Breast Implant Recovery – 5 Thing You May Need To Know

It is natural for you to expect to feel groggy and disoriented after your breast implant surgery because of the anaesthesia. There may be drains, prescribed medications to take and you need to take a rest.

You should also be ready for your breasts to be wrapped up tightly or in a surgical bra and you need someone to take you home after the operation. However, besides all this, here are some 5 things you may need to know about your breast implant recovery.

1. Feeling engorged.

You may be surprised that after a breast implant surgery, you tend to feel let down or engorged like when your milk came in when you had a baby. Doctors have mentioned that some women describe this feeling of pressure and swelling which reduces in a week or so.

2. The implant placement affects surgical discomfort.

If the implant is placed on top of the muscle, there should be no pain within a day of the surgery. However if the implants are placed under the muscle, it may take two to three days for the pain to subside as the surgeon has to lift the muscle up to crease an implant pocket. Your surgeon however will prescribe some pain medication, as required.

3. Possible initial disappointment

As the recovery after the surgery takes time where the swelling and bruising takes weeks to subside, you may wonder if your new breasts will really look like this. However the answer is ‘no’ as this is not the final outcome of the surgery.

Don’t worry if you feel blue after the surgery as it usually takes a few months before you can actually get an accurate picture of how your new breasts will look like. This phase after the breast implant surgery is called ‘Ugly Breasts Syndrome’ where your breasts look like they are very high or its shape may seem strange. Don’t worry, all this is temporary and a consequence of the swelling after the surgery.

4. Bruising and swelling may last a few weeks or months

80% of the swelling should reduce within the first fortnight. However the last 20% of swelling and bruising takes two to four months to completely disappear. The bruises may in fact fade to yellow in colour in the last stages.

5. Change your posture

It is normal that you will work at protecting the sore area after a breast implant surgery. So you will most probably not walk out of the hospital with your chest sticking out but walk with a slight hunch for a few weeks for both physical and psychological reasons. This can lead to back and shoulder pain and changes your posture.

As you need to get used to having larger breasts, it is important that you concentrate on maintaining a good posture as soon as you can. Do this by following your plastic surgeon‘s post-op instructions and make sure you get sufficient rest and not do any exercise till you are completely healed.