Does massaging the breasts after surgery help the implants to drop into the pocket?

Hello,Cosmetic plastic surgery is perhaps the last specialty in medicine to employ evidence based medicine. Still, it is not fully embraced by all surgeons, instead relying on or 'believing in' whatever they do as the best way. You hear it all the time on forums like this, e.g. 'every doc has his own way...'. That is not medicine, and certainly not science. Medicine should follow the scientific method, as it does in most other specialties. Implant massage has been shown unnecessary for normal healing, and it has also shown to be ineffectual at preventing or treating capsular contracture. Implant massage has also shown to cause injury to the patient and self blame when, after dutifully massaging, the patient ends up with capsular contracture. One five year study comparing 37 expert surgeons showed that those surgeons who recommend massage had HIGHER rates of capsular contracture. Bottom line: don't massage, it won't help, and it might harm. 

Hi & thanks for the question!
It may take 3 to 6 months for the implants to drop and settle. Massaging will help to keep the implant soft, natural feeling. and help to reduce scar tissue. Best wishes!

Hello, Thank you for your question. It is best to discuss and follow what your surgeon advises, as different plastic surgeons have varying post-operative instructions.All the best.

Thank you for sharing your excellent question.  The question of implant displacement exercises is often discussed on Realself and the fact remains that each surgeon uses their own respective recovery protocol based on experience.  There has never been any paper to describe that massaging improves results, speeds healing, or minimizes complications.  I would recommend following your surgeons advice.  Hope this helps.

Not all surgeons agree on post op massages.  I instruct my patients at one week post op to start massages.  This is something you should discuss with your board certified plastic surgeon. Best of luck on your upcoming surgery!

Each surgeon has their own opinion on breast implant massaging - when to start, for how long, etc. I recommend following your surgeon's recommendations. Implant massaging is an important part of my post-operative protocol for the lifetime of the implants. I have specific exercises w/ diagrams and written instructions on how to massage and for how long at different postoperative periods. 

Dear taylorceli14,
every plastic surgeon has his own postoperative protocol which he recommends to his patients. Some plastic surgeons recommend massages, others don't- Massage might help with implant dropping and faster healing. I would suggest you to discuss this with your plastic surgeon.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Thank you for your question! For my patients having a breast augmentation, I instruct them to start implant massages 1 week post op. This encourages the implants to settle into their pocket faster. I recommend discussing specific post op instructions with your plastic surgeon. Best of luck!

This is something you should discuss with your surgeon. Not all surgeons agree. I do have my patients start massaging after their first post op visit. Good luck.

The incision placement for the breast augmentation would guide my recommendation here, but you should follow the advice of your surgeon.  With an IMF incision, I do not recommend massage as early due to the tension placed on the suture line.   It is possible than an implant can continue to drop at 4 months following surgery.