3 Months Post Op Breast Augmentation

The first week after surgery was the most challenging. My breasts were extremely sensitive to touch, and I was nervous about how they’d look. But after a few days of icing them (and wearing my compression bra), things felt much better.

I’ve been taking it easy for the past few months: no lifting heavy objects, no vigorous exercise, and no swimming—just walking around town in a supportive sports bra. I’m starting to feel more like myself again now that my stitches have dissolved and my scars are healing nicely, and I’m looking forward to getting back into the gym soon!

Month One

Throughout this month, your body will change in a variety of ways. Your incisions will heal, although it may be several months before we recommend a return to underwire bras; the wire can chafe and damage skin that is still recovering. You’ll also note more energy and reduced pain in the neck and shoulders because, simply, your breasts are smaller.

This will mean more freedom of movement, but we recommend you slowly ease back into full activities. There’s no need to rush. Toward the end of the month, you will likely be cleared for low-impact exercises. You’ll be back to work, driving again, and caring for yourself. In other words, you’ll be back to your old self – only better.

Ways to Help Your Recovery

Much of your recovery will depend on you. If you follow the instructions we provide, you’ll likely enjoy a shorter healing period. For instance, planning for your return home after surgery can make life a little easier. Pour water, milk, and juice into small containers and have them ready in the refrigerator; this will allow you to drink without worry of lifting heavy gallon jugs.

Meal Plans

By planning what you’re going to eat for at least those first few days after surgery, you can give yourself more crucial time to heal. Pre-made meals that you store in the refrigerator or freezer can be easily heated in the microwave. In your planning, opt for high-protein foods like eggs, poultry, and fish. Protein can help you heal more quickly, and a simple meal of dark, leafy greens and grilled chicken is nutritious and comforting.

Plan for snacks as well. Cubed cheese, crackers, pretzels, and fruit are perfect for accompanying your medications and can be enjoyed almost effortlessly. Yogurt and nuts make equally smart choices. Use plasticware and paper plates so you don’t have to worry about washing dishes or loading and unloading the dishwasher as you heal.

Clothing

Loose, cotton pants or shorts and button-down shirts will be the most comfortable choices after surgery. Have a few outfits laid out to simplify dressing, and keep your nightwear within easy reach for nighttime. You should also:

  • Designate a space for wound supplies and medications
  • Create a basket with reading materials and TV remote controls
  • Stock flexible neck straws, extra gauze, and antibacterial soap in the house

The Procedure Explained

The purpose of this procedure is to reduce the weight and size of heavy breasts. To do this, we ensure results are more proportionate to the rest of your body. You then see a smaller bust that is more lifted, youthful, and contoured.

During surgery, we remove extra fat and stretched skin. This eliminates sagging so your silhouette as a whole is improved. We also ensure breasts are more symmetrical, correct stretched areolas, and reduce nipple size. Overall, your breasts will be lighter, well-balanced, and more attractive whether in or out of your clothes.

Reasons Women Opt for Surgery

We understand that each woman’s reason for surgery is slightly different. Some want to correct back pain; large breasts impact posture and spine curvature. They pull you forward without your even knowing it, which can strain the muscles and cause neck and back pain. In some cases, the pain is severe enough to cause headaches as well.

A lack of adequate support can also contribute to pain and poor posture. Because the breasts lack muscle tissue, they have very little natural support. Oversized breasts can therefore tax back muscles that work to compensate for additional weight in the front of the body.

Lack of Self Esteem

A woman inherently ties a part of her self-worth to her appearance. If she feels poorly about her body, as so often happens in women with large breasts, she will likely have low self-esteem.

As if to confirm this, we often see women hunching or wearing bulky, oversized clothing to try to hide their breasts. Surgery can instantly restore confidence in a woman by changing how she looks; it also provides a sense of empowerment because a woman who chooses this procedure is also choosing to take care of herself.

Poor Clothing Choices

It might not seem important, but it actually is. The reality is that women with oversized breasts can struggle to find clothing that is appropriate, comfortable, and fits well. Clothing factors into a person’s overall body image, and having limited choices can make a woman feel worse. Some women may even feel stigmatized by certain clothing brands that fail to meet their needs.

