How often can I ice after breast augmentation? (Photo)

Your plastic surgeon will always be your best resource when it comes to postoperative care questions. Some plastic surgeons have very strong opinions... If you do decide to use either modality of ice or heat, please be sure that you do not place them directly on the skin and potentially “burn” the skin, which may be numb.Best wishes.

Dear Jen4boobies,



Icing is really only helpful the first two or
three days at which point you should hit roughly the peak of your swelling.
Elevation and anti-inflammatories such as Ibuprofen are also helpful for
swelling and pain relief and will reduce the amount of narcotic pain medicine
you need. Everyone has a different protocol. You should have a buffer of a
towel between the cold source and your skin, and you should not be icing more
than 50% of the time.



I have actually had a patient give herself
frostbite on a section of a tummy tuck flap, so be forewarned not to over do
it.



I hope this has been helpful.



Robert D. Wilcox, MD