Pain, Swelling, Nipple Sensitivity After Breast Augmentation Surgery

Do you know how painful and hypersensitive your leg is when it "falls asleep" and then wakes up? That pins and needles type of feeling? It's even painful to walk on. Sometimes, do you have to stamp your foot to get it to feel normal?
That is one type of dysesthesia that is due to compression of the nerve in your thigh.
Similar problems occur with nerves in your breast that travel to your nipple. When the implant stretches and rests on them, the nerves can be painful and tingling and burning. Generally this is worse for the first 10 days to 3 weeks and then gets better.
When this happens in hypersensitive fingertips after hand surgery, we send patients to physical therapists to perform scar massage.
For you, I would advise moving the implants around to promote softening of the tissues around the implant as well as massaging of the nipples to desensitize them. Of course, please consult with your surgeon.

Hello and thank you for this great question. It is not unusual to have pain, burning or an electrical shock type feeling following a breast augmentation. Luckily, these symptoms are typically short lived, and are almost never permanent. Oftentimes, the surgery creates trauma, swelling, and inflammation, all of which can have an impact on the surrounding nerves. You can try anti-inflammatory medications, ice packs, and there is also a nerve medication that can relieve nerve pain. Please speak with your plastic surgeon to see if any of these are right for you.

Increased nipple sensitivity can be common and may persist for weeks to months. Contact your plastic surgeon anytime you have questions or concerns.

All the best,

Some of the symptoms you are experiencing are not uncommon after breast augmentation surgery. It sounds like you have nerve hypersensitivity symptoms, which are usually due to the nerves being slightly irritated by either the surgery itself or by being stretched somewhat by the augmentation.  In general they should be getting better as time goes on. If the symptoms are new or are getting worse then you should go back and see your doctor. Your doctor and his team will also be able to teach you how to treat this hypersensitivity with gentle massage to help it settle down quicker.

This change in sensation is very common following breast surgery and is due to the inflammation around the nerves from surgery or stretch placed on the nerves that give sensation to the nipple. Some women experience an increased sensation and others have a decreased sensation. By 3 months after surgery most of these sensations changes tend to become normal again. Best wishes

Yes, these are all normal side effects. Any form of swelling can sometimes take months to subside. The recovery process can be long-winded and you may experience side effects throughout the process such as: twitches, swelling, aches, pains, twinges and burning sensations. Complete recovery from swelling is around the 6 week mark. However, breasts will continue to change shape and settle within around 6 months. You might want to book a follow up appointment with your surgeon just to check everything.

Sensitivity of the nipple can occur after breast augmentation surgery. Thankfully, this goes away after 2-3 weeks. For my patients I recommend massaging the nipples daily with lotion. This helps decrease the sensitivity as your body gets used to touching the area again. Congratulations on your surgery.

You might feel some discomfort, swelling & bruising after the surgery. These are temporary side effects of the surgery and start to subside by 2 – 3 weeks post surgery. If the pain is unbearable, you must talk to your surgeon to prescribe you a painkiller.
Sensation may get altered for first few weeks depending on the technique undertaken by your surgeon. This is also a temporary side effect and gets better in few weeks.

By one month, most patients feel normal however the breasts will still continue to "settle" into their final position over the course of the next few months. By 6-8 weeks, you will be cleared to do all types of physical activity again. And of course, each person is different, so this timeline should be interpreted as a general guideline, rather than a rule. 

Thank you for your question. It is not uncommon for patients to complain of a burning pain along the distribution of the nerve going to the nipple. Initial stretching at the time of surgery can take a little longer to heal, and this type nerve pain can last for a few weeks. To help ease discomfort, massage, icing and anti-inflammatory medications help the pain/discomfort. Best of luck!Dhaval M. Patel Double board certified plastic surgeon Hoffman Estates,Barrington,Oakbrook,Chicago

Pain, swelling and nipple sensitivity after breast augmentation surgery is completely normal first 2-3 months. This is due to stretching of the skin nerves of the breast and bruising of the nerves when making a pocket for the implant to sit in the chest. The pins and needles and stabbing, shooting pains will resolve, but are quite annoying to some women. Some women report that the sensitivity gets better with massage the breast. Once all the nerves have healed, the nerve sensitivity will go away. 

Patients will feel sore and tired during the first 48 to 72 hours following surgery. During these first few days, the patient should engage in light activities, refraining from lifting or raising the arms above the head. Swelling and bruising will subside during the first week after surgery and will be controlled by pain medication. The initial surgical tapes will be removed a few weeks after surgery during a post operative visit. Patients typically may return to a work a few days after surgery (only a light workload during the first two weeks). Showers are permitted on post op day #3 if there are no drains. Scars will progressively fade throughout the first year following surgery. It is important that you not engage in strenuous activities in the first three (2-3) weeks after surgery. Aerobic exercise will raise your blood pressure, which could cause late bleeding and harm your result. If your job keeps you sedentary, you may return to work when you feel comfortable, several days after surgery. Once you begin exercising again, start gently and let your body tell you what it can tolerate. Wait a full 6 or more weeks for more intense exercise. Don’t rush!!