What to Expect When Recovering From Breast Surgery

Breast implants, like any surgical procedure, affect everyone differently. While many aspects of recovery from breast augmentation surgery can be generalized and categorized, your recovery experience will be unique. You may experience a wide range of emotions and physical reactions. What follows is a general overview of patient recovery from breast implants, from typical reactions to anesthesia to pain, soreness, to how long it will take to be back to normal. We will also discuss rare symptoms from breast enhancement surgery that should be reported to a doctor should they occur.

Immediately Following the Breast Enhancement Procedure

The recovery period begins as soon as your breast augmentation procedure is complete. You will be wheeled into a special recovery area where you will be closely monitored by the breast augmentation clinic staff. It is quite common for many patients to sleep through much of this period, though some breast enhancement patients wake from anesthesia as though they had just fallen asleep for the night. It is very common for breast enhancement patients who underwent general anesthesia to experience nausea, and nurses expect this. Another common post-anesthesia effect is emotion. Anything from sadness and crying to anger or even hysterical laughter can occur, and is a temporary side effect of anesthesia.

When you wake from your breast augmentation procedure, you will likely have ice packs on your chest. If you find that you are cold, ask your nurse to bring you a heated blanket. Some of our breast enhancement facilities even have heat lamps or other methods of keeping patients warm after breast implants.

It is important to note that you will not be allowed to drive yourself home after the breast augmentation procedure and that someone must be with you for at least twenty-four hours following the breast implants. This is a safety precaution, and it must be followed. Your driver will likely be required to sign paperwork assuring staff that you will not be left alone during this period. Also note that you are not to sign any paperwork in the twenty-four hours following surgery, as your judgment may be impaired from anesthesia and pain medications.

You will be required to ice your breasts for at least forty-eight hours to reduce swelling and pain. After the prescribed period of ice, you will likely be asked to use warm compresses until the bruising and swelling have subsided. If drains are inserted into your breasts, your doctor will provide you a set of instructions for cleaning and emptying the bulbs. It is very important that you follow these instructions carefully, including measuring how much fluid drains from each breast.

When it comes to your incisions, you will likely be given a specific set of instructions. No matter whether internal or external sutures or glue was used during the breast augmentation procedure, you will be asked to keep the incisions clean and dry. It is imperative that you fully understand how to do this and ask your breast augmentation doctor any questions you may have, as proper care can prevent infections and complications. While you will later want to use lotion on your incisions to prevent scarring, it is very important to wait until incisions have fully closed before applying any product to the incision.

Soreness and bruising are to be expected following breast implants surgery and can be alleviated using compresses and by taking prescribed medications. In addition to these medications, it is imperative that breast enhancement patients take all prescribed antibiotics as indicated by their breast augmentation surgeon to prevent infection. With proper care, a patient can resume normal activity in approximately one week, engaging in physical activity slowly as the body allows, with all signs of swelling and bruising entirely gone within a month.

Warning Signs

Warning signs to look out for are a fever over 101 degrees, movement of the implant, leg numbness, dizziness, deflation, loss of consciousness, convulsions, or any abnormal symptoms not explained as a general side effect of the breast augmentation procedure. All of these symptoms are extremely rare, but should be treated as a medical emergency. Your breast augmentation surgeon will fully explain all risks prior to performing any surgical procedure. Most patients recover without any significant complication, and breast augmentation is now routinely performed as an outpatient procedure, with patients going home the same day.