Choosing a Surgeon | Choosing an Implant | Choosing the Surgical Incision Site | Choosing the Type of Implant Placement | General Description of Breast Implant Surgery | After the Surgery | Choices in Reconstructive Procedures | Breast Reconstruction with Breast Implants | Immediate reconstruction is one-stage or two-stage reconstruction | Breast Reconstruction with Tissue Flaps | Questions to Ask Your Surgeon about Breast Augmentation | Questions to Ask Your Surgeon about Breast Reconstruction
Breast Implant Surgery
After the Surgery
Your doctor should describe the usual postoperative recovery process, the possible complications that can arise, and the expected recovery period. Following the operation, as with any surgery, you can expect some pain, swelling, bruising, and tenderness. These complications may last for a month or longer, but they should disappear with time. In addition, scarring is a natural outcome of surgery. Ask your doctor to describe the location, size, and appearance of the scars you can expect to have. For most women, scars will fade over time to thin lines, although the darker your skin, the more prominent the scars are likely to be.
Your doctor may prescribe medications for pain and nausea. Some women may experience bleeding and some may experience fever, warmth, or redness of the breast, or other symptoms of infection. You should report these symptoms immediately to your doctor. Your doctor should tell you about wound healing and how to care for your wound. Drains may be used for a few days.
You may need a post-operative bra, compression bandage, or jog bra for extra support and positioning while you heal. At your doctor's recommendation, you will most likely be able to return to work within a few days, although you should avoid any strenuous activities that could raise your pulse and blood pressure for at least a couple of weeks. Your doctor may also recommend breast massage exercises.
Ask your doctor about a schedule of follow-up examinations, limits on your activities, precautions you should take, and when you can return to your normal routine, including exercising. (If you are enrolled in a clinical study, your doctor should give you a schedule for follow-up examinations set by the study plan.)
Choosing a Surgeon | Choosing an Implant | Choosing the Surgical Incision Site | Choosing the Type of Implant Placement | General Description of Breast Implant Surgery | After the Surgery | Choices in Reconstructive Procedures | Breast Reconstruction with Breast Implants | Immediate reconstruction is one-stage or two-stage reconstruction | Breast Reconstruction with Tissue Flaps | Questions to Ask Your Surgeon about Breast Augmentation | Questions to Ask Your Surgeon about Breast Reconstruction
FDA Breast Implant Consumer Handbook - 2004
U. S. Food and Drug Administration
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants/handbook2004/glossary.html
