Looking your best at the beach, pool, or hot tub might be one of the reasons you decided on breast implant surgery in the first place. You absolutely will enjoy the benefits and confidence of looking your best both in the sand and at the health club!
However, swimming is one of the activities that will need to wait until your breast augmentation recovery is complete. Having breast implants won’t stop you from pursuing an active and healthy lifestyle, but timing is everything when returning to various types of exercise.
How should you care for your skin and body during the phases of healing, and when is it fine to go back in the water?
Swimming is not recommended soon after breast augmentation. There are a number of reasons to stay out of the water until your doctor approves swimming:
You should wait for the all-clear from your surgeon because everyone heals at different rates, but expect it to be at least 3-4 weeks before your doctor gives the okay. Once you are cleared for swimming, towel off thoroughly afterward, especially your swimsuit top, or change into a dry top right away.
For those first three or four weeks, you can sit poolside or on the beach, but full sun exposure should wait. Consider these tips when catching some rays after your procedure:
There is a progression of fashion following your procedure. Starting with soft and supportive garments, you will move toward bikini mode soon enough. Following the advice of your trusted plastic surgeon, select bras and swimsuits with these guidelines in mind:
Swimming can range from lounging in the water to water polo or swimming laps. This means it can be either a gentle or vigorous activity. Because soaking in water is not recommended soon after plastic surgery, swimming must wait longer than other exercises.
After getting breast implants, there are other exercises you need to avoid entirely and some, like swimming, which can be phased in during the healing process. While following your specific recommendations, listen to your body after the procedure. If a particular activity causes pain or swelling, wait a few more weeks before trying it again.
Early exercise should focus on relaxing and loosening chest or abdomen muscles and maintaining range of motion. Avoid raising your arms over your head for at least two weeks after breast implant surgery, and be careful of your balance, as your center of gravity may be slightly changed.
Everyone’s recovery rate is different, and while larger implants do not mean a longer recovery time, breast reconstructive surgery may be more complex and require more time to heal. It is always a good idea to check with your plastic surgeon for your personalized timeline, but these guidelines will help you know what to expect.
When the anesthesia has lifted, you will head home. Plan for someone to drive you home and to help around the house for the first few days.
Activities:
For 24-48 hours after all types of breast augmentation procedures, you should restrict arm movement. This means you should not drive a car. You might need help cooking or getting dressed and should wear loose clothes that button or zip up the front.
Activities:
After 48 hours you should be able to drive, as long as you no longer need strong pain medications. As you return to gentle activity, do not lift anything that weighs more than five pounds. Keep all activity very light and stop if you feel tired.
Activities:
During this time more activities are phased in. You should be feeling well and recovering enough to resume light chores, and you might be able to return to work if your duties are not strenuous.
Activities:
With your surgeon’s approval, you should be ready to step gently into the pool at this point. With the gentle exercises of the last phase having prepared you for more vigorous activity, you can resume most of your normal activities during this phase.
Activities:
There are some exercises that should wait until you are fully recovered, your results have fully “settled” and you are ready to work on fine-tuning your amazing new curves. After 2-6 months, you can return to almost any activity you enjoy or want to explore.
Activities:
When you have your breast implant surgery with Dr. Schusterman and his team in Houston, they will guide you through your options, each stage of recovery and help you achieve and maintain the results you have always wanted through attentive follow-up care. As a board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Schusterman specializes in augmentation, reconstruction, and breast lift procedures.
There’s no reason to wait for the shape and body you dream of. Jump right in and schedule a consultation with the Texas Center for Breast and Body to find out just how easy and transformative it is to choose positive change for yourself while making a stunning new splash at the pool.
Contact us today to schedule your appointment with the renowned plastic surgeon and breast & body specialist Dr. Mark Schusterman. Take your first steps to a more beautiful you.
3355 W Alabama St Suite 450, Houston, TX 77098