In order to have bigger and more attractive breasts, surgery is merely the first step to take. Immediately after your breast enlargement surgery, the recovery phase is critical since it is during this time that your body will mend and your new breast implants will be able to settle into their right position and form. It is critical that you adhere to our post-operative care instructions and attend your scheduled follow-up appointments at the Visage Clinic during this period.
The inability to do so may result in suboptimal, if not completely undesirable outcomes. We consider the recovery phase to be a period during which your body and breasts are still vulnerable and must be treated with care as needed. Please carefully review the following do’s and don’ts after your surgery in Toronto before proceeding. If you need clarification on any of these steps, or if you have a question that is not addressed by the information provided here, please contact us and a member of our staff would be happy to assist you.
Steps to Take to Prepare for Your Recover
No matter whether you choose to travel home or remain at the clinic following surgery, you must make arrangements for a responsible adult to accompany you for the first 24 hours. You should not be left alone during the first night after your procedure, and even more crucially, you should not be walking without help during the first 24 hours following your surgery. After your procedure, you will not be permitted to go to the restroom on your own during the first night after your procedure.
What to Expect Immediately Following Your Surgery
Following the completion of your breast augmentation procedure, the anesthesiologist will awaken you from your induced state. After that, you will be moved to the recovery room, where our skilled nurses will watch you until you are completely awake. At this stage, you may be feeling a bit drained and foggy. The first 10 – 15 minutes after waking up are mostly forgotten by most women, according to research. In the aftermath of the procedure, you may have some soreness, swelling of your breasts, and bruising on your breasts. You will have supportive bandages placed over your chest and will be wearing your surgical bra at this time in order to reduce pain, protect your incisions, and keep the breast implants securely in place while they are healing in the early stages.
It is common to see blood spots on your bandages; this does not necessarily indicate that you are bleeding. On the following morning, you will come back to visit us in the clinic where we will inspect you and, if required, replace your dressings and bandages. As an additional precaution, a compression band will be placed on top of your implants and/or below the breast fold.
Will I Experience Any Aches and Pains?
Dr. DuPéré’s precise surgical method will ensure that you have the least amount of discomfort possible throughout the procedure. Local anaesthetic is also used to numb the surgical site and reduce the amount of pain you experience following the procedure.
In addition, we will provide you with a personalized prescription of medications that we utilize for all of our patients to help them feel better faster. As a result, the surgical approach that is employed will have a significant impact on the level of discomfort experienced. Going beneath the chest muscle is often more unpleasant than going over the muscle. Everyone has a varied pain threshold, which is a good thing! Regardless of how little pain you may be experiencing, you must still adhere to all of our post-operative advice in order to guarantee optimal healing and the best possible outcomes.
Post-Operative Care
Following your Breast Augmentation procedure, you must take the following precautions:
- Your sutures will be removed at the clinic two weeks following your procedure. In very rare instances where a surgical drain is used, it will also have to be removed once there is minimal fluid discharge.
- Following the recommendations of Dr. DuPéré and his colleagues, massage your breasts (do not massage your breasts if you have also had a Breast Lift performed at the time of your Breast Augmentation).
Things to Avoid After Surgery
Following your Breast Augmentation procedure, you should avoid the following:
- For six weeks, do not sleep on your stomach or your sides, you must sleep on your back.
- Do not run, jump, or engage in any other strenuous physical activity that could cause your breasts to bounce and possibly burst open your incisions or dislodge your implants.
- Avoid pushing up on your breasts or raising your arms to examine your scars since you run the danger of rupturing your wounds.
- It is not recommended to have your wounds wet for the first 2 – 5 days following surgery unless Dr. DuPéré has used a waterproof bandage to keep your scars from becoming wet. Please be aware that Dr. DuPéré will always tell you if he has used a waterproof bandage after surgery.
- You should bathe for the first two weeks; after that, you can shower, but make sure to thoroughly dry your wounds.
- Do not remove your surgical bra or compression band(s) until Dr. DuPéré has given you permission to do so. Dr. DuPéré recommends that you wear an underwire bra for at least 6 weeks after surgery, that is, until your incisions have fully healed and your breast implants have settled, or for as long as necessary.
Visits to Follow-Up with Dr. DuPéré
Following your surgery, you will be required to attend planned follow-up appointments at the Visage Clinic in Toronto, which will enable us to monitor your recovery and development. Follow-up visits are very essential, and we urge that you do not miss out on these opportunities. They enable us to guarantee that your breast scars heal nicely, that your breast implants settle in as planned, and that, finally, you are left with the ideal breast augmentation results for your body type.
