In general, patients should expect breast implants to settle within 6 weeks to 3 months. And in reality, breasts progressively look more natural over many months. Different factors affect the speed of this drop and fluff process, including: Tight skin before surgery.
One of the most common questions we get from patients is when breast implants start to look/feel normal and when the natural drop of the breasts occurs after breast implant surgery. Breast implants generally take six weeks to three months to adjust and look natural.
In as few as a few days, patients may begin to notice their implants begin to settle. By several weeks, the implants will be near their final resting position. The three-month mark is typically the latest that movement will be noticed. Athletes with strong chest muscles may require more time to notice breast settling.
Over time and and given the natural aging process, your breast implants can change in both shape and size. These breast changes are often in response to changes in the overlying breast tissue and the effects of gravity on the body.
Your breast implants may appear to be bigger or fuller once they've dropped to a lower, more natural-looking position on your chest and "fluffed" into a rounder and softer shape. Changes in the size or shape of your new breasts after augmentation can also occur as swelling and tightness subside.
Over time, the swelling resolves, the tissues loosen up, and the shape of the implant starts to exert itself on the overlying tissues. As a result, the implants settle into a lower, more aesthetically pleasing position on the chest. They appear softer and rounder, and they look larger and closer together.
Your First Week after Augmentation
They will feel very firm, and your nipples will likely appear very low and point downwards. You will see very little side or bottom rounding of the breasts, often looking square, with little outward projection and minimal bottom fullness. Have no fear!
After surgery, the implants tend to ride hide and appear small due to the patient's skin tightness in the area. There is tightness because the implants increase dimension to breast tissue causing the skin to compress the implant's shape and size.
Expect it to take 3 to 6 months for breast augmentation results to fully take shape. It's easy to feel impatient about seeing your final results, but keep in mind that dropping and fluffing happens gradually. Your implants will continue to look better and better after the initial healing period.
Implant shape can change if the implant ruptures, shifts, rotates, bottoms out or becomes otherwise displaced. Changes in implant shape usually occur asymmetrically, meaning in one breast or the other. Even if both implants change shape, they may not change in the same way.
While you might be expecting smooth, round breasts, it's not uncommon for your implants to appear square or elongated at first. Before you panic, know that this is often a normal part of the recovery process.
After 2 weeks, most patients are fully recovered. The implant site may feel slightly tender to the touch, but should feel completely healed and normal. The implant will continue to heal and bond with the jaw bone over the following 3-6 months, but the initial healing process will be over.
In many cases, breast implants can remain in good shape for 20 years or more. Every patient is different, and the life of your implants will depend on your body and how you take care of your implants.
Generally speaking, implants begin to drop and fluff after a few days, approach their final position after six weeks, and settle entirely after three months. At Park Meadows Cosmetic Surgery, we want you to know exactly what to expect after breast enhancement.
Over time, saline implants naturally lose a small percentage of their volume, primarily through evaporation. Not only does this result in a change in the patient's breast fullness, but it can also lead to noticeable implant rippling and other cosmetic defects.
While it's best to provide your new breasts with as much support as possible post-surgery, it's usually safe to go braless on occasion (but not daily) from around six weeks.
Yes, it is true that the muscle is under the breast, and putting an implant under the muscle does succeed in making the breast look bigger, but the breast tissue itself does not actually belong there.
So much depends on the natural breast structure. In general, the more natural breast tissue a patient has, the less noticeable will be the implant, regardless of gel or saline. Under-the-muscle placement of the implants creates a more gradual, natural-looking slope to the breasts, particularly in thinner patients.
Six weeks after your breast augmentation procedure, you will notice that your breasts look more natural, and your breasts will start to soften. Your breasts are still not fully recovered and perfect, but you will notice some improvement. Most of the swelling will be gone by now.
If you massage your breasts too soon after your surgery, the incisions could reopen and an infection could develop. If your breasts begin to feel hard, or if the tissue around them starts to feel tight, consult with your surgeon right away.
Three to Six Months After Your Breast Augmentation
By this point in the recovery process, most of your swelling will be gone, even if you've had an augmentation with implants. Your breasts will feel almost normal, though there may still be a little firmness and some residual discomfort at times.
Hold the measuring tape horizontally around the fullest part of your breasts. The difference between your torso measurement number and your breast measurement will give you an approximation of your cup size. Now put your band size with your cup size, and you've got a good place to start when shopping.
When a foreign object is inserted into the body, our immune system forms a thin film around it to protect the body, forming a capsule. A capsular contracture happens when the body forms scar tissue along this capsule, causing it to contract, which makes the implants look and feel hardened.
When Will My Breast Implants Soften? The initial high-set, hard results you see from your breast implants are not permanent. Many factors affect how quickly breast tissues soften after augmentation. This “dropping and fluffing” process can last anywhere from eight weeks to six months.
There is a simple test for this. If you place your hands on your hips and press inwards this contracts the muscle of your chest. If the implants are behind the muscle the top of the implant will flatten. If they are over the muscle the breast implants will not flatten because they are not being squeezed by the muscle.