When you get breast implants you’re making a commitment to care for them. Take good care of them and you can enjoy gorgeous, full breasts for years to come. But don’t worry—breast implants are pretty low maintenance. Here are some essentials tips we give breast augmentation patients at our Richmond, VA, practice.
Give Yourself Time for Recovery
Breast augmentation patients often ask how soon they can return to work. We understand that it can be inconvenient to miss several days of work, but this is the only chance you’ll have to recover. Give yourself plenty of time to heal and plan for a week off from work (although you may be able to return sooner if your job doesn’t require lifting). Please note that you’ll likely need more than a week to recover if you combine your breast augmentation with a tummy tuck as part of a Mommy Makeover.
Come to Follow-Up Appointments
Your relationship with us doesn’t end when your surgery is completed. You’ll come in several times during the recovery period so we can assess your healing, answer questions, and provide advice for living with implants. We’ll even have you come to a final follow-up a year after surgery. Come to these appointments and ask questions. We are here to help you love and take care of your implants.
Wear a Bra
Your new breasts might look perkier, but just like natural breasts, they can still sag. Wear a bra to prevent or postpone sagging and the need for future breast surgery. A little extra support goes a long way in keeping your breasts looking their best. Some patients even choose to wear a lightweight sleep bra for a little support at night.
Skip the Underwires
During the early days of your new breasts, you’ll want to skip the underwire bras. The stiff wire can irritate your incisions (especially if the incisions are under the breast). Wait until you have the go-ahead from Dr. Lewis before you wear an underwire bra again.
Check Your Breasts
Regular checks can help you detect breast cancer early on, while it is highly treatable. Once you’ve healed, get familiar with your breasts. Learn how they look and feel. This will make self-examination much easier. Your new breasts won’t feel exactly the same, but once you’re used to it, you should be able to perform effective self-exams.
Tell Everyone
You don’t have to tell the world about your implants (unless you want to, of course), but you should be open about your implants with your doctors and your mammogram technicians. This is important so you can get the care you need for your breasts.
It’s also important that you check with your provider about follow-up breast implant exams. In 2019, the FDA updated its guidance, now recommending that people with breast implants have an ultrasound or MRI screening 5 to 6 years after breast augmentation and every 2 to 3 years after that.
Consider Massages
Dr. Lewis may ask you to massage your breasts periodically to maintain your breast pocket. This is a technique called implant displacement. Basically you move the implant throughout the breast pocket by gently pushing it around. Not all patients will need to perform this technique, but if you do, follow Dr. Lewis’ instructions carefully.
Taking care of your implants at home is easy. Browse our before-and-after gallery to see real results from breast augmentation patients. Request a consultation with Dr. Lewis online or by calling (804) 267-6009.