Hi, You are in a great profession! I agree, you should be back to work in a few days - less down time means less lost income. Maybe search for a PS who uses the quick recovery techniques. We specialize in rapid recovery breast augmentation, also known as the “no-touch technique,” a surgical procedure that uses special instruments and techniques to minimize tissue damage and avoid touching the ribs (hence the term “no-touch”). It causes far less trauma to the surrounding tissue than traditional approaches and dramatically reduces my patients’ pain and suffering as well as their recovery time. After I began using this technique, my staff and I interviewed each patient postoperatively to assess the results. We discovered 95 percent returned to normal daily activities within 24 hours. (For more information, see Dr. John Tebbetts’ book, The Best Breast, CosmetXpertise, 1999.) Before I began using the rapid recovery method, a substantial number of my patients would spend as much as two to three weeks stiffened with pain. Now I have a patient who reported that she had folded three loads of laundry and bathed her two boys the evening after surgery. A second patient worked a full day at her office the day after her surgery. Another went to a movie eight hours postoperatively. The patient shown doing arm exercises and smiling less than 24 hours postoperatively was one of my first patients to use the no-touch technique. She was off all prescription analgesics the day after surgery and drove herself to the office for her follow-up exam. This is not magic, but it sometimes seems that way compared to the old methods. My staff and I, as well as the anesthesiologists and recovery room nurses, absolutely, unequivocally see a significant difference in my patients’ recovery times. I now recommend this technique for almost all of my breast augmentation patients. After your surgery, there are three very important things to do. The first is getting your arms over your head. You should begin to do this six to eight hours after surgery. Do a set of three arm raises every hour before going to bed. The worst thing a marathoner can do after a race is to lie around doing nothing. Instead, stretching and walking help the muscles to recover more rapidly. The same principle holds true for the quick recovery method. You may lift objects that weigh less than 30 pounds and drive a car if you’re off pain medication. The second is actually a don’t: Don’t baby your breasts. You can’t hurt or rupture your implants or rip open your stitches, a common but unnecessary fear, by going about your daily routine. Look at your breasts in a mirror. Touch them, and get to know them. They’re not the same as what you’ve been used to all these years and they are going to feel weird for a while, so it’s important to become familiar with them. Finally, lie on your breasts—yes, that’s right—for 15 minutes every day starting the evening of your surgery. Plan on doing this every day after surgery, basically forever. You will feel better and lessen the risk of developing scar tissue around the implant. You can and should go about your normal activities after your procedure. Your surgeon will give you guidelines regarding aerobic activities, dressings, and other issues at discharge time.