LImited Physical Abilities

Large breasts can make exercise difficult, if not altogether impossible. Even with a sports bra, heavy breasts can impede a woman’s ability to lift weights, run, and participate in workout classes. Going to a gym is often out of the question, as women who feel self-conscious don’t want to exercise in front of others. So the answer is often not to engage at all.

Breast reduction allows a woman to resume a healthy, active lifestyle. Patients can once again move with confidence, which in turn contributes to overall health.

Uncomfortable Sleep

Whether you sleep on your side, stomach, or back, you know you have a favorite position. Women with large breasts, however, lack these options. Simply put, heavy breasts can cause pain in any posture, forcing some women to sleep in bras all night that chafe skin and offer little relief. Surgery restores restful sleep and lets you lie in almost any way you feel comfortable.

Frequently Asked Questions

It’s natural to have questions before going into surgery. Many women, for instance, want to know the difference between a breast lift and reduction. While these procedures are similar, they’re also very different.

In both procedures, the nipple is moved upwards to give breasts a lifted appearance. But in a reduction, we remove breast tissue and fat to visibly reduce your cup size. In a breast lift, we reshape breasts to make them look rounder and perkier, and we only remove excess skin (not fat). Any change in cup size results from a change in breast shape rather than size.

What Will My Incisions Look Like?

Scars form in response to skin injury, and those after surgery will depend on how much tissue we remove. We have two different scar patterns to choose from: the vertical, which extends down from the nipple, or the horizontal, which extends from the nipple to under the breast horizontally. We will discuss the incision you need during your consultation.

Can I Breastfeed After Surgery?

The answer to this question depends on the breast tissue still remaining, rather than that which we remove. Approximately 60 percent of women are able to still breastfeed after this procedure. In general, we recommend that women have breast reduction surgery after they’re finished with family planning goals.

Breast reduction surgery recovery time

In this post of Gomediran we will give you a proficient guide about breast reduction recovery. After having breast reduction surgery, you will need some time to heal and recover from the surgery. Breast reduction recovery time can be unique for each patient. However, you can speed up the recovery and improve the results when you have good rest and follow the post-op instructions.

Female breast reduction surgery recovery time

breast reduction recovery 2

The recovery process is affected by the patient’s age, lifestyle, and current health status. As a result, female breast reduction recovery time varies from one patient to another. However, on average, it takes from eight weeks to twelve weeks after the surgery to fully recover from surgery.

1 to 3 days after breast reduction surgery

You can stay in the hospital for up to 3 days after the surgery. Your doctor will keep you under observation and watch your vital signs during these days. You will be given an IV solution for the pain during this period, and the nurse will change your bandages.

When you are ready, you will be discharged home, and you will need someone to give you a lift home.

Week 1 after breast reduction surgery

Some of the patients will be able to return to work at the end of the first week, especially those who have desk jobs. Other people may have to take a more extended break to let their bodies rest and their wounds heal well. To know when you can return to your job, you need to ask your doctor and tell them about the nature of your occupation.

During the first week, you might feel some mild to moderate pain. Over-the-counter pain killers are often all you need to relieve the pain and feel more comfortable. After the 3rd day, you will usually be able to start showering.

You may feel low energy during this week, but it may help if you start light walking now and then to help increase the blood flow enhancing the healing process.

Week 2 after breast reduction surgery

During the second week, the wounds will start to dry as they heal, resulting in an urge to scratch. You should feel more energy and walk and do some of your daily activities.

The dressing will be removed during the second week, but you will still need to wear the compression bra. You may still feel some pain at this point, but it would help to lower sodium intake in your food.

Weeks 3 and 4 after breast reduction surgery

After the second week, the bruising and the swelling will decrease, and you should feel more comfortable. You will be able to walk and resume other activities but may still feel some discomfort from some kinds of movements.

At this point, you will be able to drive without discomfort. You should still wear the compression bra and avoid bras with underwires.

Breast reduction recovery after one month

After one month passes, you will resume doing your household tasks by yourself. Most patients can usually exercise now (but cannot lift weights yet) and soak themselves in the bathtub in the 5th week. Sleeping on the side is typically OK now.

You will begin to notice that your neck and back pain is reduced. Your movements will become easier, and your clothes will start to fit you again as the swelling decreases.

Breast reduction recovery after two months

After two months post the surgery passes, most of the swelling will be gone. You can return to the gym and lift weights again. If you like swimming, you will be able to go to the pool and swim (Make sure you wear a supportive bra and avoid sun exposure).