Unless there is a very improbable reason to be concerned about your recovery, your first follow-up appointments will be with one of our highly trained and experienced nurse practitioners. We will offer you with information on the massage methods that you should be undertaking in order to assist your implants in settling down and to achieve and maintain a naturally soft breast at this time as well. Following the healing of your incisions, Dr. DuPéré will schedule another appointment with you to check the development of your implants as they begin to integrate.
What Can You do Following Breast Augmentation Surgery
- Consume whatever meal that you would regularly consume.
- It is only after you have finished using your pain meds that you may consume alcoholic drinks.
- Sleeping on your back is recommended for the following 3-6 weeks.
- Return to more traditional office work (i.e., non-active work).
- During the first two weeks, raise your arm to the level of your shoulders.
- During the first two weeks, you may lift things weighing up to 5 lbs.
Stages of Recovery After a Breast Augmentation Surgery
Post-operation
You will most likely feel sleepy and painful for the first few hours after waking up from anesthesia. It may feel a little like you’re tired and in discomfort, but these symptoms should subside within a few hours. You will, however, need the services of a driver who will accompany you home and remain with you overnight.
The First Five To Seven Days Are Crucial
It is customary for the first three to five days to be the most unpleasant. The majority of the time, your doctor will prescribe pain medicine, and your surgeon may even suggest that you have a pain injection or a pain pump to alleviate discomfort within the first 72 hours after surgery.
Most women are able to manage their postoperative discomfort with over-the-counter pain relievers after the first few days after recovery. In addition, the vast majority of women are able to return to their desk occupations within a week after their surgery.
The Next Several Weeks
After the first week, patients are urged to gradually return to modest activity and a regular daily routine, starting with little steps. Although the pain should be mild at this stage, physicians urge women to avoid engaging in intense or jarring activities such as jogging, horseback riding, or rigorous exercises during this time. Heavy lifting is likewise prohibited until they have returned to full strength.
Patients who work in physically demanding occupations are advised to take at least three weeks off work after their surgery.
Complete And Total Recovery
Your doctor will be able to determine how far along your healing process has proceeded at your follow-up visit.
After around two months, the vast majority of patients are able to return to their usual activities with no restrictions.
The care recommendations provided by your doctor must be strictly followed in order for your implants to recover correctly and to avoid any potential issues.
When Will I Be Able to Drive?
You may resume driving after you have completed taking your codeine-containing pain reliever (which inhibits your reflexes and may cause you to get sleepy) and are able to handle the vehicle safely and comfortably once more.
When am I Allowed to Begin Exercising?
For a period of two weeks, you should refrain from engaging in strenuous activity that elevates your blood pressure this also includes participating in sexual activities. Following this phase, you may begin to progressively increase the intensity of your low impact aerobic workouts and exercises but ensure not to make movements that will not shake your breasts and breast implants.
After 6 weeks, you may begin to gradually return to more strenuous activities. You should avoid activities that directly engage your chest muscles (pectoralis major) for the first 12 weeks after having your implants implanted if they were placed below your muscle (submuscular or sub-pectoral). These exercises include: push-ups, chest press, chest flies, and yoga positions where your body weight is supported by the upper arms.
When Will I be Able to Return to Work After my Surgery?
The majority of women are able to return to office-type employment within a few days following surgery. If your job requires you to be physically active, you must either make arrangements to do non-active jobs for a period of two weeks, if at all feasible, or take time off from work during this period.
How Long Do I Have to Wear the Surgical Bra? And when will I be able to purchase ordinary bras?
You should continue to wear the surgical bra 24 hours a day, seven days a week until Dr. DuPéré instructs you differently; this will depend on your recovery and will normally be 2 – 4 weeks following surgery. We recommend that patients wait until one month following surgery to buy new bras in order to ensure that the size is right after any swelling has healed and the implants have had time to settle. If you want to buy one or two bras to wear in the interim between wearing your surgical bra and getting your final fitting, keep in mind that your bra size may be less accurate at this stage.
How to Ensure Optimal Results from Your Surgery at Visage Clinic
At Visage Clinic, we are committed to offering not just the greatest service, but also the best patient care possible to our guests. We want to make certain that the outcomes of your surgery are precisely what you hoped for and were anticipating them to be. In order to ensure that your recovery from a breast augmentation surgery goes as smoothly as possible, we strongly advise that you adhere to all of the important guidelines listed below.
If you’re wanting to learn more about breast augmentation surgery and the stages of recovery please reach out to one of our specialists and we would be happy to assist you.
