After having plastic surgery does your body hold water or fluids as retention?

Question

i had surgery breast revision done on my right breast, I lost 7 lbs before surgery .. I get out of surgery in a lot of pain, and I weigh myself a few days later and I'm 4-6 lbs heavier! I haven't eaten a thing barely? Could the percoets be making me retain fluids or water?

Christopher J. Morea, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. What you are experiencing is the normal reaction to surgery. Your body releases a hormone called ADH that makes you hold onto fluid. This usually lasts for 4-5 days, then stops. You should begin to urinate the excess fluid off. Best of luck

William Andrade, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question.  It's not uncommon to retain fluid after an operation but generally this excess fluid is lost within days after surgery.

Cory S. Goldberg, BSc, MD, FRCS(C) · Answer

After surgery your swelling will increase for about two to three days, and your weight will increase as well. As the swelling resolves and your body is able to get rid of the extra fluid your weight will return to normal. This will happen in approximately 2 to 4 weeks, although there will be major improvement in the first one to two weaks.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

It is very common to retain fluid after surgery.  This will take several weeks for you to diuresis( or urinate out). Good luck.

R. Stephen Mulholland, MD (retired) · Answer

Dear jayberms,

Thank you for your clinical post and this is a common
question in patients and will ask about gaining weight after surgery.  You’ve had unilateral breast revision surgery
and many patients have substantive liposuction surgery and despite moving
significant amounts of fat can actually put on weight.  That is because the body is made up of 42
litres of water.  During the
post-operative phase when stress hormones are at their highest water retention
can be very significant.  The water
retention can certainly add up to 5-10 pounds as you have experienced and as
your body recovers from the surgery it continues to improve and resolve this
extra water weight will be shed.

There’s not much you can do in the interim to facilitate this
process other than keep active walking, eat normally and allow the normal
post-operative healing phase to take care of both your breast revision and the
increased water weight that will resolve.

I hope this information has been of some assistance and best
of luck.

For more information, please review the link below.

R. Stephen Mulholland, M.D.

Certified Plastic Surgeon

Yorkville, Toronto

After having plastic surgery does your body hold water or fluids as retention?

Answers (5)

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