How to Reduce Pain and Recovery Time After Breast Implants Surgery?

There are several excellent points made here regarding pain and recovery after breast augmentation. Factors which can influence postoperative pain and recovery include:


Under the muscle is more painful than over
Larger implants tend to cause more breast expansion and pain
Meticulous and precise dissection of the muscle are important aspects of minimizing injury and pain
Intraoperative use of local anesthetics
Use of Pain pumps
Use of Celebrex as an anitinflammatory agent
Use of Valum or other muscle relaxants
Immediate institution of range of motion exercises: we institute the following regimen:





Rapid Return Exercises Following Breast Augmentation

Perform these exercises immediately in the recovery room and at least once circuit each hour while awake until your first post-operative visit. Although these are illustrated in the sitting position they can be performed in the standing position as well. Our goal is to progressively stretch the pectoralis muscle. If the exercises are not performed, the muscle tends to contract and shorten which may cause more discomfort (as is seen with a hamstring pull.) Remember: NO HEAVY LIFTING or SUDDEN MOVEMENTS.

Shoulder Roll
With your arms hanging straight down at your sides, pull your shoulders up toward your ears and roll your shoulders back slowly in a circular motion. Maintain an upright posture and sit at the front of the seat. Roll your shoulders for 10 to 15 repetitions in one direction before reversing direction for an additional 10 to 15 repetitions.
Arm Circles
While seated upright at the front of your seat, hold your arms straight out to each side and slowly rotate your hands in a small circular motion. Complete at least 10-15 revolutions in each direction, rotating forward, then backward.

Arm Stretch

This places the pectoralis muscle on full stretch. Place your arm over the head with your forearm resting on the top of your head while your hand reaches for the opposite ear. Avoid tilting your head. With the other hand, slowly pull on the elbow and hold it as you take a few slow breaths. Hold this position for 10 to 15 seconds with each arm.

I would say by and large it is not extremely painful, there’s always going to be some patients that have a significant amount of pain. I think that pain after surgery is somewhat determined by surgical technique and makes a huge difference in post-op recovery. I have found that the overwhelming majority of my patients either with a subfascial or a dual plane technique have very minimal pain in the post-operative period and are quite comfortable using narcotics maybe for a few days at most and then advil or motrin after that.

Recovery after breast augmentation varies from person to person as well as the technique utilized. It is very important in which plane the implant has been placed. If the implant is in the submuscular plane, movements involving the arms can cause pain and discomfort in the early postoperative period. In these cases, exercises of the upper body should be limited to 3 months after the surgery for best results. However, implants placed in the sub-glandular or subfascial planes can tolerate an earlier use of the pectoral muscles.
As a practitioner of the subfascial technique, my patients who have their implants placed under the fascia can go to work 2-3 days after surgery. They can start vigorous exercise in 6 weeks postop, however this is not a strict limitation. Since the muscle is not disturbed in these cases, the patient can literally start exercise the day after surgery, with almost no pain at all!
Proper pain management during surgery, meticulous and precise dissection, not cutting the muscle and administration of intra-operative local anaesthesia all contribute to a painless and smooth postoperative period.
Hope this helps,
Ali Rıza Öreroğlu, MD FEBOPRASEuropean and Turkish Board Certified Aesthetic, Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeonIstanbul, Turkey

Hello,Thank you for your excellent question. The variable experience of pain is partly due to patient tolerance levels, partly due to size/placement of implants, and partly due to the technique the plastic surgeon uses including long-acting local anaesthetic and gentle, a traumatic dissection technique. I recommend that you talk with your chosen plastic surgeon about their methods for reducing pain and trauma to the tissues. You can expect to be somewhat uncomfortable if you have implants placed under the muscle but post op pain should be well-managed, short lived and not debilitating.All the best . 

There are many factors involved with breast augmentation surgery pain and recovery.  The position of the implant (behind or in front), the size of the implant, and most importantly surgical technique.  Implants that are placed in front of the muscle have less discomfort that those that are placed in front of the muscle.  This should not be a reason to place the implant in front of the muscle.  Although a bit more discomfort, the issues and problems with subglandular implants can not be overemphasized.The larger the implant, the more tissue stretch it will cause and the more discomfort.Lastly, surgeon technique will determine immensely your postoperative pain and recovery.  Strict and meticulous dissection with no bleeding will allow the patient to recovery faster as well as have minimal pain and discomfort after the surgery.Hope that helps.

The pain after augmentation is rarely extreme. Many women describe it only as "soreness" and say that it's not really painful per se. By following certain principles of implant sizing, performing the surgery in a very specific way, and exercises during the recovery we can minimize pain and get most patients back to their day-to-day activities within one to two days. About 50% of my patients only take ibuprofen. Find a board-certified plastic surgeon who focuses on a rapid recovery after breast augmentation surgery.

Thank you for your question. It is important to remember that every patients pain tolerance is different. People recover differently than others. The best way to have an easy recovery is to get lots of rest and listen to your plastic surgeons post care instructions. Also, you will be prescribed a pain medication to help with any pain. Best of luck! Dhaval M. Patel Double board certified Plastic surgeonHoffman Estates BarringtonOakbrook Chicago

You are absolutely right - pain is a very subjective and individualized "experience."  Many women compare the pain of breast augmentation to the sensation when their milk first came in - of feeing engorged.  That being said, in my experience almost all patients are able to go back to a desk job no later than 6 days post-operatively.  To decrease post-operative pain I inject a long acting anesthetic to keep the patient as comfortable as possible.  Additionally, in circumstances where patients wish to minimize their use of narcotics I will also prescribe both Celebrex (a cox-2 inhibitor - kind of like a super duper Advil) as well as Lyrica.  Best of luck!

There is definitely a variation in terms of discomfort after breast augmentation. Every patient is different and will have a different experience. Certainly a precise technique with a highly trained surgeon will produce less discomfort than a blunt imprecise dissection performed by a less experienced surgeon. Precision and minimal use of blunt dissection is the key to reducing discomfort.

Thank you for your question. There are many things that can make your post-operative pain tolerable:1) Injectable numbing done at the time of surgery (some can last for several days)2) Muscle relaxants so your muscle is not as tense3) Narcotics to help address pain. Usually more effective if you stay ahead of it4) Non-narcotic medications (e.g. anti-inflammatories such as Advil)You often find that discomfort does correlate with size of the implant and the degree of stretching of the soft tissue of the breast.

You pose a fantastic and very popular question.  I find that the most important factors in reducing or limiting post-surgical pain/discomfort are surgeon technique, surgeon expertise, meticulous dissection, and correct implant selection for a patient's anatomy.  While pain is a subjective phenomenon, most of my patients are feeling quite good the day after surgery, with only some minor heaviness or discomfort in the chest (similar to an intense chest workout) and can return to work in 48-72 hours.  Since each surgeon undoubtedly has their own surgical preference, I would strongly recommend discussing your concerns with your operating surgeon and reviewing your surgeons surgical technique and post-operative pain management routine.  Keep in mind that some surgeons utilize pain pumps, some surgeons inject a local anesthetic into the surgical site, some surgeons use oral pain medication and/or muscle relaxers and some surgeons employ a combination of these to best manage post operative pain.  It is a matter of preference and something worth discussing with your operating surgeon.  Good luck!