Use pillows to support your upper body at roughly a 30-degree angle for the first 2 or 3 weeks after your breast reduction. Avoid any physical activity that might place stress on your incisions. Don't bend over, lift objects or lift your arms up over your head.
Rest is essential for a fast recovery after breast augmentation surgery. Therefore, avoiding strenuous activities, lifting heavy objects and bending over for at least a week after your surgery would be best.
If you habitually sleep on your stomach or side, Dr. Orringer suggests that you consider practice sleeping on your back in the weeks leading up to your surgery. Typically, patients can safely resume their preferred sleeping style four to six weeks after surgery.
After six weeks, most swelling should have dissipated, and you should feel comfortable doing all of your normal activities. You should be able to engage in more strenuous activity as your motion will return to normal, and you can raise your arms as normal.
2-4 Weeks Post Surgery
You still need to remain in a soft bra without an underwire. During this time, you will be cleared to resume most of your normal daily activities. Keep avoiding strenuous activity, especially in the area of your chest.
While everyone heals at a different rate, you can expect for your incisions to be healed fully three to four weeks after your procedure. Once your incisions are fully healed, you may take a bath. Note, you cannot shower within the first 24 hours post-op.
By this stage, you should be feeling much less discomfort and be able to return to most everyday activities from your preoperative routine. 6 weeks is a common milestone for full recovery. The results of your breast reduction should start to become visible, and clothes are likely to feel more comfortable.
If you have undergone a reduction or implant removal and don't wear your compression bra you may end up with more excess, sagging skin around your breasts.
It is critical that patients wear their supportive unwired medical bra at all times for the first 1 – 2 weeks after breast lift surgery. At this point, you may be able to sleep without a bra, though most patients find it more comfortable to continue wearing an unwired bra around the clock for several more weeks.
The most optimal position to sleep in after a breast reduction is on your back. This is particularly important in the first few weeks after breast reduction, as sleeping on your stomach or side can put additional pressure on the chest and the incision sites.
You'll feel a bit tired for first few days: the effects of anaesthesia, your body using energy for healing, plus a sleepless night before, or after surgery (hospitals can be noisy!) all combine to make tiredness after breast reduction surgery pretty common.
With fresh implants, I advise no lifting and keeping the arms below the shoulder for two weeks or less. After that, your arms can then be raised. And for 3 months I recommend no lifting at all at minimum of any more than 10 pounds.
1) Immediately after surgery – Rest as much as possible and don't so any exercise. 2) 1 week after – Don't rush back into your exercise routine. Start slowly with light exercise such as small tasks around the house or garden. 3) Week 2 –You should avoid exercise for the upper body for 6 weeks.
With this, your muscles should begin to relax, allowing your implants to gradually settle and soften. The entire drop and fluff process can take three to six months to complete, however, so don't worry if your implants still feel tight or look a bit high even after most of the swelling has dissipated.
A sports bra will keep the breasts in place while exercising, but it can be too restrictive when dealing with post-surgery recovery. The breasts can swell a little and a sports bra won't leave any room for this.
When you begin showering, take a shower every day to help keep your incision clean. Before entering the shower, remove your bra and the gauze pad covering your incision.
First 2 weeks: You have to wear a surgical bra, which can be removed only during showers. After 2 to 3 weeks: You will be free to wear either a non-wire supportive bra, or a sports bra all the time. After 4 weeks: You would be able to skip wearing bras at night.
You may feel sore for 2 to 3 weeks. You also may feel pulling or stretching in your breast area. Although you may need pain medicine for a week or two, you can expect to feel better and stronger each day. For several weeks, you may get tired easily or have less energy than usual.
Breast massage after breast reduction surgery is important for several reasons. It can help to: Reduce swelling and bruising. Break up internal scar tissue.
Before massaging your breasts, your incisions must be completely healed. If you massage your breasts too soon after your surgery, the incisions could reopen and an infection could develop. If your breasts begin to feel hard, or if the tissue around them starts to feel tight, consult with your surgeon right away.
During your recovery, your activity level will be significantly reduced. This decrease in movement can lead to fluid retention, increasing your swelling and bloating symptoms. Without being able to engage in the physical activity you usually would, you may even recognise a small weight gain. This is completely normal!
The most dangerous threat from flying after plastic surgery is Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) which occurs when potentially fatal blood clots form, most likely due to immobility. It's therefore generally advised that you wait a minimum of two weeks for short-haul flights and four weeks for long-haul trips.
Typically, most reductions bring the cup size down one to two sizes, though in cases of extremely large breasts, more drastic results may be achieved. For example, a woman who is a DD but wants a reduction to reduce discomfort, especially during physical activity and exercise may be able to go down to a B-C cup.
Most women say that it takes 3-4 months for all of the swelling to go away and there may be some firm spots or bumps that you can feel. Usually, this is a normal part of healing.
Postoperative swelling can intensify particularly around the 3-5 day mark, potentially amplifying the feeling of pressure on your chest. Typically, you're likely to feel discomfort after breast augmentation surgery for the first couple of weeks but feelings of stiffness can occur for a month or so.