Most Frequently Asked Questions after Breast Augmentation

In this episode, Mr Nassab talks about the most frequently asked questions following breast augmentation surgery.  The topics discussed include:

• When can I go back to work after breast augmentation?
• When can I exercise after breast implant surgery?
• How soon after breast surgery can I drive?
• Why does one side hurt more than the other?
• Why do my breasts look funny after breast augmentation?
• And, many more

We hope you enjoy listening to this episode and for more information visit the CLNQ website.

Transcript

Reza Nassab  
Hi, everyone, and welcome to our next podcast, which is on the most common questions I get asked after someone having breast augmentation surgery. So here are quite a few questions that people commonly asked me. And I thought it'd be nice to do a little podcast on this is I get tired of replying to everyone's individual email. So here we go. So probably one of the most common questions is:

When can I go back to work? 
I think this largely depends on your job, and most people will probably take about one to two weeks off following their procedure. This is usually enough time for light jobs such as office work or retail jobs or hairdressers. However, people that have jobs which involve heavy manual handling should probably avoid this for at least four to six weeks. So if possible, it'd be good to try and ask for lighter duties. 

When can I go back to the gym or workout? 
So normally, we say that it should avoid any sort of strenuous exercise or activity for at least six weeks following your procedure. This involves sort of heavy lifting or heavy cardio workers This can cause exertion, raise your blood pressure, and the main risk of this is opening up some of the little blood vessels that we've cauterised and causing bleeding inside the implant pocket, which results in a haematoma.

When can I have sex? 
So normally, we recommend avoiding sexual intercourse for at least six weeks following your procedure. And the reasoning behind this is similar to any workout in that it causes exertion and this can raise your blood pressure and subsequently increase the risk of bleeding internally.

When can I use the sun bed? 
We generally don't recommend using sun beds as this can increase your risks of skin cancers. The main problem with UV radiation or sun exposures to the scars, as they often remain red for longer following your procedure. So if you are going to do this, we normally recommend covering the scars to try and prevent any exposure to UV or sun radiation. You can use fake tan once the scars are fully healed and this is usually about two to three weeks following your procedures. 

What can I do to help the scarring?
The scars can usually take about two weeks to heal, but it takes about six to eight weeks for the scar to fully gain its strength. Initially the scars are red, and sometimes they can be a little bit raised or a little bit lumpy to start with. With time these gradually settle and the redness fades and then they flatten out and become less noticeable.

When can I drive?
We recommend that you don't try for at least two weeks following your procedure. And this is often due to pain or discomfort that you might experience that might prevent you from doing any emergency stop procedures or driving safely. We recommend that you discuss with your insurer as well as sometimes they have guidance or advice on when they feel that it's safe for you to drive.

Is it normal for some parts of the breast and nipple to feel numb?
 Yes, it's very common to lose some sensation following breast augmentation surgery. This is largely due to when we create the pocket. Some of the nerves that give sensation to the skin nipple are often cut, and that reduces the sensation. This may be permanent or temporary. It can take several months to a year or so for some sensation to return and it may never be 100% like it was before. In some patients, they may also experience hypersensitive, which means that the nipple or skin may become more sensitive.

Why do I get shooting pains in certain areas?

Why does the shape look so funny or square following my breast implant surgery?
This is often due to pain, causing the muscles contract and forcing the implant higher up into the pocket. This gives that fuller upper pole appearance. We often use the breast band following a procedure to try and help reduce this and try and limit how high the implant rises following the operation. And the breast band is usually worn for about two weeks. implants will gradually begin to descend and settle and fill out the pocket in the lower pole. And this is often referred to as the drop in fluff. It can take several months, or even a year or so for the implants to fully settle down.

When can I remove the dressings?

When can I shower or have a bath?

How long do I wear the breast band?

Do I have to continue to wear the support bra? We recommend wearing a sport bra particularly if you had larger implants as the support bra will help take and reduce the risk of the implants dropping or the breast becoming ptotic with time.

What happens if I become pregnant?

Why does one side feel much harder than the other Or why does it seem to have a different shape?

You can probably lie completely flat after the first week. We try and suggest that you avoid sleeping on your front or your side for the first six weeks.

When can I do upper body workouts?

If you've had implants placed under the muscle, then upper chest work may result in further changes to your results. If you imagine the pectoralis muscle contracting as it contracts, it forces the implants wider apart. So doing too much chest work may result in slightly widening of the gap and displacement to the implants outwards. In general, if you can avoid doing too much chest work, I would suggest doing that as it can affect your results.

Make sure you visit our website CLNQ.com for further information on your procedure