HOW LONG SHOULD I TAKE OFF FOR BREAST AUGMENTATION?

healing breast augmentation

We all have busy professional, social and family lives.

That is why we often receive the following questions during consultation:

How long should I take time off for breast augmentation?
How long is the recovery time of a breast augmentation?
Is there anything I can do - as a patient - to recover faster?
When can I exercise again?

Even though this is different for every patient, we can generally say that breast augmentation requires a very minimal recovery time.

SPECIALIST MINIMALLY INVASIVE BREAST AUGMENTATION

This is because Plastic Surgeon Dr Nelissen can offer you as a specialist in Minimally Invasive Breast Augmentations a quick and painless recovery (“Flash Recovery") through a combination of:

the right size of implant (not too big for your body)

surgery with focus on avoiding damage or trauma to the surrounding tissue and muscles

careful and prospective hemostasis (= control of bleeding) and therefore avoidance of painful internal and external bruises

additional local anaesthetic of the operated area

general anesthesia specialized in day surgery, so that you can wake up pain-free and relaxed and return home quickly for a comfortable recovery

minimal incision in the breast fold, as a result of which there will also be a smaller scar ("Minimalscar")

soluble sutures, no annoying drains or surgical bandages (just a sports bra)

WhAT IS a “FLASH/quick recovery” or “24-hour recovery” - Breast augmentation?

This technique is designed for busy women who want to undergo breast augmentation but do not have much time to distance themselves from work and family obligations. Today's patients don't want to lie in bed for a few days, but want or need to resume their activities as soon as possible.

It is also known as "24 hours breast augmentation" because the idea is that a patient can theoretically return to work the day after breast augmentation or at least resume some normal activities of daily life:

brushing hair,
getting dressed,
driving the car,
picking the children up from school,
shopping (without lifting heavily),...

The "Fast Recovery" technique of breast augmentation was developed 20 years ago by plastic surgeon Dr. John Tebbets (Dallas, USA), among others.

HOw does a quick-recovery breast augmentation work?

Flash recovery breast augmentation consists of several aspects that work together to ensure that patients have a maximum chance of a quick, painless and easy recovery. We explain some aspects:

1. before surgery: choose the right implant size

The first step is for your plastic surgeon to have the experience to select the right prosthesis size based on your body characteristics.

Choosing the best prosthesis based on pre-operative measurements is therefore an important step.

Inserting an implant that is too large for the patient's tissue can prolong recovery and make it more painful.

The implant must be proportional to the body so that the surrounding tissue is not overloaded. An additional advantage is that the breast augmentation will not look unnatural, oversized or artificial (fake).

2. during surgery: choose the right plastic surgeon

The next step is to choose a plastic surgeon who is trained to perform the breast augmentation surgery with minimal damage to the surrounding tissues and muscles.

How is the damage to the surrounding tissues and muscles limited?

With fine instruments
Through a bloodless and gentle dissection (this as opposed to "blunt dissection", in which some surgeons tear and pry open the breast tissue with invasive instruments or even with their fingers, causing unnecessary damage in the process) and creating a place for the implant with as little trauma as possible. Also known as "Gentle Tissue Handling".
By preventing the ribs from being touched during the insertion of the implants (if necessary, insertion of the implant using the no-touch sleeve technique)
By additional local anesthesia of the operated area during dissection
By dissecting under direct vision (i.e. not through the armpit)
Through careful and prospective hemostasis (= control of bleeding during dissection and surgery), the so-called "dry operation". The trick is to prevent bleeding and bruising, as these cause the pain that many patients may feel after breast augmentation (or other surgery). In this case, there is no need for drains (which drain blood through tubes) after surgery.
After your general anaesthesia (specialised in day admission surgery) you will wake up painless. Within a few hours you can return home where you can recover in the comfort of your own home. In case of questions or concerns at this stage, we always remain your point of contact.
By making only a minimal incision. This small incision is made in your breast fold so that the visibility of a scar is minimized ("Minimalscar"). If this is properly cared for and followed up after the operation (during the included check-up appointments), the scar will have faded into an almost invisible line after only a year.

Breast Augmentation with Minimal Scar 320cc by Dr Nelissen

The approximately 2.5cm incision used is about half the standard size of a traditional breast augmentation, reducing the risk after surgery and leaving you with minimal to no scarring.

The following video shows the scar 3 days after the breast augmentation. Except for some normal bruises, it already looks very good.

270cc Ergonomix Joy by Dr Nelissen

Below you can see a picture of scars about 1 year after breast augmentation, performed by Dr. Nelissen, at the Global Care Clinic. After about 1 year, the scar has faded to an almost invisible, thin, skin-colored line.

By avoiding short-term trauma and making a smaller incision, a faster and painless recovery will occur. In the longer term, this way of operating also leads to fewer problems such as capsular problems,...

3. after surgery: Listen to your body

A quick postoperative recovery also includes:

Use of soluble sutures
No drains
No surgical wraps (just a surgical sports bra)
Not too high painkillers
Waking up pain-free and relaxed after surgery.

The only postoperative limitation is that it is best not to do vigorous physical activity (sports) or heavy lifting 3 to 4 weeks after the procedure. It is best to gradually build this back up on one's own feelings.

However, patients are recommended to do gentle arm exercises to keep the breast tissues moving and not to make the pectoral muscles stiff and painful.

Be sure to come to every (included in the price) check-up appointment so that we can follow up the healing process together.

CONCLUSIon

By using the Quick Recovery Breast Augmentation Protocol, the majority of our patients who undergo surgery on Thursday are already "back in action" by Monday morning.

Of course, the perception of pain (pain threshold) varies from patient to patient.

Once again, a plea to be guided not only by the price when choosing a breast augmentation surgeon, but above all by their training, reviews and experience with minimally invasive breast augmentation.