Breast reduction scars recovery

A skilled cosmetic surgeon will try to reduce the scarring and make it less noticeable. Breast reduction scars are fine, and most of them fade over time. Depending on the type of cosmetic surgery you have, you may have vertical scars, horizontal scars, or both of them.

Breast reduction scars stay red for about six weeks following the surgery. However, to fully heal these scars will likely need about six months. At the end of the sixth month, most of your scars will be white and flat.

You cannot hide the scars completely. However, you can reduce scarring significantly by sticking to the following:

  1.  Avoid smoking till your scars heal completely
  2.  Follow a healthy diet that provides enough protein
  3.  Avoid any activity that puts the incisions under pressure
  4.  Avoid exposing your incisions to the sun
  5.  Avoid drinking alcohol till your scars fully heal
  6.  Stay hydrated and drink enough water

It would help if you start scar treatment and take Vitamin E supplements after the sixth-week post-surgery.

How to speed up breast reduction recovery

Your body needs a relatively long breast reduction recovery time. However, there are some ways to help you speed up the process and heal faster. Here are some breast reduction surgery recovery tips:

  1. Include more protein-rich foods in your diet
  2. Wear comfortable clothes (loose cotton shirts is a good choice)
  3. Drink plenty of water to make sure you stay hydrated
  4. Get enough sleep and rest
  5. Sleep with your head elevated
  6. Ask someone to stay with you and help you during the first week
  7. Avoid lifting heavy objects (including carrying your baby if you have any)
  8. Use a surgical bra and avoid wearing an underwire bra for one month following the surgery

What Bras to wear during breast reduction recovery time?

Wearing the right bra is essential during breast reduction recovery time. You must wear a surgical bra or a compression garment for the following six to eight weeks. Wearing a surgical bra improves the speed of the recovery and have many benefits such as:

  1.  They help decrease the swelling of the breasts
  2.  They reduce scarring
  3.  They lower the risks of infection
  4.  They stimulate better blood circulation

You should wear the surgical bra 24 hours a day. However, you can remove it when you have a shower. Sometimes, the doctor may prescribe sleeping bills to help the patient sleep if she finds it difficult to sleep with the bra.

Wearing an underwire bra must be avoided for about 8 to 12 weeks after the surgery. Underwire bras may cause the skin to irritate, which can harm the recovery process and increase breast reduction recovery time.

Male breast reduction surgery recovery time

Due to hormonal imbalances, many men may suffer from the accumulation of excess tissues on the chest resulting in gynecomastia. Gynecomastia is common in men of all ages. Since exercise and weight loss cannot solve the problem, many men undergo gynecomastia surgery to solve the problem for good.

The gynecomastia recovery time depends on how many excess tissues the surgeon removes during the surgery. However, patients usually need about a month or a month and a half to recover.

Gynecomastia recovery timeline

Gynecomastia recovery time spans about eight weeks. Here is the detailed timeline of the gynecomastia recovery period.

2 to 3 days post-surgery

During the following two to three days, you will feel some moderate pain and discomfort that can be managed with OTC painkillers. You will need to rest. Your activities will be limited to light walking when needed. You need to avoid showering for the next 24 hours.

One week after surgery

The stitches are removed, and the swelling will begin to decrease gradually. You will feel less pain, so that you may not need to take painkillers. Most patients who undergo gynecomastia can return to their work a week after the surgery.

Two weeks after the surgery

After the 2nd week, you can resume most of your usual activities. It will be OK to sleep on the belly or the side.

3 to 4 weeks following the surgery

You will be able to exercise again, but this does not include going to the gym and lifting weights. Taking a bath and swimming is often allowed after the 4th week. You will not need to use compression garments anymore.

6 to 8 weeks after gynecomastia surgery

Your wounds are fully healed, and your chest swelling is gone. You can resume your old daily routine and go back to the gym. You can sleep in any position you want.

Gynecomastia surgery scar healing

Gynecomastia surgery will leave scars on your body. The type and shape of the scar depend on the technique the surgeon uses. However, a skillful surgeon can make the incision in positions that minimize the scarring as much as possible.

Gynecomastia surgery recovery sleep

After the surgery, it is essential to have enough sleep. Your surgeon will direct you to keep your head elevated above your chest when sleeping.

