5 days post-op breasts look much smaller than expected, should I be worried?

Others have told you that 5 days post-op is early--way too early--to assess appearance. Your tissues will stretch, implant position will drop, and things will settle into a much less high and tight and much more soft, natural teardrop appearance.But any swelling will diminish, meaning you are definitely not going to get larger as time goes by. However, as your tissues relax and implants drop into that teardrop shape, some patients actually perceive this increased projection as "larger." Let's hope so!Your nearly 500cc implants should add about 2 bra cup sizes to your pre-op bra size, depending on where you buy your bras, and how you want them to fit. Forget about the letter on your bra label--buy what looks nice and fits how you like your best bras to fit. Once you have that, ignore the letter on the label, just buy that letter when buying that brand of bra!You are tall, and indeed have a medium frame (by weight), but those implants are either going to give you the look you want, or not. Don't worry about this now, as any revision should wait 6-12 months, IMHO, as this is how long complete healing takes. Best wishes! Dr. Tholen

You are very early in the healing process. Your breasts will continue to change shape with time. Continue to follow up with your surgeon as directed.Regards, 

Hi and thanks for this questionFirst - how did you and your surgeon determine what was going to be the size of the implants used for your surgery? CC’s by themselves are not too helpful in determining size. Typically - this early on - a common concern is someone has gone too big as the swelling makes things look larger than they will ultimately be. But be patient, let the swelling and settling occur and then see how happy you are - you might be surprised!Be patient and trust the process.If however after 3 - 6 months, you are truly unhappy with your size, it’s a relatively straight forward maneuver to change your implants for larger.Good luck!

Your beasts are being pressed flat, a fact which makes them look smaller than they are. At 5 days you are about 3 percent settled, shaped, softened, dropped and fluffed. "Drop and fluff" refers to the fact that as the skin stretches and the muscles relax, the implants move down and out slowly – about 1 percent a day. It’ll be about six weeks before they even begin to settle down, but they’ll be close to 80 percent settled and softened at three months. Watching their progress is like watching your hair grow. You don’t see a difference in your hair growth daily, but all of a sudden you need a haircut. 
Be patient after surgery. Give yourself a few months before making a judgment about your surgical results. You won't know the outcome until then. 
Dr. Ted Eisenberg, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and Author

Thank you for sharing your question, and I am sorry that your current appearance has caused you concern.  After placement of implants the appearance of your breasts will change dramatically over the next several months, as the implants drop, and the overlying tissue stretches to accommodate their extra volume. The swelling from surgery is currently flattening your implants and holding them high on your chest.  As this swelling resolves, the volume within the implant will redistribute towards the lower portion of your breast achieving a more natural appearance, and filling your bra cup more.  I know waiting is difficult, but judge your results at 4-6 months after surgery as most of your breast changes should have occurred by then. Hope this helps.

Hi Boobies1985,

I understand your concern and it is quite normal to be concerned about the outcome following a breast augmentation surgery. However, you are still in the early stages of the healing process at 5 days post op.

Your will need to be patient at this moment and follow what your surgeon has instructed you to do post operatively.

At the early stage of the healing process, the tissues around the implants are still swollen. Once the swelling subsides and the implants drop to their final position, you will be able to see the final result of your breast augmentation surgery.

Dropping of implants is part of the healing process and this occurs after the tissues surrounding the implants slowly relax, allowing the implants to settle into their final position. It can take about four to six months for the implant to drop down to their final position.

But if you are still concerned, you can always visit your plastic surgeon and discuss your concerns. This way, you will be reassured. Also, if after six months, you are not satisfied with the appearance of your breast, you can visit your plastic surgeon and discuss the possibility of revision surgery.

Lastly, follow your plastic surgeons post-operative instructions and advice for faster healing and recovery.

Daniel Barrett, MD

Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery

Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery

Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Dear Boobies 1985,

With your height and weight and build and the fact that you were a B cup (albeit deflated), the size implants you received should be quite generous.  You did not mention what your preoperative goal was on size or how the determination was made to use a 480 and 490 cc implant.  I think you are way too early to be second guessing right now and wait for the swelling and the implants to settle down.  In general, you should not consider redoing implants because of volume until you have had them for at least six months.  I hope this has been helpful.  
Robert D. Wilcox, M.D.

Hello and thanks for your question. If you're only 5 days postop, try to exhale...it is far too soon to make a decision about your breast size. You did pick reasonable volumes and should see a notable improvement in breast size and shape with this. The detail that is not factored in here is the base width of your breast...if you're 5;9" and your breast is naturally wide, a fuller implant is often selected for the desired final result as the breast can 'swallow' what might seem like a lot of implant. Talk to your surgeon about your concerns and good luck!

Thank you for your questions. These concerns are common and your breasts will continue to change in  the coming several weeks. Please wait and follow instructions from your PS and reevaluate in 3-4 months. Please express your concerns to your PS

Congratulations on having undergone the breast augmentation procedure.  Although online consultants will not be able to provide you with meaningful reassurance, it may be helpful for you to know (as you mentioned) that a significant percentage of patients at your stage of recovery will feel that they are too big or (more commonly) too small.
I routinely ask my patients to wait at least 3-6 months before evaluating the end results of the breast augmentation surgery. This waiting time allows patients to (usually) physically and psychologically adapt to the new body image. 
From the physiological standpoint, it takes many months ( and even up to one year) to see the final results of surgery. factors such as swelling, tissue contraction, skin redraping, implant shifting etc. come into play. You may be pleasantly surprised wants to be "drop and fluff" phenomenon has occurred. You may also be happier once the swelling AROUND the breast implants dissipates and the implants' shape and projection become more visible (projecting). 
As breast implants "settle", they tend to round out the lower breast poles and the nipple/areola complexes shift upwards ("drop and fluff"). In my opinion/experience, the "drop and fluff” phenomenon does hold some validity; as breast implants “settle”, many patients feel that their breasts actually look larger.
From the psychological standpoint, patients undergo an “adaptation period" during which time they get used to the changes that the surgical procedure has brought about. Severe emotional swings can also occur after any type of surgical procedure.
 Best wishes for an outcome that you will be very pleased with long-term.