Breast Augmentation: Q&A

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Does the Size of the Implant Effect the Amount of Pain After a Breast Lift with Augmentation?

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21 Doctor Answers | Asked by midwest50 in Chicago, IL

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Pain from breast lift/augmentation

Pain from a breast lift performed in conjunction with augmentation is directly proportional to how traumatized the muscle layer becomes. If the implant is placed under the muscle there is a lot more pain. Implants placed on top of the muscle are less painful, but if the surgeon is rough with the tissues or if the breast is unusually attached to the muscle then there is extra pain. As long as the muscle is left alone the pain is much less.

Does the Size of the Implant Effect the Amount of Pain Aftr Breast Lift w/ Aug?Answer:

Not really. In my experience I have not seen much of a correlation between pain and size...everyone is so different. I see patients after a 200cc implant acting as if they had a Heart/Lung transplant, while others with 500cc never use a pain pill...Makes no sense...Wish it did!!! But you probably will have more pain from the implant than the lift...

Pain following an augmentation mastopexy.

The pain experienced following an augmentation mastopexy is usually related to the elevation of the muscle. A larger implant can give more pain than a smaller implant when it comes to muscle stretching, but overall this is a fairly well tolerated procedure.

David Bogue, MD

6 reviews

Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

www.drbogue.com

Pain after breast augmentation

Thank you for your question. If the implant is large and placed under the muscle, yes, it can contribute to more discomfort. If you have concerns about this, you can discuss this with your plastic surgeon and give consideration to the use of a pain pump if possible. Small differences in implant size shouldn't have a lot of difference in your level of discomfort. Each patient is different. Discuss your concerns directly with your plastic surgeon. I wish you well. more

Implant Size And Pain

Unless the implant is very large causing significant tightness, size should not matter. In my experience, most pain from sub-muscular implants is due to the cutting of the muscle fibers necessary to placing the implant under the muscle. The good news is that intra-operative use of local anesthesia and post-operative pain and muscle relaxant medication should keep you fairly comfortable.

Pain after breast augmentation

Usually submuscular implantation hurts more than subglandular because of the muscle injury. I suppose more stretching of the muscle may cause more pain although this is not documented in the literature.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Implant size and symptoms

Drastic differences in sizes between two different implants can influence the amount of pain experienced but this is not a real world situation. The pain is more associated with stretching of the muscle - with more trauma to the tissue during surgery resulting in greater pain. Furthermore, placing implants behind the muscle versus in front of it will be associated with greater discomfort. This symptomatology relates to the early postoperative period versus a longstanding situation. more

Implant size

I have found that larger implants make women feel tighter, but I have not seen that be related to a change in the level of pain.

Michael Hueneke, MD

6 reviews

Nashville Plastic Surgeon

Postop Pain

I find most patients are surprised that they are not more uncomfortable after surgery. I believe that most of the discomfort is due to making the pocket for the implant below the muscle. Any operation that involves muscle tends to be more uncomfortable than a similar operation not involving muscle. Larger implants may stretch the muscle and the skin more and cause more discomfort but I don't think it will add significantly to the usual post op discomfort unless the implants are... more

Ralph R. Garramone, MD

7 reviews

Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon

Size of Breast Implants and Post op Pain?

Thank you for the question. There are many variables involved with how much discomfort patients have after breast surgery. I find that, unless the patient has a relatively large implant placed, the breast implant size does not necessarily play a major role. Generally, sub muscular implant positioning and overall patient's pain threshold are the most important variables. Best wishes.

Implant Size and Pain after Breast Lift/Augmentation

Implant size, unless the implants are extremely large, has less to do with pain after breast lift and augmentation than placement of the implant. Generally, implants placed under the muscle are slightly more painful but this also depends on the individual and how much difficult the surgeon encounter creating the submuscular pocket and inserting the breast implant.

Size of implant has little influence on post operative pain

Most of the pain from a submuscular breast augmentation comes from the stretching of the pectoralis muscle over the implant. I find that when the surgery is done under direct vision with care to ensure minimal bleeding and bruising that there is usually less pain. Meticulous attention to detail and gentle handling of the tissue usually results in less pain.

Post-operative pain

If the implant is placed below the muscle in my experience there can be more pain as the implant goes up after as certain point. I think more importantly, you should carefully select with a board certified surgeon the implant that fits your look, but more importantly fits well into your tissues. Good luck

Does Breast Implant Size Affect Amount of Pain after Surgery

This depends on if the implant is placed above or below the muscle and how tight or loose the skin is. Generally, a larger implant will cause more pressure and discomfort for a while.

Breast implant and pain

Implant size may be related to post-surgical discomfort. In addition, whether the implant is placed above (or below the muscle) may be a factor as well

Implant size usually has little impact on post-surgical pain

Implant size (unless huge implants are used relative to your chest) should not be a major factor in the post-operative pain. Naturally, larger implant means more tissue stretching, large implant space creation... however the difference between a 300cc and 400cc implant (for example) is only a few millimetres in diameter and projection so such a size difference should not be a concern when choosing an implant size and worrying about pain. Sincerely, Martin Jugenburg, MD more

Pain and implant size

There are a number of factors that influence pain after breast augmentation. Certainly implant size and shape have a role in post operative pain. More importantly there is tremendous individual variability from patient to patient and sensitivity to pain medication.Pain is typically well controlled after breast augmentation allowing for early ambulation and exercise.

Implant size and pain

The larger the implant, the more the muscle has to stretch. Therefore, I would agree that implant size affects postoperative pain. Everyone is different and handles pain in different ways, however.

Implant size and its relation to pain

Thank you for your question. It would be helpful to know a little bit about your situation...size implants...implant placement etc. It is normal to have discomfort for the the week or so after surgery. Your tissues are expanding quickly to accommodate the implants. Unless you went extremely large, I don't think the size of implants would make a difference.

Breast implant size and pain can be related

Will larger breast implants cause more discomfort during recovery; maybe. If the implant is well suited to your shape and breast, your augmentation recovery should be comfortable. If the implant is very full or large and challenges the chest and breast tissue, there can indeed be more tightness and discomfort. Choose your implants with care. Best of luck, peterejohnsonmd.com

Pain after breast augmentation

You really should not have much pain after breast augmentation if appropriate sized implants are placed and everything went smoothly with surgery. You will have some discomfort which can be controlled with medications. If you have very large implants squished into a small space, you can imagine the increased discomfort/pain from the extra stretching of the skin and muscle which is involved. My recommendation is to be reasonable have a moderately sized implant placed.... more