Is There a Quick Way to Recover from Breast Augmentation?

HEALING AFTER BREAST SURGERY, AUGMENTATION,
LIFTS

1.pain
is variable

2.it
takes 2-3 months for implants to settle and muscles to relax

3.celebrex,
motrin, and muscle relaxers can help

4.massage
and stretching may help

5.everyone
heals differently

6.4-7
days off from work is commonmy patients start activity the day of surgery

A routine recovery to everyday activities need not be prolonged and in our practice is usually within 1-2 days. Recovery time varies for individuals depending on their tolerance for discomfort, their tissues and the procedure performed. By treating your tissues gently at surgery, the surgical trauma is minimized and your recovery is both shorter and easier. It is very important to follow your after-care instructions. By doing this you will optimise your recovery time.
It is important to avoid any aerobic exercise for at least the first two weeks. If you have an office job it is often possible to be back to work after a few days. For more physical work it usually takes about two weeks or more.
You should always follow the advice of your treating doctor. 

I appreciate your question.  
Typically, my guideline is, the first week is the hardest. By the second week you feel better, at four weeks you feel 100% and at six weeks you can go back to complete normal routines and exercising.  
Four days after surgery, I would be careful as you are still at risk for bleeding. If you are taking any pain medication, I would not drink alcohol.  With my 'Schwartz Rapid Recuperation' recovery, most of my patients are out to dinner the following evening.
The best way to assess and give true advice would be an in-person exam.  Please see a board-certified plastic surgeon that specializes in aesthetic plastic surgery. 
  
Best of luck! 
    
Dr. Schwartz 
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon 
#RealSelf100Surgeon 
#RealSelfCORESurgeon

Thank you for your question.  Recovery after breast augmentation doesn't have to be difficult.  Selecting an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon, who uses proper technique, is the first step.  The surgeon's liberal use of a long-acting local anesthetic in the OR will help make the first few days after surgery relatively pain-free.  Wearing a supportive bra post-op and taking it easy on activities that involve heavy use of the arms, chest, or shoulders is also imperative.  While complete subsiding of post-op swelling and final settling of the tissues surrounding the implants can take several weeks, most of my patients are back at work within a few days after surgery.

It's not unusual for women to want to resume their normal lives as quickly as possible following breast augmentation surgery. These patients are interested in doing whatever is necessary to accelerate their recovery. For this reason, pre-operative preparation is extremely important. This type of preparation will not only accelerate recovery, but improve the quality of the result and overall experience. It's, therefore, important to prepare physically, medically and mentally for breast augmentation surgery.Once surgery has been performed, recovery is facilitated by meticulously following your surgeon's post-operative instructions. We generally recommend that patients take a week off work. 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 can return to full activity without restrictions.When all these factors are considered, most patients feel that the recovery was less difficult and faster then expected.

Omega 3 fats (e.g. fish oil, EFA, flax seed oil, Krill oil), NSAID's (aspirin, ibuprofen, naprosyn), Vitamin E, "blood thinners" and a whole host of supplements and medicines can cause excessive bleeding and bruising and therefore increase your recovery time. When in doubt stay away from supplements unless they are designed for surgery. I offer to my patients specific supplements that speed healing, reduce swelling, bruising and in some cases minimize discomfort (for example Bromelain, Arnica Montanum, and Vitamins designed for surgery.Bottom Line: Certain vitamins and minerals can speed healing others can cause problems and slow the process down or cause complications. If healing is going well I usually let my patients go back to their usual regimen of supplementsCheck with your doctor as only your doctor would have access to your medical history and what would be best for you. We typically allow our patients to continue their supplements 10 days post op if their recovery is going well.

The quickest way to recover from breast augmentation is by following your surgeon's pre and post surgical care instructions closely. Here are some other things that can help speed up recovery:

1. Refined surgical techniques: your surgeon should reduce unnecessary trauma and bleeding by avoiding blunt dissection and performing any incisions "blind".

2. Avoid or at least minimize the use of strong pain medications. .

3. Minimizing time spent under anesthesia, decreasing recovery issues (nausea and/or vomiting) associated with their use.

4. Restrict arm movements for the first three days.

5. Walk leisurely around to prevent blood clot formation.

6. Do not return to vigorous physical activities until your surgeon gives you the green light. 

If you follow the instructions provided to you by your surgeon, you should be able to recover more smoothly from your surgery. Good luck!

The quickest recovery is no surgery.  How you heal is out of our hands and in the hands of mother nature and you.  Some recover faster than others and there is not always a clear path of understanding of this. Smaller implants traditionally heal a little faster as there is less surgical area and less muscle tension, but the difference is minor.  Have the surgery when you have the time to recover and then you can get the size you want.

There is no way to have a fast recovery from any surgical procedure, including a breast augmentation. If your implants are being placed under your chest (pectoral) muscle you can expect to be in pain for a few days with a limited range of motion of your arms.  You can follow your surgeon's instructions and do some range of motion exercises early on to gradually get back to your usual activities. Each patient responds differently to the experience of surgery so you can not predict how you will recover; nor can your surgeon.

The easisest recovery is to have implants placed over the muscle (subglandular), however this has several disadvantages ( higher capsular contracture rate, more difficulty in reading mammograms, etc.)

Best wishes,

Dr.Bruno

There are ways to increase your comfort level and recovery after breast augmentation.  No one can make any guarantees, but these steps should help you



Before surgery

-  ensure you're in good health

-  educate yourself as much as possible.  The more you know ahead of time about breast augmentation, the less anxiety you should feel about your procedure

-  don't take things that will slow down healing.  As an example, any blood thinners like aspirin will make the surgery more difficult for me in the operating room and may result in more bruising and swelling after surgery

 

After surgery

-  follow the instructions of your plastic surgeon

-  reduce swelling and pain with elevation of your chest, ice, etc.

-  consider taking homeopathic meds, like arnica, echinacea, etc.

-  consider using a pain pump, which your plastic surgeon needs to put in during your procedure.  This is an awesome device that pumps slow drip numbing medicine around the area of surgery, reducing your pain

-  take as few narcotic pain pills as possible, to reduce nausea and constipation

-  hydrate well after surgery

-  eat a little extra protein after surgery

-  consider taking multivitamins after surgery.

 

It is possible to optimize things in your life, mind, and body, to get a faster recovery.  Best of luck to you!