Breast Augmentation with Fat Transfer Recovery

As you continue to ponder the decision of whether or not breast augmentation is for you, it’s important to look at the entire picture, including the recovery period. As should be expected, there will be at least some post-op pain, and for some people, pain is not something they handle well. There also will be an extended recovery period, including a minimum of 5 to 7 days of no activity at all, which means the patient should not be returning to work for at least a week. Here are some other things you can expect during breast augmentation recovery.

From the Recovery Room

After you awaken from your surgery, you’ll discover there really isn’t anything to see yet. For support and healing purposes, your entire chest will be wrapped in gauze and elastic bandages, helping to keep the swelling down. A staff of nurses will monitor you for a while to ensure that you are stable enough to go home. Once discharged, you will return home with a set of post-op instructions and a follow-up appointment date. At this point you should have already filled the prescription for pain killers and antibiotics that your doctor has prescribed ahead of time.

Once Home

You should keep your dressings on until the doctor tells you they can be removed. These wraps are important to the healing process, ensuring you don’t risk complications that can be avoided. The pain levels will be higher at first, so its important that you keep up with the pain by taking the prescribed medications on a timely basis; don’t try to suffer through it. Your body will recover quicker if it can concentrate on the healing process instead of trying to deal with the pain.

You’ll need to sleep on your back for about six weeks. The use of pillows to prop you up will make this easier, as well as helping you to get in and out of bed with a minimum of pain. After two days, you can take a shower, and in most cases, after about a week you will be able to return to work. You can count on being on restricted activity for a month or more. Be sure to follow the doctor’s post-op instructions, no matter how good you may feel. It can take up to three to six months for final results, and during that time, your breasts will still be in the healing stage; you don’t want to do anything that can cause complications during this time.