Expectation vs. Reality: 5 Women Share What Their Breast Augmentation Recovery Was Really Like

We asked 5 women to compare the expectations they had for their breast augmentation recovery to what they actually experienced in the days after.

Social media frames breast augmentation as one of the breezier procedures in plastic surgery. Surgeons’ posts commonly play up the in-and-out OR stints (teeth cleanings, it would seem, take longer), the shorter-than-a-Band-Aid incisions, and the “rapid recovery” protocols aiming to transition women from the surgeon’s table to a table for two within 24 hours.

Not every patient is a textbook case, however. And surgeons will often temper recovery expectations, knowing how personal and nuanced the healing process can be. 

Wanting to pulse-check the post-op period, we asked five women to compare the expectations they had for their recovery to the reality of what they experienced in the days after breast augmentation surgery. These are their stories, edited for length and clarity. 

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Alison’s experience

Recovery expectations

I did tons of research before my breast augmentation. I’d been considering having the surgery for years, so over time, I’d read endless reviews. RealSelf was my primary source of information, due to the candid nature of the community members’ feedback. I also watched YouTube videos, talked to friends who’d had the same procedure, and consulted with plastic surgeons. 

I’d read plenty of horror stories proving a number of things could go wrong. My main concerns were having a botched surgery or [developing] capsular contracture, which causes pain and asymmetry. Additionally, I tend to be a gym rat, so I was concerned that I may have an issue returning to my regular fitness routine.

When scheduling my surgery, I made sure my mom was available to take me [to the appointment] as well as care for me in the 24 hours after. I was expecting quite a bit of post-op soreness. 

The week before surgery, I had a pre-op appointment and received all the prescriptions I needed to fill. I dropped them off the same day so they’d be ready to go. I had two kinds of pain meds, a muscle relaxer, an anti-nausea medication, and antibiotics. My surgeon, Dr. Tahira Prendergast, said I wouldn’t be able to drive for about a week after surgery and that I might have difficulty with any task that required lifting my arms above chest level. I was restricted to lifting no more than 10 pounds for the first four weeks. 

My surgery was on a Wednesday morning. I took off eight days total—Wednesday through Friday the week of and then the entire next week. I’ve been having to work from home due to COVID-19, so I was able to maintain a relaxed environment while recovering. I expected to sleep most of the day of my surgery and to be pretty lethargic for a few days after.

Recovery reality

I woke up from surgery feeling great. I was super-hungry [from fasting before surgery], so my mom stopped by Chick-fil-A and ordered me a sandwich and fries. Once we got to her house, I ate and took my first round of pain meds, thinking I would be knocked out any minute. Wrong! I felt fine that entire day and stayed awake with my mom, lounging around and watching TV. I was able to get up and walk around fine, which my doctor had said I needed to do anyway. I felt pretty normal overall but didn’t do anything strenuous. I stayed up until my regular bedtime. 

The pain didn’t really kick in that day at all, but I was rotating oxycodone [a narcotic] and Robaxin [a muscle relaxant] every two hours. The maximum pain level I experienced was a two or three—which was really just a tightness and discomfort, not actual intense pain. I took the pain meds and muscle relaxers regularly for about four days before I felt well enough to ease off them. Even then, I still took them at night, for about three more days, to help with the discomfort of sleeping differently from before. 

I found it quite easy to return to a normal routine. Cautious not to disturb the healing process, I listened to my doctor and waited until my four-week checkup before attempting to lift anything heavier than the 10 pounds she initially advised. 

By the time I went to my four-week appointment, I was pretty much back to normal life. I was still very careful with any movements that caused my pectoral muscles to flex. At this point, I’m just over the two-month mark and feel completely fine. —Alison, 31, Columbus, Georgia

Related: 7 Surprising Factors That Can Make Your Breast Augmentation Cost More

Lorena’s experience

Recovery expectations

I’d started thinking about having a breast augmentation about three or four years before my surgery, but always worried about the recovery time. I work as a dentist, and it’s difficult for me to be out of the office for an extended period of time. Since my job is physically demanding, I assumed I would need about two weeks to recover from surgery—that always held me back. 

I have friends who’ve had breast augmentations, and most said they were able to go back to work within one to two weeks. After going on a couple of consultations, most plastic surgeons agreed that was a reasonable time frame and said to expect some tightness around my chest and limited arm movement, which seemed comparable to what I’d read online. 

