It is essential for easy and quicker recovery after breast lift and augmentation for the breasts not to move and promote good healing. Most patients can go
Generally speaking, you shouldn't consider going braless for at least six weeks after breast augmentation. Your breasts need to be thoroughly supported during this time to ensure optimal healing.
When Can You Go Braless After Breast Lift? After approximately six weeks, your breast lift incisions should have healed sufficiently that you can begin to go braless in certain situations. However, you should try to avoid going braless regularly so as to help prevent any future sagging.
In general, most women are able to wear bras 4-6 weeks after breast augmentation. That being said, Dr. Pozner recommends waiting approximately three months before spending a lot of money on new bras.
If you do not wear a compression bra following breast implant placement or stop wearing it before your implant settles in a new shape and size, there is a high risk of your implants dislocating from their position.
Avoid bras that apply pressure to these incision areas for at least three months. At first, we recommend sleeping without a bra, unless that bra was provided by your surgeon. After a six week period, patients may sleep with a bra if they find it more comfortable.
For the first 4 – 6 weeks following a breast augmentation, patients should be wearing a supportive medical bra around the clock, including while sleeping, to promote proper healing and provide added support. After this time, it may be safe and appropriate to begin wearing a soft, supportive bra of your own.
Simply put, sleeping on your back keeps your breasts in an optimal position for healing. We therefore recommend you keep this position for eight to 12 weeks post-surgery.
Dr. Blake says wearing a bra doesn't prevent your breasts from sagging and not wearing one doesn't cause your breasts to sag. “Wearing a bra doesn't affect the risk of breast sagging, or what is called 'breast ptosis,'” she says. It also won't impact the shape of your breasts.
Your breasts will be swollen and bruised for about two weeks. You'll likely feel pain and soreness around the incisions, which will be red or pink for a few months. Numbness in your nipples, areolae and breast skin might last for about six weeks.
After six weeks, most swelling should have dissipated, and you should feel comfortable doing all of your normal activities. You should be able to engage in more strenuous activity as your motion will return to normal, and you can raise your arms as normal.
In essence your bra strap should be very tight to pull your breast upward. For this reason we also recommend a wide shoulder strap bra as well as a wide strap at the bottom without an underwire.
It is critical that patients wear their supportive unwired medical bra at all times for the first 1 – 2 weeks after breast lift surgery. At this point, you may be able to sleep without a bra, though most patients find it more comfortable to continue wearing an unwired bra around the clock for several more weeks.
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.
Wear a compression garment or sports bra
Wearing a compression bra or sports bra following your surgery can help accelerate the healing process. These garments help to minimize swelling, improve blood flow in the area, provide support and comfort to the surgical site, and help to flush harmful fluids from the body.
Breast implants generally take six weeks to three months to adjust and look natural. Like many other things in life, they're well worth the wait. The length of the adjustment period depends on a few different factors, such as your age and how much swelling you experience.
Not only will you want to abstain from regular physical exercise during your recovery period, but you'll also want to avoid lifting your children or moving any heavy items around the house. Lifting heavy items can cause you pain, as well as potentially compromise your final results. DON'T go for a swim.
The earliest patients should consider shopping for a new bra after breast augmentation surgery is around the two-month mark.
Your cosmetic surgeon will probably suggest that you sleep on your back for at least the first several weeks after breast augmentation surgery. Even if you don't usually rest in that position, you'll probably find it the most comfortable option because your breasts will likely be swollen and bruised after surgery.
Typically, a breast lift (medically referred to as mastopexy) reduces bra size by one cup. However, this is usually not the result of volume loss. When excess skin and sagging breast tissue are removed or repositioned, cup sizes are naturally reduced. For many women, this is a good thing.
Again, there are certain risks to overdoing things in this period. You will increase the risk of one or other breast swelling and may experience discomfort or pain and you are also likely to worry.
After a breast lift, you'll have some discomfort, swelling and bruising. Your skin may feel tight. These effects get better over time and last about two weeks.