You can put some cushions under your back to assist you in keeping your upper torso raised. Placing some pillows on your sides can be helpful to prevent you from rolling over to the sides.

Gynecomastia surgery recovery tips

If you want to speed up the recovery, you can do the following:

  1.  Follow all the instructions given to you by your surgeon
  2.  Make sure you wear the compression garment for about 4 to 5 weeks
  3.  Use cold packs on your chest to reduce the swelling
  4.  Sleep well
  5.  Have a healthy balanced diet
  6.  Refrain from drinking alcohol
  7.  Avoid smoking
  8.  Avoid exposing your wounds to the sun
  9.  Wear loose, comfortable clothes
  10.  Limit your physical activities and avoid any deed that may put pressure on your chest

3 months post op breast augmentation one breast is higher

What is and isn’t Normal to Experience After Breast Augmentation Surgery

Breast augmentation surgery continues to be an extremely popular procedure for many patients. For many, how their surgery turns out is extremely satisfactory and happy with how it’s turned out. During the recovery period, however, patients are still sceptical about how their results have turned out after breast augmentation surgery. 

Guidance is provided throughout your recovery stage and we ensure that your safety is a top priority by outlining the steps your recovery will take. However, if at some point in your recovery after breast augmentation you have any concerns, we’ve outlined some things that you should and shouldn’t expect to feel or see after your surgery.

Your chest feels quite tight

It’s natural to expect swelling after your surgery. This will be the time period when your breast tissue is beginning to heal and become familiar with the implants that have been inserted. 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. The majority of the swelling will occur in the first 3 weeks or so after the breast augmentation surgery but moderate swelling is likely to remain for around 3 months.

If the swelling persists severely and your breasts feel very warm or have the feeling of engorgement, it’s important to contact your surgeon immediately as these are common signs of bleeding and infection.

Boobs appear unnatural and nipples are uneven

During the recovery process, it’s important that your breasts are given time to “drop and fluff”. This is a term used to describe the breasts gradually falling into place of their final position the scar begins to fade. This normally occurs around the 3 month mark. 

Initially, your breasts are likely to appear rather high on the chest and you’ll generally see some dissimilarities in how they look. This may also include one breast appearing slightly bigger than the other or one dropping lower than the other. Don’t fear that your surgeon made a mistake at this stage as it simply means your breasts need more time to heal. 

Give your breasts time to adjust to the new implants. Asymmetry may occur postoperatively as swelling continues to heal and one breast may recover quicker than the other. Around 3 months is when your breasts will start to take shape and show their final results. If after this time, your breasts still appear dissimilar, hard to touch and generally look unnatural, this would be a good indication to call your surgeon. Breast augmentation revision can be an option if you’re still not happy with the results after 6-12 months.

Shooting pains are being felt around out nipples

You’re likely to feel strange sensations and pain around your chest and nipple area as your muscles tissues continue to repair. Other common pains may appear in the chest and have back pain occur throughout the first few weeks. Generally, chest muscle spasms are expected to occur around the first three to four weeks after your recovery as the pectoral muscles continue to adjust to the implant. 

Whilst the pains may occur for around 6 months after breast augmentation surgery, these should gradually become less frequent. If the pain continues severely and excessively for a continuous period, disrupting your comfort and sleeping patterns, it’s important to notify your surgeon immediately.

You feel bloated or constipated

It’s natural to feel extremely anxious after your surgery, developing discomfort in the digestive system and nausea. The body can also react differently to medication and the anesthesia used to numb your pain feeling. Pain feeling tends to come from lack of physical activity for the first few days of recovery, causing fatigue and bloating.

This feeling of constipation should only last for a few days after the initial shock that the body received from the operation. Regular hydration and taking reasonable precautions with your medication can help to alleviate this feeling. Any limited exercise available can also help with digestive problems, such as short walks.

If the pain persists longer than normally expected, it would be advisable to contact your surgeon about the problems you’re facing. There can be solutions available, even as little as adjusting your diet. These can be further discussed during your visit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSbJcVGeOx8

Be sure to stay in touch with your surgeon

Each individual patient heals differently after breast augmentation surgery, so you may not even experience these points. Whilst the majority of patients are happy with their results and heal as expected after surgery with us, there can be times when complications arise. Therefore, if you’re having some problems after your recovery be sure to contact us so we can discuss these issues and support you along the way.