Breast Augmentation Surgery - What to Expect in the Post Operative Period
Waking up in the recovery area after breast augmentation surgery can be disorienting and traumatic for many women.
The medications used to induce and maintain anesthesia can affect your emotions, temperature, blood pressure, and breathing patterns.
As such, you may feel tearful, giddy, sad, or excited.
Please be aware that this is normal and nothing to be alarmed about.
You may shiver or feel cold because the medications draw blood from your extremities.
Add to that the fact that most operating rooms are very cold and you probably have ice packs on the front of the chest, both of which make it hard not to feel cold.
The nurses should have you wrapped in a warm blanket.
If not, you can ask for one.
Lastly, you may also feel a little nausea or emotional extremes from the anesthesia, as well as discomfort, swelling, bruising and scars.
This is entirely normal and very common.
Discomfort after the surgery will vary widely across procedures and women.
Your doctor may instruct you to put ice packs or cold compresses on your breasts for a period of time after surgery.
Implants under muscle may cause pain and discomfort to be moderate or even severe.
Your surgeon may perform certain operation techniques or prescribe medications to alleviate potential discomfort.
Swelling after the operation is greatest if the implants are placed under the muscle.
If you are familiar with breast-feeding, the point of maximal swelling at 3 to 5 days post-op may feel like you are ready to feed a baby.
If your implants are over the muscle, it is generally accepted that most, if not all, swelling will resolve in 2 weeks to a month.
Swelling with implants under the muscle may take several months to completely resolve.
Some women may bruise after the operation, but it tends to be very rare.
However, bruising is not unusual and should not alarm you as it resolves in a week or so.
Keeping incisions clean and dry will help to avoid unsightly scarring.
Many surgeons use stitches that are absorbable, so you will not need to return to the office for removal.
If stitches need to be taken out, they will be removed in 7 to 10 days.
Incision scars will remain pink for up to 6 weeks.
After that point, they may dramatically fade, but will never disappear completely.
Many surgeons use techniques that place incisions in locations where scars will be difficult to detect.
The medications used to induce and maintain anesthesia can affect your emotions, temperature, blood pressure, and breathing patterns.
As such, you may feel tearful, giddy, sad, or excited.
Please be aware that this is normal and nothing to be alarmed about.
You may shiver or feel cold because the medications draw blood from your extremities.
Add to that the fact that most operating rooms are very cold and you probably have ice packs on the front of the chest, both of which make it hard not to feel cold.
The nurses should have you wrapped in a warm blanket.
If not, you can ask for one.
Lastly, you may also feel a little nausea or emotional extremes from the anesthesia, as well as discomfort, swelling, bruising and scars.
This is entirely normal and very common.
Discomfort after the surgery will vary widely across procedures and women.
Your doctor may instruct you to put ice packs or cold compresses on your breasts for a period of time after surgery.
Implants under muscle may cause pain and discomfort to be moderate or even severe.
Your surgeon may perform certain operation techniques or prescribe medications to alleviate potential discomfort.
Swelling after the operation is greatest if the implants are placed under the muscle.
If you are familiar with breast-feeding, the point of maximal swelling at 3 to 5 days post-op may feel like you are ready to feed a baby.
If your implants are over the muscle, it is generally accepted that most, if not all, swelling will resolve in 2 weeks to a month.
Swelling with implants under the muscle may take several months to completely resolve.
Some women may bruise after the operation, but it tends to be very rare.
However, bruising is not unusual and should not alarm you as it resolves in a week or so.
Keeping incisions clean and dry will help to avoid unsightly scarring.
Many surgeons use stitches that are absorbable, so you will not need to return to the office for removal.
If stitches need to be taken out, they will be removed in 7 to 10 days.
Incision scars will remain pink for up to 6 weeks.
After that point, they may dramatically fade, but will never disappear completely.
Many surgeons use techniques that place incisions in locations where scars will be difficult to detect.
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