Can I to go back to exercising 6 weeks after a breast augmentation?

Dear yirving,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

Generally the answer to this question is Yes, but this all depends on your particular surgery and recovery.  You should ask your plastic surgeon his/her opinion and get clearance for the type of exercise you do.  Good luck.

I provide all my patients with basic guidelines regarding when they can return to various exercise activities.- You can walk from day one post op. - At 2 weeks you can sit on a stationary bikeand do some cardio work to burn some calories and maintain some cardioconditioning. So a "light" spin class will be ok, but generally speaking you should remain seated on the bike to avoid too much pressure standing up and holding onto the the handle bars.- You can slowly return to running at the fourweek mark. You must wear a bra or often two that helps prevent your breastsfrom bouncing up and down. If your breasts are bouncing up and down while youare running, then your wearing the wrong bras!- For those who love the gym you can slowlyreturn to that at the four week mark. However, as you would know four weeks isa long time away from the gym and you decondition a lot. Also, you've had chestsurgery so will still have some discomfort from this. So when you do go back tothe gym, start with very light short sessions and be guided by your body.Slowly and gradually build yourself up to normal training over the followingweeks and months. However, unlike normal training pain where you "pushthrough", experiencing pain in a post-surgical state means you need topull back a little. It's your body saying it's not quite ready to be pushedthat hard.- Going to the gym prior to four weeks to do"just legs" is not allowed. Any leg work requires core and upper bodyfor stabilization etc so it's still forbidden.- For those crossfit junkies - you have nochance of doing this for at least two months after surgery. Go to the gym at 4weeks post op, gradually build yourself up, and when you feel your crossfitready (typically no sooner than two months post-op), then you can get back toit. The same goes for such sports like kickboxing.

At six weeks patients are typically cleared to resume regular exercise routines.  Leading up to this time you can begin lighter activities such as walking and light weights.  I encourage you to discuss the details with your surgeon as he/she is most familiar with your surgical plan.  Good luck with surgery!

Thank you for your question.  Although post operative instructions do vary from one plastic surgeon to another, I advise my patients to wait a full month before returning to regular exercise routines.  Best to follow the specific instructions given to you by your plastic surgeon.  Good luck.