How Long Does It Take to Recover from Breast Augmentation?

Undergoing breast augmentation can be scary, but most patients reveal they are most scared of the recovery that comes with it. Recovering from breast augmentation can take several weeks, but it doesn’t have to be as scary as it sounds. Here’s what you can expect throughout the entirety of your breast augmentation recovery.

Breast Augmentation Recovery Week by Week

The best way to tackle a beast like recovering from breast augmentation is to tackle it one step at a time. Let’s go over your breast augmentation recovery timeline and what you can expect after breast augmentation surgery.

Week 1

The first few days of the breast augmentation recovery process are undoubtedly the hardest. The first week following your breast augmentation, you may notice your implants feeling tight and placed a little high on the chest. This will correct itself as the breasts start to settle and heal. While you do want to rest as much as possible, feel free to begin taking short walks if you feel up to it. The extra blood flow helps with the healing process. Make sure to take pain medication according to instructions so you can get your rest.

Weeks 2 and 3

During the second and third weeks of your breast augmentation recovery, your breasts will start to feel less tight and compressed. At this point, most of your bruising should subside and the swelling should go down significantly as well. You’ll also be able to start more physical activity, like walking and biking, if you feel up to it. Make sure to avoid exercises that use the chest and shoulder muscles until Dr. Widenhouse clears you.

Weeks 4 through 6

At this point in your breast implant recovery process, your breast implants will start to look and feel more like natural breasts. You’ll be able to start sleeping on your side again, however sleeping on your stomach is still not recommended. By the end of the sixth week, your incisions should be completely closed. Once they’ve been closed for at least a week, feel free to start taking baths again.

Recovery Long-Term

As you continue to heal, you’ll notice your breasts settling into a more natural shape and position. After six weeks, you can increase your physical activities to including running and upper body workouts with the okay from Dr. Widenhouse. You’ll also be able to begin putting scar cream on your incisions to reduce their appearance.

Breast Augmentation Recovery Tips

We understand the process of breast augmentation recovery may still sound overwhelming, so here are some tips our patients found helpful while they were healing.

• Walk often. Spending about 10 minutes every two hours to walk around your house can work wonders for swelling and blood flow.
• Wear your surgical garment at all times. The garment we put on after your breast augmentation procedure is designed to reduce swelling and promote quick healing. Don’t take this off unless we instruct you to do so.
• Massage your breasts. Ask Dr. Widenhouse how to properly massage your breasts after your surgery. This won’t just feel good, it’ll help the breasts settle into the chest.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Have one big glass of water every two hours or so. Fluids promote your body’s natural healing process and help your body recover quicker.

Breast Augmentation Recovery in Charleston, SC

Do you still have questions about recovering from breast augmentation? We got you covered. Contact us to set up your one-on-one consultation with Dr. Widenhouse to get all your questions about breast surgery and breast augmentation recovery time answered.