breast implants

Taking Care Of Your Breast Implants After Breast Augmentation

Breast implants are now more popular than ever before. Women love them for so many reasons. They are harmless, they do not involve long medical procedures and most importantly, they  improve one’s physical appearance. Strangely, most women who wish to go for breast augmentation know little or nothing about taking care of breast implants. There is good news though. Taking care of breast implants is not rocket science. As a matter of fact, any woman above the age of 18 can do it with ease.  The most important thing one needs to know is that caring for implants starts immediately after breast augmentation. It then continues indefinitely as one enjoys gorgeous breasts. It is more or less similar to taking care of your reading glasses after visiting an optician. Here’s what you need to know.

Don’t Rush Recovery

It is impossible to rush the recovery process after surgery. The best you can do is to be patient. That is why surgeons always advise their clients to first clear their schedule before breast augmentation. That way, you won’t be tempted to rush back to work or engage in physically demanding activities. Recovery takes just a few days, so you do not have to rush to get back to work. Give yourself 4 to 6 days before going back to your daily routine.

The few days mentioned above can make a huge difference as far as recovery is concerned.  During this time, your chest muscles will relax so recovery will be faster than if you got back to work immediately after the procedure. Note that for implants, surgeons mostly use infra-mammary incision because of the low incidence of capsular contracture the incision is associated with. This means less discomfort. But it also means at least a week’s rest before resuming to normal activities.

Take Care Of Your Incisions

Always keep them taped. This is the only way you can optimize the long term appearance of your scars. Keep them clean all the time. Then when cleaning them, clean the skin around them with a gauze pad or soft cloth. Stick to cleaning products the surgeon recommended. More often than not, this means avoiding antibacterial soap, peroxide and iodine.

The rule here is simple. If you’re in doubt over which cleaning products to use, call your surgeon. Be sure to also avoid baths as they can get the incisions wet and make them susceptible to infestation. Take a quick shower instead. Remember too that you shouldn’t shower the first 24 hours after surgery.  Stick to a sponge bath until you have the green light from your surgeon to take long showers.

Wear The Right Bra

Your surgeon will give you a soft coobie bra after surgery. It is a soft, yet supportive bra that’s supposed to be worn every day until your surgeon allows you to wear the normal bra. You will also have to avoid the underwire bra for several months after surgery until you have completely recovered. The stiff wires can cause discomfort and irritate incisions under you breasts.

Long Term Care

Breasts are sensitive with or without implants. With that in mind, perform regular break self-exams. Then remember that your breasts will feel different after recovery. That’s normal. With time, you will get used to their new baseline.

This article was not written by Dr. Robert S. Fischer M.D and may not represent his views. To talk to Dr. Robert S. Fischer M.D. please contact the office directly.

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