Flying After Breast Implants Revision

I advise my patients to wait minimum 10 days, ideally 2 weeks, following surgery to fly.  Consult your board certified plastic surgeon on what his or her exact preference is!

Each Board Certified plastic surgeon has his or her own protocol concerning the above question.  In Hawaii, flying from island to island is as common as driving one's car home.  These short inter-island trips can be made the day after surgery.  With specific reference to implant revisionary surgery, I personally leave breast drains in for 3 days to decrease the amount of blood around the implants.  I believe the #1 way to get hard breasts is to have blood around an implant, and revisionary surgery usually involves a capsulectomy which leads to a great deal of post operative oozing which subsides in about 3 days.With reference to longer trips after surgery, my post surgical protocol includes not crossing one's legs or feet during the flight because this can increase the chance of clot formation.  Getting up and walking around the cabin every couple hours is another good way of protecting one's self from post operative intervascular clot formation.  Lastly, because everyone on a plane whether recently post op or not swells, I have my patients take a 20 mg prednisone tablet on takeoff and a second prednisone tablet on landing. 

in my practice i advise for flying after 4 weeks for short haul flights and 6 weeks for long haul flights. still it is preferable to keep using TEDS stocking on flight , keep hydrated and keep walking or doing exercise regularly.

Hi, for your guidance, activity is largely dependent upon how the
patient feels. It is mostly based on the level of soreness or
bruising that you may experience and you won't know until then how your body
will react after the procedure.
Most patients need to wait 5 days to fly after a general anaesthetic
It is best to contact your surgeon and ask for any
recommendations on what you can do during the flight to minimize pain and
discomfort. Best of luck! 
#RealSelf100

Thank you for your question.  I typically would let me patients fly 2-3 days after revision breast surgery depending on the health of the patient and what was specifically done at the time of surgery and how complex the case was.  Many times during more complex breast revisions a partial or complete capsulectomy may be part of the surgical plan.  In these cases, most of the time there may be a drain that is placed to wick away fluid that may collect in the space after surgery.  When I do a capsulectomy in revision breast surgery, I always utilize drains which typically come out at 3-5 days after surgery.  I advise my out of town patients that I prefer to locally manage my patients at least until the drain comes out (usually 5 days at most), so after that they can fly home.  I would not every recommend to someone to fly that has a drain because that will have to be managed by someone other than the operating plastic surgeon that placed the drain.   Also in these situation, there can be more risk of bleeding in the first 3 days (albeit still very rare),  and I believe it is best to have your patients "in town" so they can be followed very closely by the original plastic surgeon for safety reasons.  I would check with your plastic surgeon because it also can depend on what specifically is being done surgically which can affect recovery.  Flying itself does not impart any harm onto the surgery itself or the implant; however, with flying usually comes the "stress" of travel, possibly having people push past you and also being "confined" in a small small for the duration of a flight. I always tell my patients that they cannot lift any sort of bag to go into the overhead compartment on any flight for at least 2 weeks after surgery and sometimes even longer.  Because revision breast surgeries can be longer surgeries (sometimes 2 or even 3 hours) than first-time breast augmentations, it is also important to always "get up and walk around" at least every hour whenever you fly for more than one hour to minimize the risk of blood clots.  In addition, it is good practice to do "gas pedals" and pump your feet (flex and extend your ankles) while seated in general whenever you are flying.  I agree that an aisle seat is also a good idea because it can make it easier to get out of your seat and "move around".  I hope this has been helpful.  Good luck!

Flying after breast surgery isn't an issue. You could likely do it the same day. The issue is all the other stuff. For example, you really shouldn't lift anything for a couple weeks. That means suitcases for sure, but I would counsel against even things in the overhead bins. You shouldn't drink for the first week or so, so, if that's part of your in flight routine, I'd reconsider. Good luck

Assuming all goes well I tell patients that they can fly one week after surgery.  That's mainly because I want to see them at a week and before they travel (get stitches out, etc).  Depending on what you have done it may be completely reasonable to fly after just a few days.  Due to the risk of blood clot while sitting for long periods of time post-operatively I would definitely get up and walk around several times during a flight of that duration, and would be working my leg/foot muscles while sitting in the seat every 10-15 minutes.

Thanks for your question.You
should have this discussion with your surgeon because every doctor has their
own protocol.For breast surgery, I
suggest my patients stay at least 2-3 days(a week, if possible).For revisional surgery there may be drains
placed, in which case you would have to stay longer until the drains are
removed.This tends to happen in just
under 2 weeks.I hope this answers your
question.Best of luck with your
procedure.

I typically ask all of my patients to refrain from flying for 2 weeks after surgery, to minimize the risk of deep venous thrombosis in the legs.

Hello!  Thank you for your question.  Our practice has patients travel from afar. Opinions on travel following a surgical procedure will differ amongst surgeons, and is best to discuss this with your surgeon. In our practice, we ask that you plan to stay for 2-3 days to observe and evaluate the surgical areas as well as your readiness for travel. Depending on which procedure you have, up to a week may be necessary. For your procedure, a couple days would be adequate. Ensuring adequate oral intake and mobility is a must and proper postoperative care of the surgical sites and incisions is prudent.  An evaluation postoperatively as well as prior to departure is usually done to make sure that all is well for your travel back. Hope that this helps!  Best wishes!