What to Expect at 1 Week Post Op Breast Augmentation

Whether you’ll be undergoing a breast implant procedure soon or you’ve just gone through surgery, you likely have questions about the various phases of breast augmentation recovery.

We’ve found that many of these questions peak at about one week following surgery. This is when patients are over that initial hump of the recovery period and want to what’s normal and what they can anticipate moving forward.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at what you can expect at 1 week following breast augmentation.

Breast Augmentation 1 Week Post Op

After one week into your breast augmentation recovery time, you can expect to still have swelling and some tightness. Lingering general discomfort may be present as well.

Breast implant placement matters.

Typically, discomfort and tightness will be worse if you had your implants placed beneath the chest muscles. This placement requires your muscles to stretch out during the healing process, which can be painful and cause that tight feeling.

Your breast augmentation surgeon will prescribe pain medication for you to take if you have significant pain. With that said, many patients are fine simply taking over the counter medications and wearing their breast augmentation recovery bra for support.

Natural breast size and implant size also matter.

The difference in size between your natural breasts and your implants will also impact how much tightness and discomfort you feel.

For example, if your natural breasts were quite small and you decided to get rather large implants, this heightened difference in size can cause more discomfort because your body must accommodate such a significant change. More subtle augmentations may result in slightly less discomfort during the breast augmentation recovery process.

Implants may feel “high”.

Your breasts will feel very high up on your chest wall in the initial days following surgery. This is simply because they are new, and you’ll have lots of swelling and muscle stretching to do as you heal in the weeks after breast augmentation.

Your implants may continue to feel somewhat high a week out from surgery as well, but in general, you should feel your breasts “lowering” and settling into place.

“Did I get the right sized implants!?”

Right after surgery, some patients worry that the implants they chose for breast implant surgery were too big. This is typically because right after surgery, your breasts will appear extra large — even larger than you first anticipated.

Rest assured, that this is due to the initial high positioning of the implants and all the additional swelling you’ll have. Your breasts will reduce in size slightly as you recover. (Incidentally, some patients like this initial look and are actually disappointed when their breasts get a bit smaller!)

We might recommend taking a look at breast augmentation pictures 1 week vs 3 or 4 weeks out following surgery. Here, you’ll see that the swelling does go down, and the ideal breast size and shape ultimately becomes apparent.

What to Expect One Week After

Breast Augmentation with Lift

So, what can you expect if you’ve had a breast augmentation with breast lift?

This is a common combination surgery for patients who want to add volume to their breasts while correcting breast sagging. The procedure both lifts the breasts and adds volume by way of saline or silicone breast implants.

Many patients experience the same or similar symptoms as with a simple breast augmentation surgery. However, a lift does require more incisions and manipulation of the breast tissue.

For this reason, you may notice that you are swollen, bruised, and in slightly more pain for the initial breast lift and breast augmentation recovery week. Pain and redness may center around the incision sites. Keep in mind that this discomfort may also radiate out to the chest and shoulder muscles.

FAQ: Breast Augmentation Recovery

Should I have pain 1 week after breast augmentation?

First week post operative breast augmentation pain may sometimes occur. Though actually only days after surgery, most patients only have slight discomfort.

Try an over-the-counter pain medication at first, and if these do not help, take your prescribed pain medications temporarily until your discomfort subsides. If the pain has not gone down at all since surgery (or has amplified), contact your surgeon.

What to expect 2 weeks post-op breast augmentation?

After two weeks of recovery, you should be mostly healed from surgery. While you may have some residual discomfort and tightness, you should not feel significant pain, and swelling should be down.

You will likely be back at work or school and possibly easing back into more exercise without heavy lifting if you feel well enough. Swelling will persist for several more months as your breasts continue to settle into position.

How long does it take for breast surgery scars to fade?

Breast augmentation scars typically take about six months to two years to fade significantly, depending on individual healing and scar care routines.

Book Your Consultation Breast Augmentation Appointment

Many patients fear the breast augmentation recovery process because they think it will be painful and very difficult. For the most part, however, patients manage the recovery period following breast augmentation surgery very well.

While everyone’s breast augmentation recovery timeline will be different, most patients are back at work within a few days and back to their normal activities within one to two weeks. Only rarely do complications from a breast augmentation procedure occur. Naturally, if you have any questions or concerns during your recovery, your surgeon will be available to help.

To learn more about breast augmentation and other breast surgery procedures, please contact our office today. We would be happy to schedule you for a breast augmentation consultation appointment with experienced and board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Smita Ramanadham.

References

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/breast-augmentation/care-at-mayo-clinic/pcc-20393185