Breast Implant Surgery: Moving Through Recovery

If you're planning to schedule breast implant surgery, you've doubtlessly considered a million options: different surgeons, different sizes, and different types. If you are the type of person who wants to make sure they get what they want, you've researched the topic exhaustively. However, while these are important elements of making a wise decision, don't overlook one of the most important parts of the procedure: the recovery. As essential as a successful operation is in giving you the results you want, a successful recovery is no less important. Here are some things you should know about moving through the process.

Discomfort

The first few days of recovery are bound to come with some soreness and discomfort. To help you deal with this, your breast implant surgery doctor will likely prescribe some pain medication, which you should take as directed. Which type of procedure you had will have some impact on how much discomfort you feel in your recovery. While many doctors are proponents of going under the chest muscle for optimum results, you can expect at least two or three days of pain following this type of procedure. If you opt for implants over the muscle, your pain could subside in as little as a day.

Bruising and Swelling

Each patient is different when it comes to shedding the last remnants of their bruising and swelling. One thing is certain: don't expect to have your optimum results within a few days. Even for the fastest recovering patient, there will be plenty of swelling for the first couple of weeks, obscuring the results. This is normal and most patients know to expect this going in. What surprises many patients, however, is how long it takes for all of the swelling and bruising to disappear. While the majority of it should be gone in the first couple of weeks, some degree of bruising and swelling may well persist for the next few months.

Initial Disappointment

If there's one thing that a plastic surgeon likes to impress on his breast implant surgery patients, it's that initial disappointment is not an uncommon response. To the uninitiated, this sounds like a doctor simply trying to lower expectations on his work. It's nothing of the sort. It's the nature of the procedure. It may take as long as four months for a really accurate picture to form of your new physique. During that time, exercise patience and understand that every woman who has had the procedure has gone through this period.