has never had children and never been an ounce overweight. You could easily anticipate who might have a more firm result after augmentation, especially if each has the exact same implant size.

Your friends may have had smaller implants because they wanted less enlargement, or because they started with more of their own breast tissue and needed smaller implants to get to the final size they wished. Or, all things being equal, they simply wanted to be smaller than your goal size.

Your breasts WILL soften. How much and how long it takes is as individual as each and every patient. You should notice significant decrease in firmness over the next few weeks, but it will take 6 months or longer to reach your "final" result, including your scar softening and fading. Be patient; those friends with the softer breasts now may have more sagging sooner than you! Best wishes!

It typically takes longer than 1 month for the breasts to be soft.  Massaging the implants helps.  Make sure you are keeping close follow up with your surgeon.  

Hello and thank you for this great question. The breasts may be a little bit high, swollen, firm and tight for about 6-8 weeks following a breast augmentation. Typically 2 months post surgery you will see the "drop and fluff" in the implants. The soft tissue settles, the skin relaxes and the implants look better and more natural. The implants will be showing their true projection. If you experience firm breasts after this period of time, you may be experiencing capsular contracture, I advise you to see your plastic surgeon for further evaluation. Best of luck to you.

The breasts are usually rather firm after a breast augmentation and will soften over time.  At 4-6 months time, the breasts will be as soft as they are going to be.  But there are some things that do matter here.  It depends on how much soft tissue coverage you have and also how big of an implant was chosen.  The bigger the implant the tighter the pocket will be and the more firm the breasts will be.  Also the type of implant matters:  a saline implant that is overfilled will be much more firm that a regular silicone implant.  Now with the newer choices that are available thru Natrelle (Allergan-Responsive, Soft Touch, Cohesive), different cohesiveness of silicone implants can be chosen which will determine how soft that breasts will feel.Hope that helps.

Thanks for your question. This question is an older one, so I believe you were about one year out from your breast augmentation based on your described surgery date. After one year, your result will have mostly settled. A larger implant will not be "harder" than a smaller one; the softness of your breast post surgery largely depends on the amount of breast tissue that you had pre-operatively. This is why your result may different from friends. You already had silicone implants which are softer than saline implants.

"Settling" of breast implants is a process that takes time. The soft tissues covering your implant (muscle, breast tissue - fat and glandular tissue, and your skin) all must stretch to accommodate the implant. Depending on the size of the implant relative to the stretch of your tissues and the amount of time after surgery there will be normal changes and "settling".It generally takes at least 1-2 months for initial settling but changes can be noted even at one year. There should be progressive softening over the first few weeks and your breasts may become as soft as preop. The only other important factor is encapsulation or capsular contracture which unfortunately can occur in some women and lead to progressive hardening over time.  At one month postop it is much to early to consider that possibility.Be patient!