How much will my breasts decrease in size after the swelling goes down?

Placing implants in the subglandular location is generally not a very traumatic procedure. It is rare to have major swelling from this procedure. It is also uncommon to have the temporary distortion and displacement you would have with a submuscular augmentation.  It is therefore unlikely you will have a draumatic reduction in size. Thanks for the question and I hope you achieve the result you desire.

After nearly 3 weeks, the majority of the swelling should have subsided and the size of your breasts shouldn’t change much, if at all, as your body continues healing. You may be able to more quickly resolve any residual swelling by avoiding strenuous physical activity and strictly following your plastic surgeon’s directions. The position of your breast implants may change some during the next 2 to 5 months as your breast implants soften and settle. You can always evaluate your results at a full 6 months after breast augmentation and see if you’re happy with your breast size then.

It is not unusual to have some degree of swelling after augmentation.  If the surgery is done precisely using a meticulous technique, the swelling is usually very minimal.  At 19 days after surgery the majority of the swelling should be resolved assuming there wasn't a lot of trauma to the breasts during the surgery.

Follow up with your surgeon and follow the post-op instructions to achieve the best results.  

Dear GracieIn the early period after breast augmentation, the breast will both get smaller from the edema resolving and they will change shape from the stretching of the breast skin and tissues. Be patient and you will often reach your near final size and shape at about 3 months. The amount of swelling will vary based from patient to patient and from surgeon to surgeon.

Thank you for your question Gracie.

The size of the breast does decrease as the swelling goes
down, however, it truly varies from patient to patient, so it cannot be said
how much more the breasts will reduce in size.

What you are experiencing is common among many patients.
When patients go home after surgery, they assume the result they see is the
final result, and they truly love the size of their swollen breasts, but become
discouraged, as the healing occurs, and the swelling subsides.

Unfortunately, patients don’t get to see what the plastic
surgeon sees in the operating room, and as the patients gets in the recovery
room, the breasts begin to swell and muscles begin to tighten. Over the next
3-6 months of recovery, the breast tissue and skin stretch and relax, the body
absorbs all the fluids, and you experience the ‘drop and fluff’.

Swelling peaks at 1 week, and 95% of it subsides after 1 to 1.5
months. The more extensive the surgery, or the more physical activity you
engage in, the longer swelling takes to subside. The swelling can in extreme
cases account for as much as a cup size of artificial fullness.

Although you are worried about your breasts becoming too
small, please know that the implant size chosen was most likely tailored to
your breast measurements and characteristics using tissue-based planning. This
technique allows you to choose implants that will optimally fill your breasts
while avoiding all the risks of excessive stretching, excessive thinning, visible or palpable
implant edges, visible traction rippling, ptosis (Sagging), and breast tissue
wasting. This technique also provides long-term natural-looking breasts.


As always, please follow-up with your plastic surgeon to
make sure your breasts are healing well. Their instructions should take
precedence over everything else you read here.

Hope this helps.