Then I found my surgeon, Dr. Jules Walters, and learned about his rapid recovery technique. He said I would be able to move and lift my arms right after surgery and that I probably would not need to take narcotic pain medication. After my consultation, I felt confident I could return to work after only a couple of days, so I decided to book my surgery on a Friday and return to work on Monday. Since I live alone, I enlisted my mom to bring me to the surgery center and stay with me for a couple of days post-op. 

I expected my recovery to include tightness on my chest and restricted range of movement and obviously some pain, so I decided to fill my pain medication before surgery, just in case. I was also worried about how I would react to the anesthesia, as my mom has had surgeries in the past and been sick for about a day, each time, due to the anesthesia. 

I knew I wouldn’t be able to drive for a couple of days after surgery, but I was hoping to be able to drive myself to work the Monday after my procedure. Since I wouldn’t be able to exercise for a month, I froze my memberships [this was pre-COVID-19] and planned a gradual return to my workout routine.

Recovery reality

I woke up from my breast augmentation surgery shaking and a little bit confused. The nurse helped me change into my clothes and brought me to my car. I felt tired—I hadn’t slept well the night before surgery, since I was anxious—but I had very minimal pain. My mom drove me home, and I took ibuprofen and an antibiotic and started the range-of-motion exercises as Dr. Walters instructed—lifting my arms five times, every hour. I was able to do them with only slight discomfort. 

A bit later, after a quick nap, I left for the nail salon. I had taken off my nail polish before surgery and had a sudden urge to get my nails done. I felt normal [at this point] but was starting to notice tightness across my chest from the implants’ stretching my skin. After the nail salon, I met my fiancé and a friend for dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant. I still felt completely normal, aside from the uncomfortable tightness on my chest. The pain was never enough for me to reach for my narcotic prescription. I actually still have the bottle with all 28 tabs of Norco 10. 

On my first night after surgery, I went to bed with two body pillows, to prevent me from sleeping on my sides. I slept all night. Mornings were the hardest, because I’d gone so long without moving or doing my exercises, which I feel contributed the most to my recovery.

I felt better each day after that and had no problem showering or dressing. Staying active helped me feel better and more normal. The only medications I took while recovering were the ibuprofen and the antibiotic—I took both until the bottles were empty. 

I returned to work on Monday, as planned, after only three days of recovery. My work schedule and patient load stayed the same as they were before surgery. Nobody could believe I’d just had a breast augmentation! They commented on how normal I acted, how I moved around just fine, and how I had no problem seeing my regular schedule of patients. Not once did I feel like I wasn’t able to do my job. 

I usually wear scrubs for work, but since they aren’t very stretchy, I wasn’t able to wear the top for about three days. I had no trouble driving, but I was very cautious and drove a lot slower than normal. 

I was, honestly, very surprised by how smooth my recovery was. All my friends have said that their recovery was harder and longer. I was, at times, skeptical about the rapid recovery breast augmentation—but it was everything I had hoped for and more. While I obviously rebounded very quickly, I didn’t feel completely normal until about a week after surgery, mainly due to the tightness on my chest. —Lorena, 27, New Orleans

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Stephanie’s experience

Recovery expectations

Before my breast augmentation surgery, I did lots of reading, mostly on RealSelf. I visited doctors’ websites and spoke at length with my surgeon and his RN. I looked at literally hundreds of augmentation pictures, trying to figure out my ideal size, making sure I didn’t go too big or too small. It was important to me that my breasts stayed “perky” and were symmetrical.

Planning the logistics of surgery and recovery was tough for me. I had my surgery out of town, in Castle Rock, which is about an hour from my home in Colorado Springs. I’m single, so I didn’t have a partner to take me to my appointment. My nearest daughter is two hours away and she and her boyfriend share one car, so that was a problem. I have neighbors that could have taken me, but due to COVID-19 and social distancing, I didn’t feel comfortable asking them. I wound up driving myself there and arranging for my daughter and her boyfriend to pick me up and take me home after surgery. I had a prescription for anti-nausea pills, which I was told to take upon arriving at the hospital. I was also given an antibiotic, diazepam [a muscle relaxant/sedative], and Vicodin [a narcotic] for recovery.

I expected to feel sore and tired [after surgery] and to have a feeling of heaviness [in my chest], along with some difficulty breathing. Most everyone [in the reviews I read] talked about feeling like there was something heavy on their chest. 

