Is There a Quick Way to Recover from Breast Augmentation?

Thank you for your question.  Recovery after breast augmentation doesn't have to be difficult.  Selecting an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon, who uses proper technique, is the first step.  The surgeon's liberal use of a long-acting local anesthetic in the OR will help make the first few days after surgery relatively pain-free.  Wearing a supportive bra post-op and taking it easy on activities that involve heavy use of the arms, chest, or shoulders is also imperative.  While complete subsiding of post-op swelling and final settling of the tissues surrounding the implants can take several weeks, most of my patients are back at work within a few days after surgery.

It's not unusual for women to want to resume their normal lives as quickly as possible following breast augmentation surgery. These patients are interested in doing whatever is necessary to accelerate their recovery. For this reason, pre-operative preparation is extremely important. This type of preparation will not only accelerate recovery, but improve the quality of the result and overall experience. It's, therefore, important to prepare physically, medically and mentally for breast augmentation surgery.Once surgery has been performed, recovery is facilitated by meticulously following your surgeon's post-operative instructions. We generally recommend that patients take a week off work. Patients who have desk jobs may return sooner. Light exercise can usually be undertaken at about two weeks and strenuous physical activity can be resumed at six weeks. At that time, I tell patients that they can return to full activity without restrictions.When all these factors are considered, most patients feel that the recovery was less difficult and faster then expected.

Omega 3 fats (e.g. fish oil, EFA, flax seed oil, Krill oil), NSAID's (aspirin, ibuprofen, naprosyn), Vitamin E, "blood thinners" and a whole host of supplements and medicines can cause excessive bleeding and bruising and therefore increase your recovery time. When in doubt stay away from supplements unless they are designed for surgery. I offer to my patients specific supplements that speed healing, reduce swelling, bruising and in some cases minimize discomfort (for example Bromelain, Arnica Montanum, and Vitamins designed for surgery.Bottom Line: Certain vitamins and minerals can speed healing others can cause problems and slow the process down or cause complications. If healing is going well I usually let my patients go back to their usual regimen of supplementsCheck with your doctor as only your doctor would have access to your medical history and what would be best for you. We typically allow our patients to continue their supplements 10 days post op if their recovery is going well.