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Talk to our helpful team or book a consultation
with Mr Lucian Ion. Call 0207 486 7757
Breast augmentation recovery requires adequate rest and a gradual return to normal activities. The length of this recovery period is largely determined by the type of procedure undertaken and the general health and activity levels of the patient.
Many women find it helpful to arrange for friends and relatives to help with some elements of daily activity in the first few days and weeks after breast augmentation with autonomy in terms of personal care usually regained after one or two days.
Guidance on returning to work, travel, exercise, and childcare is tailored to the individual with a plan usually put in place prior to surgery.
Women having breast implants will typically experience some swelling, soreness, and pain in the breasts immediately after surgery and this can interfere with their usual family responsibilities including childcare.
Lifting children, bathing infants, and carrying out other routine aspects of looking after children can be difficult in the first couple of weeks after breast augmentation.
It is also unwise for women to perform any heavy lifting or stretching too early after surgery as this can cause complications, pain, and increased risk of scarring.
Arranging adequate child care for two weeks is often recommended to cover breast augmentation recovery time adequately.
Due to the potential discomfort and swelling after breast augmentation, care should be taken when planning journeys, long or short.
Patients are advised to avoid travel for at least a week after surgery, with longer journeys preferably delayed for a month or more.
Where such journeys are unavoidable care should be taken to avoid carrying heavy luggage and to ensure dressings, medications, and health care are accessible as needed.
Undue stress and strain on the body in the immediate days and weeks after breast augmentation can interfere with the healing process and result in scarring and tissue trauma.
Avoiding strenuous exercise is wise until given the all-clear from the surgical team with most women returning to mild exercise after three weeks or so and full activity after six weeks or more.
High impact activities are inadvisable early in the recovery process and swimming or other sports involving full immersion in water are to be avoided until the incision sites are fully healed to reduce the risk of infection.
The return to work after getting breast implants may be relatively short for women with sedentary jobs that are not physically demanding.
Those working in construction or other manual labour are likely to need to arrange for a longer period away from work or a temporary switch to less physical responsibilities.
Women usually find that booking two weeks leave from work is advantageous as that allows them sufficient recovery time with the chance to return earlier should they feel able. Up to three weeks rest from work may be needed for more active professionals.
Breast augmentation always involves some degree of scarring with the extent of this largely determined by the type of procedure carried out.
Micropore tape is often used to secure the sutured incisions in the first six weeks after surgery and this allows the incision site to heal whilst helping reduce infection risks.
The placement of the incision will often be decided upon based on the likelihood of hiding the scar successfully, in the areola or in the fold of the breast for example.
Silicone gel can also be used along with specialised scar treatments to flatten the healing incision and reduce redness.
Major factors in scar reduction include smoking cessation and adherence to post-surgical activity guidelines and most patients find that their scars fade over time with no scar revision or other intervention needed.
Questions? Just ask.
Talk to our helpful team or book a consultation
with Mr Lucian Ion. Call 0207 486 7757
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