I knew I wouldn’t be able to drive for several days or shower for two days and that I would simply have to relax for a good week. My doctor also told me, no exercise other than walking for at least 10 minutes, every couple of hours, during waking hours. 

As for work, I’d actually left my former position and was waiting to get my real estate license issued from the state, so I didn’t have to request time off. 

Recovery reality

I remember being in the pre-op room, lying on the gurney, and then the next memory I have is being at home with my daughter. I don’t remember the drive, but apparently I felt every bump in the road, according to my daughter. 

My daughter did an awesome job keeping me on schedule with my meds. I started feeling the post-op pain about three and a half hours after surgery. My daughter said I never really complained of pain but that she could see it on my face. Ice helped immensely, as did the muscle relaxers, which allowed me to sleep. My daughter said that if I waited more than four hours to take the Vicodin, I was “super-ouchy,” so I stayed on top of it, to be as pain free as possible for a few days, then I started taking less. I had enough Vicodin for one week but didn’t take it all. 

At first, it felt weird doing everything. The skin is taut, and my doctor didn’t want me lifting my arms high, so showering and doing my hair were challenging. I didn’t go anywhere other than around the block, those first few days. My recliner was my best friend. I didn’t sleep flat for probably close to two weeks.

I experienced skin sensitivity on my left side, by my ribs—probably from everything being stretched and pulled tight. I’m petite and had very small breasts without much extra room. Ironically, the right side had a larger implant and I didn’t notice as much [discomfort] on that side. 

My incisions were a little persnickety when healing. My surgeon told me not to wear a bra all the time and to let [the incisions] air out. He ended up putting one extra stitch on the side with the larger implant during a post-op appointment, to make sure the edge held together. It was taken out the following week.

My implants are submuscular, and I’ve had some difficulty pushing things. I tried to go grocery shopping on day four or five and discovered that I couldn’t push even the tiny grocery cart with nothing in it, without being in horrible pain. I’ve managed to mow the lawn twice; the second time was easier, for sure. It still feels weird to vacuum; I find it easier to do with two hands.

I’m now four weeks post-op. I’ve been doing leg exercises since the first week—mostly squats. My breasts are still a little swollen, more so the right one, as it has the larger implant, but I do notice the swelling going down over time. I stopped wearing the surgical compression bra after a couple of weeks, when I switched to a sports bra to help my incisions heal, but this past week I’ve started wearing the compression bra again, to help with the swelling so my breasts can get more symmetrical a little faster. They are still sitting high but have definitely dropped from where they were initially. No “fluffing” as of yet, which is normal from what I’ve been told. I still don’t feel 100%, but I’m getting close. —Stephanie, 51, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Megan’s experience

Recovery expectations

At the time of my breast augmentation, my daughter was a year old. I was so scared about how I’d be around her after surgery. When planning my recovery, I took a two-week holiday from work and made sure my partner would be around to help with my daughter. 

What my research on breast augmentation turned up was completely different from what I learned during my surgical consultation. Most of what’s online is so scare-mongering. I also had friends who said they were in agony for weeks [after their procedures]. But my surgeon told me it came down to the surgeon how the recovery would be, and I trusted him 100%. RealSelf also helped me so much—legit reviews with real life [stories] and mixed experiences.

I was expecting a few restrictions after surgery. My surgeon went over these at my consultation—no driving for a week, no heavy lifting, no lifting children for six weeks. He told me not to sleep sitting up, as this would only make me grumpy and sore, and advised me to use a pregnancy pillow at night.

I didn’t really know what to expect, to be honest. I just knew I’d be sore and uncomfortable. 

Recovery reality

When I woke up in recovery, I immediately asked, “Can I see?” It was just an amazing feeling finally having something I’d waited years for. I was so ready for my breast aug, both physically and mentally. You need to be sure you want this—it’s life-changing in a lot of ways. 

On the day of surgery, my pain level was a five. I was on Paracetamol [acetaminophen], morning and night, as well as ibuprofen, which my surgeon wanted me to take for two weeks, to help with swelling. 

The following morning, I managed to shower without any issues. I was cautious when lifting my arms above my head to shampoo my hair; I really took my time. Drying my hair was more of a problem—I had to air-dry for a week or two. 

I went out for dinner the night after surgery.

