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Like all surgeries, a breast lift (medically known as mastopexy) requires some recovery time and care as you heal. You need to understand what recovery entails before your procedure so you can adequately prepare. A well-informed recovery process leads to better satisfaction, improved outcomes, and a smoother journey toward enjoying the perks (and perkiness) of the procedure. The guidance here can help you navigate the healing process, but always default to your plastic surgeon’s advice if it differs from these recommendations.
Although breast lift recovery follows a fairly predictable path, forecasting every detail of your journey isn’t an exact science. This is because several individual factors contribute to the timeline of your specific healing process. Your bestie, for example, may feel sluggish for a week after her breast lift while you’re ready to take on the world in three days. (But please don’t as you’re not fully recovered yet.) Personal factors that impact healing time include:
Recovering from a breast lift can pose some challenges. For instance, you won’t be able to lift your arms over your head for a time—and you won’t realize how often you actually do that until you’re not allowed. It’s important that you don’t rush the process. Our patients assure us their breast lift results are well worth the wait.
Following your aftercare instructions closely helps you to minimize the risk of complications while healing as quickly as possible. At a minimum, your plastic surgeon will ask that you:
Many patients share that their two biggest fears about breast lift surgery are being in pain after the procedure and having gnarly, visible scars when it’s over. Happily, we can ease both of these fears for you.
We believe in being fully honest and transparent with our patients. To that end, we acknowledge that patients do experience moderate levels of pain after breast surgery. We will provide you with prescription pain medication, however, and this will keep you comfortable if you take it as directed. You can also manage swelling by applying cold compresses to your breasts for 20 minutes at a time for 24 to 48 hours after your procedure. Reducing swelling reduces discomfort.
Depending on the type of incision needed to lift your breasts, you may have a visible scar running vertically from your areola to the bottom of your breast. Your plastic surgeon will do everything in their power to keep scarring to a minimum, and your scars will fade over time. Scars typically take about a year to fade fully. You can help them along by applying scar creams or silicone sheets.
Most patients recover without any problems, but complications requiring medical intervention can occur. While these complications are rare, it’s important to contact your surgeon immediately if you experience:
Don’t hesitate to contact your surgeon if you have concerns. If you’re uncertain about whether your question or concern is noteworthy, play it on the safe side and ask us about it. When in doubt, reach out.