What is recovery like after breast augmentation

One of the most common questions I am asked during breast augmentation consultations is what is the recovery like.  Ensuring you have enough time to properly heal after surgery is key to help you get the best results possible while at the same time minimizing the risk of complications.
 
Day of Surgery
 
When you go home the day of surgery you will be sore and your chest will feel quite tight.  Special measures are taken to ensure that you are as comfortable as possible.  These include using anesthetics and medications that decrease the risk of nausea after surgery, atraumatic technique during surgery to minimize pain and early use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories to decrease drowsiness.  Most people will feel pretty good after a day or two.
 
Week or Two After Surgery
 
This is when most people will feel pretty great and almost back to normal after surgery.  Often people will go back to work at this time, provided that your job is not too physically demanding.  Even though you may be feeling great at this time, it is still important to remember to take it easy so no heavy exercise such as running or weight lifting just yet. 
 
Six Weeks After Surgery
 
This is when you are technically unrestricted and can return completely to “regular life”.   Your scar tissue will have its maximum strength and you are allowed to exercise again and can return to work if it is very physical.   This does not mean, however, that you will have your final cosmetic results.
 
Three Months to One Year
 
By this time we expect your implants to have completely settled however sometimes it can take up to a year (or even two!) for the scar tissue to completely mature, meaning for the redness in the scars to go away.   Young healthy people will often take the longest for the scars to fade (meaning for the redness to go away and the scar to have a minimal appearance/flesh colored tone)
 
As you can see recovery from surgery is a process and is an important thing to understand when choosing to undergo breast augmentation.