Breast Augmentation Recovery: Yes, No, Maybe

Rapid-fire time. I got a batch of the most common breast augmentation recovery questions and answered each one with a straight yes, no, or maybe. Here they all are, with the reasoning behind each.

The first week is always the hardest. You're in the most pain, you're swollen, and you're not up and around the way you normally are. It gets better from there, but expect that first week to be the low point.

Absolutely. You can shower the day after a breast augmentation. This one surprises people, but yes, you can get clean.

Probably not a full week, but for the first couple of days, it's always nice to have someone around. Plan for help early on and you'll likely find you need less than you expected. (Here's how to think about who that helper should be.)

This really depends on the type of augmentation you had and what your particular surgeon recommends.

In my patients, I usually have them sleep propped up for a few days to help with swelling. That said, it isn't a problem for the average patient to sleep flat. Follow your own surgeon's instructions here.

Depends on two things: the type of augmentation you had, and what you do for a living.

• Sedentary job, not much physical work → most patients can go back by three days.
• Under-the-muscle augmentation → this may prolong your time off, since muscle recovery adds to it. (It's one of the real recovery differences between techniques.)

This is the one I most want people to hear, because it prevents a lot of unnecessary panic:

When you're swollen, bandaged, and your brain isn't functioning totally normally thanks to anesthetic agents and pain medications, everything feels wrong. Nearly every patient goes through what I call the "boobie blues", a stretch where they regret the whole thing for a little while.

It passes. Don't make any judgments about your result in the first days or weeks, things take months to soften and settle.

It depends on the generation of your implants:

• Older implants ruptured more frequently and at shorter time intervals, so for those, replacement is probably a good idea.
• Newer implants on the market seem sturdier with lower rupture rates, so it's unlikely to be a hard 10-year mark.

I've broken this myth down in full here.

You can definitely go too big. My rule of thumb: if you go disproportionate, meaning your breast size ends up bigger than a D, that's too big in my opinion.

It's not always bad, but a lot of problems come with going very large:

• More implant complications
• Harder to find bras and clothing
• They don't tend to age as well over time

People always assume that lower profile and smaller implants don't do anything. That's just not true, small implants can make a massive difference in the right patient. Don't dismiss them because the number sounds modest. (Here's how cup size and cc's actually relate.)

• First week hardest: yes, always
• Shower next day: yes
• Help for a full week: probably not, but the first couple days are nice
• Sleep flat right away: maybe, depends on your surgery and surgeon
• Back to work in 3 days: maybe, if sedentary; under-the-muscle takes longer
• Regret the size right after: yes, almost everyone gets the "boobie blues"
• Replace every 10 years: maybe, depends on implant generation
• Can you go too big: yes, past a D gets disproportionate and brings problems
• Can small implants do a lot: yes, absolutely

The recurring theme: the early days are not your result. Swelling, medication, and bandages distort everything. Give it time, and follow your own surgeon's specific instructions over anything you read online, including me.