When Can I Lay On My Stomach After Breast Augmentation?
When you have breast implants, it’s important to know how long you should wait before doing certain activities. For example, if you have a liquid silicone implant, it’s recommended that you wait at least six weeks before doing any kind of strenuous exercise.
It’s also important to know the amount of time needed for your body to heal after undergoing cosmetic surgery. While some people are able to get back into their normal routine right away and feel great within days or weeks of their surgery, others may need months before they can fully recover from the procedure.
In this article, we’ll also discuss when can i lay on my stomach after breast reduction and signs of breast implant problems.
When Can I Lay On My Stomach After Breast Augmentation
If you’re a stomach sleeper, you may worry about your quality of sleep after having breast augmentation surgery. Will you need to change your sleeping habits entirely? What if you can’t fall asleep comfortably on your back?
Luckily, there is no need for you to change your sleeping position permanently after undergoing a breast augmentation. While you should not sleep on your stomach for the first week or so, after your breasts have mostly healed you will be able to go back to stomach sleeping. Of course, you should pay attention to your body, though – if it is uncomfortable for you to sleep on your stomach, that’s a sign that you’re not ready to do it yet.
How long is breast augmentation recovery?
Before you can even begin to think about sleeping on your stomach, you’ll first need to heal and recover from surgery. In the first few days of breast augmentation recovery, it is normal to experience some level of discomfort, bruising, and swelling. The breasts will also feel firm and sit higher on the chest than you may have expected. All of these breast augmentation side effects should resolve over the course of several weeks or months, after which time you’ll begin to see your stunning new figure taking shape.
While most women are able to return to work about 7 – 10 days after breast augmentation, strenuous physical activity, lifting, straining, and exercise should be paused for at least six weeks. Throughout a series of postoperative follow-up appointments, your doctor will closely monitor your healing progress and let you know when it is safe to resume all of your normal daily routines.
Some of the fundamental behaviors you should practice during breast augmentation recovery include:
- Get plenty of rest
- Stay hydrated
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet
- Wear supportive bra as recommended
- Do not submerge incisions
- Attend all follow-up appointments
- Take medications as directed
- Avoid heavy lifting, straining, and exercise
- Avoid direct pressure on the breasts
How should I sleep during breast augmentation recovery?
Almost immediately after getting breast implants, you should plan to sleep on your back for at least a couple of weeks. This may sound impossible if you’re usually a front-sleeper, but try not to worry! The overwhelming majority of patients agree that back-sleeping is naturally more comfortable during breast augmentation recovery. Not only does it prevent excess pressure from being put on your sensitive incisions and healing tissues, but it can also help reduce the risk of implant displacement, torn sutures, and other complications.
If you are worried about the potential of shifting to your stomach while sleeping, it can be helpful to use extra pillows or rolled-up towels around your sides to create a cocoon or nest-like pod. Many women choose to sleep in a recliner after breast augmentation surgery to ensure they remain on their back throughout the night. If you do inadvertently roll to your side or stomach, there is likely nothing to worry about, though you should return to your back as soon as you notice.
Is it safe to stomach-sleep with implants?
Once you have fully recovered from breast augmentation, sleeping on your front side should be perfectly safe. However, it is important to pay attention to your body. If it feels uncomfortable or painful to lie on your stomach, it may mean you’re not quite ready to transition yet. Simply continue sleeping on your back for the time being, and try returning to your favorite sleeping position again after a few additional weeks.
When Can I Lay On My Stomach After Breast Reduction
Sleeping on your side or stomach too soon after breast surgery – including breast reduction – can strain fresh incisions and force scars still in the process of healing to bleed or stretch. The excess pressure may also cause swelling and discomfort that can interfere with sleep. It’s important you get the rest you need after surgery as this is when your body recovers.
Simply put, sleeping on your back keeps your breasts in an optimal position for healing. We therefore recommend you keep this position for eight to 12 weeks post-surgery. Some online sources suggest four to six weeks are enough, but you will continue healing beyond this short window of time. To keep pace with that process, you should continue sleeping on your back for no less than eight weeks.
Additional Benefits
Before you groan in dismay at this recommendation, we want to assure you back sleeping has other benefits as well. For example, it allows your skin to absorb beneficial products applied just before bedtime. This means your nighttime moisturizer may sink deeper into tissues and produce more visible results. Sleeping face-up may also:
- Prevent sleep-related facial wrinkles
- Reduce facial breakouts
- Minimize under-eye puffiness
Signs Of Breast Implant Problems
BII impacts each individual in a unique way. Symptoms and signs of breast implant illness can include:
joint and muscle pain
chronic fatigue
memory and concentration problems
breathing problems
sleep disturbance
rashes and skin problems
dry mouth and dry eyes
anxiety
depression
headaches
hair loss
gastrointestinal problems
BII symptoms can appear any time after implant surgery — some people start to develop breast implant illness symptoms immediately, while some develop them years later.