I found daily tasks to be much easier than expected. I’d originally requested two weeks off from work, but ended up going back after five days. My manager knew I was having surgery and was very lenient with my coming back early while still being somewhat restricted.

I felt truly back to normal when my scars closed, around week four. Now I’m just waiting on them to fade. I’m really pleased with my result, but I will say this: Research your surgeon. I went to see four different surgeons before I knew who I wanted. Make sure you have [post-op] help too, especially if you have children. 

This is the best thing I’ve ever done for myself—beside having my baby girl. She pushed me, actually—I wanted to be confident for her sake, to take her on holiday and feel proud of myself. —Megan, 23, Glasgow, Scotland

Related: The Best Bras to Wear After Your Breast Augmentation, According to RealSelf Members

Debra’s experience

Recovery expectations

For two years, I researched this surgery. I read about women not being able to get out of bed by themselves, not being able to use the restroom without aid—and I was worried. I knew I’d have to sleep sitting up and I wouldn’t be able to lie on my stomach for six months. I wouldn’t be able to lift anything over 10 pounds or drive while on medications, and I’d be limited to lower-body exercise for a time. I took three weeks off.

Because my implants were being placed under the muscle, I’d be sore and my recovery period would likely be longer than if they were over the muscle, my surgeon, Dr. Levi Young, explained.

I was expecting the pain to be unbearable. I tried to prepare for the worst. I thought my chest was going to be on fire. I heard women describe it as having “an elephant on their chest.”

I made a thorough checklist so I could hopefully have a smooth recovery. Still, the night before surgery, I wanted to cancel the whole thing because I was so scared of being put to sleep. I was also nervous about not getting the results I wanted. I kept thinking, What if I do all this just to damage myself?

My partner, Chris, took care of me. Before surgery, we moved all the snacks to counter level, to avoid my having to reach up, and we made an elevated spot in my bed with pillows. I got my pajamas out and ready, for when I’d arrive home, and packed several face masks to take to the hospital. Chris and I both were screened for COVID-19. 

Chris drove me to and from the surgery center and to [the pharmacy to] get my prescriptions, which my insurance covered in full. The nurse made him a cheat sheet for my medications—when to take them, what not to mix together—which was important, because there were five different prescriptions.

Recovery reality

When I first woke up in the surgery center, I didn’t feel any discomfort in my chest. The only pain was in my throat, from the breathing tube. I remember telling the nurse that my pain was a 3 out of 10. It felt like I was wearing a bra that was a few sizes too small—I couldn’t take a deep breath. My stomach was bloated and tight from the anesthesia. The medications made me very tired. 

In the hours following surgery, I was not in a lot of pain. I had a two-hour drive home from the hospital, which went smoothly and quickly. My throat still burned, and I couldn’t drink enough water to soothe it. (In retrospect, I wish I’d brought a cough drop or mint.) I felt pain in my chest only when I would lie down flat and then sit up—that was excruciating. I soon realized I couldn’t lie flat on my back, no matter what. My surgeon later told me that lying flat hinders the fluid’s ability to drain from the breasts.

The first three days, I didn’t get around much, except to go to the bathroom. This was a mistake. The lack of movement weakened my muscles and contributed to constipation, which was made worse by all the meds: a muscle relaxer, two types of painkillers, an anti-nausea medication, and an antibiotic. I increased my water intake and began taking a laxative and probiotic on day four. 

Routine tasks were a little harder than expected. I lost a lot of arm strength and range of motion, since I hadn’t moved much the first week. My back was sore, from sleeping in an abnormal position—essentially, sitting at a 90-degree angle. I needed help showering and getting out of bed. Nothing was unbearably painful, but I did fear certain activities. 

I could paint my nails by day five, but it took me two weeks to straighten my hair. Around day nine, I started going to the store.

In the few weeks following my surgery, I felt depressed because I’d gained weight from being unable to exercise and I couldn’t do my makeup or dress myself. I felt completely dependent on my family and actually missed being able to work and clean.

I’m currently almost three months out and am starting to feel normal. I still limit certain activities, like opening windows or pulling them closed, lifting heavy items, and doing chest exercises. I don’t have much discomfort, though I do get the occasional shooting pain that lasts five seconds, at most. 

Overall, everything worked out as I had planned—my surgeon was amazing, and my results are better than expected. Two things I wish I knew beforehand: to always sleep sitting up and have a good laxative on standby. —Debra, 25, Springfield, Missouri

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