Recovering from a plastic surgery procedure can be an arduous task. Depending on the procedure, the recovery period can last for several months and the person can feel discomfort around the region where the surgery occurred. If the patient gets breast augmentation surgery, the doctor may suggest that the person do exercises and massages daily to ensure the breasts remain youthful and vibrant.



After the Surgery

After the patient wakes up from the surgery, the nurse will bring the patient into the recovery room and monitor the vital signs for up to four hours. In addition, the patient may feel tender and delirious for a few hours, especially after the anesthesia wears off. Some individuals chose to recover at an outpatient facility while others return home to recover.

The doctor will also give the patient a list of instructions to follow. Many doctors suggest that women ice their breasts with an ice pack or frozen peas for the first forty eight hours after the surgery. They can then use warm packs after the initial forty eight hours until swelling is gone. Furthermore, some doctors elect to insert a drain to allow fluids to exit from the incision sites and other treatment areas. Doctors suggest that most women wear a surgical bra and plenty of ace bandages holding the breast to the body. This can be uncomfortable but will allow the breast to form normally.

Daily Maintenance

Doctors usually tell women different ways to maintain their breasts to retain a youthful appearance. Many surgeons suggest that the patient perform implant massages or compression exercises. In compression exercise, the patient displaces the implant to the outer most corners of the pocket. They also tell the patient to perform these movements and hold the implant in this position for a few seconds.

A surgeon may also want the woman to massage the implant. After the surgery, most doctors will show the woman how to perform these exercises. Some start directly after the surgery but if this seems too early or if the massage causes the woman pain then she should discuss other options with the surgeon. Some will instruct woman to conduct massages several times a day until about three weeks after the surgery. Then after three weeks, the woman may begin massaging them only once a day forever. The purpose of the massage is to keep the pocket roomy and get rid of the scar capsules that naturally form around any foreign body lose and elastic. The massage, usually lasting for three minutes, keeps the breast implants open, soft, freely moveable, and natural appearing to the eye.

Plastic surgeons recommend different techniques to maintain the breasts. Techniques could depend on whether the implant is textured or smooth or saline or silicone. Furthermore, maintenance techniques can depend on the size of the breast and the body structure. The woman should ask the surgeon explicit directions for maintaining the breasts.

If the instructions given by the doctor are followed properly, the recovery period may reduce. You will feel comfortable enough to resume your work earlier than you may have thought.