Breast augmentations, commonly known as ‘boob jobs’, have been steadily rising in popularity in recent years. When they first became available in the early 1960’s, they were much more taboo, and therefore more niche. But as attitudes have changed to become more and more tolerant, and surgical practice and medical technology have continued to advance, the narrative has completely changed.
Women everywhere are enjoying both the physical and emotional benefits of breast augmentation, whether it’s improving symmetry, restoring weight lost after pregnancy, or a good boost to their confidence and self-esteem.
If you’re considering a breast augmentation procedure and want to know more about the recovery process, then continue reading, as this article will take you through a step-by-step timeline of the six weeks that follow the surgery.
The First Couple of Days
In the days following your surgery, it’s normal to be tired and still feeling a fair bit of pain and discomfort – continue to follow the medical advice from your surgery team, which likely involves a lot of resting. The breasts themselves will still be experiencing swelling and bruising, so don’t worry, they won’t yet look anything like the final product. Continue to prioritise rest for the first week following surgery.
One Week After
After a week, most of the swelling and bruising from the surgery should have subsided. You should also be a bit more mobile and be able to walk around the house, but that doesn’t mean you should start exercising. In fact, you should avoid anything other than light movements. Gentle strolls might help with recovery, digestion, and with your mental health (especially if you’re getting cabin fever).
Three Weeks After
All signs of swelling and bruising should have completely settled, but here’s maybe where you will start to notice that your breasts heal at slightly different rates. This can naturally lead to some asymmetry issues, but don’t worry – this is normal at this point in the recovery process.
As for mobility, most women are ready to return to work at this point, but that doesn’t yet mean that you’re exercise-ready. Though you shouldn’t have much difficulty walking from A to B, you should continue to avoid strenuous exercise, like weight lifting and other high-impact sports, like running.
Six Weeks After
Most patients start to feel much better at the six-week mark. Now, the breast implants will look almost completely healed, complete with a more natural look that feels less firm. Your body won’t be 100% recovered, especially compared to its health pre-surgery, but now you should be able to enjoy more exercise, like running and lifting lighter weights.
A Few Months After
At this point, most patients will have completely recovered from the breast augmentation surgery. For most, this means that they’ll be able to participate in more strenuous sports and exercise activities, like lifting heavy weights and high-intensity interval training. Although this applies to most patients, it does not necessarily apply to all, so continue to listen to what your body is telling you!
Aesthetically, the breasts should now be at their final stage, as they continue to look and feel this way roughly from this point on.
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter if you have your breast augmentation in Manchester, Mississippi, or Mexico City, no two people’s recovery journey will be exactly the same, so the most important takeaway to have from this article is to listen to your body. As you continue to recover, scale up your mobility and exercise with your energy levels; you’ll go from feeling completely exhausted for days on end, to returning to some semblance of your previous exercise routine.