
Breast augmentation surgery is one of the most popular forms of cosmetic surgery in America. It also has one of the highest satisfaction rates with 98% of women expressing that breast augmentation met or exceeded their expectations.
Like any form of surgery, it will require a recovery period to allow the body to heal. During this recovery time, bruising, swelling, and discomfort will appear around the chest area. Inflammation in the skin and breasts is a natural healing response to the procedure.
It’s important during this recovery time, which is usually 6-8 weeks, to follow the recommendations given to you by Dr. Emmett.
Below we’ll give you a brief overview of what surgery entails, steps for you to follow for a healthy recovery, and what not to do after breast augmentation surgery.
What Breast Augmentation Surgery Entails
Before surgery, you will meet with Dr. Emmett for your breast augmentation consultation. During this hour-long meeting, Dr. Emmett will examine your past health history to make sure you are a healthy candidate for surgery.
Dr. Emmett will then measure and assess your breasts to determine which implant sizes will work best for you. Based on your body type and size, Dr. Emmett will have you try on a couple of different implant sizes in front of a mirror.
She will also discuss with you the potential risks involved with the surgery and answer any questions you may have about the procedure. After your consultation, if you are a healthy candidate for surgery, Dr. Emmett will schedule your surgery date.
Dr. Emmett requests that all patients shower the day before their surgery. This is to reduce bacteria on the skin and in turn reduces the risk of surgical site infection.
During your breast augmentation surgery, Dr. Emmett will insert breast implants to improve your breasts’ volume, size, and shape. Breast augmentation surgery generally takes an hour to complete and will require an IV sedation with local anesthesia (lidocaine).
Depending on the incision plan determined by Dr. Emmett, an inframammary incision will be done to place the implants under the muscle. The long-term risk of scar tissue is much less with the IMF incision and under the muscle implants. This incision plan will be determined during your consultation and will take into account your body type, implant size, and other factors.
Once the breast implants have been inserted, either under or over the breast muscle, Dr. Emmett will carefully close and suture the incisions.
Real Patient Results
Breast augmentation can have a transformative effect. Take a look at these before-and-after images from some of our previous patients.
View More Before & After Images In Our Gallery
What Not to Do After Breast Augmentation Surgery
Once your surgery is completed, you will begin to feel soreness, bruising, and swelling due to the incisions. This is completely normal and part of the body’s healing process.
It generally takes anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks for your breasts to fully heal and recover after surgery.
During the first two weeks, you’ll need to take it very easy to allow your body to heal. The following are things that you should absolutely avoid during this recovery time.