How painful is a breast augmentation the second time around?

Exchanging your implants with a new incision in the breast crease should be a fairly simple recovery. It depends a bit on how much of a size change you are making and therefore how much pocket revision needs to be done. 

Your pain level should be a fraction of that of your initial operation, provided that your pocket does not need adjusting or revising. Assuming you are in the dual-pane position, your muscle has already been divided and stretched out, which is traditionally the painful part of dual-pane breast augmentations.

As long as the new implants are being placed into the existing pockets and the procedure will not require removal of the existing scar capsules, post-operative discomfort should be significantly less than the original augmentation.Best wishes.

Dear MandyB85,the majority of breast augmentation patients need one week of downtime. Depending on the work environment (heavy lifting, etc) more time off may be necessary. Patients are encouraged to walk immediately after surgery to avoid blood clots in the legs. I suggest that you follow your plastic surgeon’s post-operative instructions, especially on the level of activity that you can do and your scheduled follow up checkups, for faster and recovery.Daniel Barrett, MD

Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

 In most cases exchanges are much less painful.  The pocket has already been created and even if it needs a little expansion, it is still usually less tender.  Exchanges can also be done through the under arm up to a certain size implant!!!  But the surgeon  has to be well versed in that approach and use of the endoscope. 

Breast revision surgery is meant for patients like yourself who want to replace their breast implants after a breast augmentation procedure. Like your initial surgery, breast revision is not an especially painful procedure and recovery is fairly straightforward. In some cases, recovery from breast revision can be easier than the recovery from your initial procedure since the pocket to hold the implant has already been created. Some patients may develop some scar tissue from their original implants, but we will discuss this during a breast revision consultation.

Thank you for your questions. Everybody has different levels of pain tolerance. It is hard to say if the second time around will be more painful, however now you know what to expect so the hope is that it will be easier for you. Consult with your Plastic Surgeon and discuss all of your concerns. Good Luck. 

Hi,          
Thanks for posting your question. I am happy to try and help you. It is important to remember that a board certified plastic surgeon will be your best resource when it comes to an accurate assessment of your situation, and concerns.
Having said that, your breast implants for similar dimensions but going larger may or may
not require capsule work to be done. It really depends on how tight or
restricted your breast implants are now. If they are luscious and move
beautifully, then the implant exchange should take about 20 minutes. If they
are restricted do not move well, then you have a tight breast pocket and some
revision work will need to done on the pocket. As far as recovery, even with a new insertion point and if the positioning is the same, your recovery should be much easier and less painful than your primary surgery. Remember that in your size range you
will need to go about 100-150 cc to notice a difference.
Best wishes, Dr. Michael J. Brown Northern Virginia Plastic Surgeon

Assuming  the revisionary operation involves keeping the new breast implants in the same "pocket", the recovery experience tends to be much easier (less discomfort). Best wishes.

While a standard breast augmentation can be pretty similar from patient to patient, revisions vary dramatically in what is required. Simple implant exchange is usually a very easy recovery, but if other procedures are necessary to maximize the aesthetic result, there may be more discomfort. However, in almost all cases it is easier than the original subpectoral operation.