Why do I have to wait until 6 weeks after breast augmentation to bathe?

Hi & thanks for your question!
In my practice you can shower 2 days after having breast augmentation surgery. Contact your surgeon for guidance on this. Best wishes!

Dear @torkyl2010 thank you for your question. Well it is important to understand that this depends more on the doctor's recommendations, because not all surgical techniques are the same . My advice is to bathe. However, for two weeks be careful not to get the scars wet, since water contains bacteria that are normally harmless, but having wounds that are still healing can cause swelling in the the edges of the scars and not allow the scar to heal properly or take longer. Best wishes! Alan Gonzalez MD, FACS

Dear torkyl2010,
I understand your concern. It is best that you consult your plastic surgeon regarding post operative care and management (i.e including massage techniques and timing) specific to your case. Your surgeon knows your condition well and has preferences on when and what to use for faster healing and recovery. Post operative care and management depends on the type of surgery performed and the technique used during surgery among other factors.It is best, however, that you follow your plastic surgeon's advice on post operative care management for a smooth and faster healing and recovery.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

I recommend an in person consultation with a plastic surgeon to discuss your goals and be measured. After I measure and discuss goals with my patients, we then look at pictures of women (my patients) with similar measurements with different size and style breast implants, if interested, and they choose what looks right for them. They also get to see what they would look like when the breasts have fully dropped and fluffed and in clothes. You get to see actual results and the surgeon's experience and not a virtual idea of what can be achieved. Women tell me that this process is very helpful in determining what size and style breast implant is right for them. Dr. Ted Eisenberg, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and Author. RealSelf Distinguished Hall of Fame Inductee. Philadelphia, Pa., USA

Typically you can begin showering a day or two after surgery. Completely submerging the incisions varies by surgeon preference. It may be influenced by how the surgeon chooses to close the incision. I encourage you to speak with your surgeon about her/his preferences and rationale.

Definitely not! You can bath safely after 3-5 days. The incisions are usually sealed with either Dermabond or Steri strips and I let them get wet just a few days after the surgery and have never had a problem. It is also very important to keep clean, bathe, thus not to cause an infection with too much skin bacteria. This is something you should feel comfortable discussing with your surgeon or their nurse.

Every surgeon has his/her preference, so I would suggest asking your surgeon why. I use tapes and glue on my incisions for one months and allow my patients to shower only for one month. When the tapes and glue are removed, they may bathe and swim in pools. For lake water or beach water, I have them wait 6 weeks to swim to avoid infections.

It takes 6 weeks for your incisions to regain approximately 90% of the strength they had before surgery. Your surgeon is probably being very safe in asking you to wait. There is a very different risk profile with an implant in place than with a C-section. If your c-section incision opens up there is no risk of infecting an implant the same way there is following an augmentation.

We do not recommend to fully submerge your incisions while you're in the healing stages. IE: you still have stitches and wounds are still open. Usually at the 2 week mark you're able to shower normally. I still wouldn't soak in a bath, jacuzzi or swim. To be safe, wait til its been 4 weeks but also discuss this with your doctor. We all have our own reasons for why we tell our patients different time frames.