Postoperativ care

Avoidance of physical activity after your breast lift

Our patients stay in the hospital overnight for medical care after the breast lift. After the rounds in the next morning, the patient is discharged and may go home accompanied by an adult (not alone, not even in the taxi). Our rule of thumb: first week in bed, second week on the sofa. Regular daily activities may be slowly resumed with frequent breaks the third week. Heavy physical activity should be avoided. You will be able to go to work and perform regular daily activities after 3 weeks.

In order to achieve the desired result, you should follow the following instructions after the breast lift:

1. Please refrain from smoking at least 21 days before and after the surgery. Smoking impairs and delays the healing process. 
2. The patient will spend the night after surgery under the care of trained hospital staff. The next morning the patient will be discharged after an initial check and will go home.
3. Some swelling and mild blood collections (possible asymmetric) of the skin are normal in the next days and weeks.
4. After the breast lift, you should avoid physical activities and not go to work for 2-3 weeks.
5. Physical exercise should be avoided for 6 weeks. This regards especially types of physical activity with strong use of the shoulder girdle and chest. Lighter types can be carried out 1-2 weeks earlier.
6. Showering should be avoided for 6-7 days. After that it is allowed. Tub baths should be avoided for 2 weeks. Swimming pools or sauna should also be avoided for 2 weeks.
7. You should sleep on your back for the first 1-2 weeks. The upper part of the body should be raised in order to reduce pressure on the operated area.
8. After the breast lift, sexual activity is in general not restricted if the general condition of the patient allows it. Sensitivity disturbances in the breast could develop at the beginning. The breast should not be subjected to excessive stress. It is important to know that the operation suspends the effect of the birth-control pill. Other birth-control measures could be necessary.
9. In most cases the return to normal activity occurs quite early after the breast lift. This depends on the individual healing process and the selected surgical technique. Your treating doctor will carry out regular follow-up evaluations and will advise you on what to do in the future.
10. Air travel is allowed 14 days after the operation. It is better however to wait 4 to 6 weeks, since the pressure difference could have a negative impact on the wound healing in the breast.

Drains

After the breast lift the drains are pulled on the 2nd day at the earliest. In most cases, however, the drains stay in 3-5 days. In rare cases we leave them in for more than 7 days. We attach the drains with special adhesive plaster, not with sutures, so there are no needle sticks when the drains are removed. In most cases the drains come out with gentle pulling. The removal only takes a few seconds.

Sutures   

The sutures are resorbable. They are invisible and the patient doesn’t feel their resorbtion. There is no suture removal.

Lymph drainage after the breast lift

What is manual lymph drainage and why should I do it after my surgery?

The manual lymph drainage denotes physical therapy techniques that activate the flow of lymphatic fluid and decongest the tissue. Special manoeuvres create a sequence of high tissue pressure, followed by low tissue pressure, followed by a pause of neutral tissue pressure along the lymph vessels. This decongests the tissue so the lymph drainage runs better.

The small vessels of the lymph system form a network in the whole body and have the function to transport and filter fluids that collect in the tissue as a consequence of various metabolic processes. When this function is impaired, like after an aesthetic procedure, fluid accumulates in the tissues. This leads to swelling. The manual lymph drainage promotes the drainage of the fluid that collects after a breast operation, supports the wound-healing process and prevents scar formation.

The manual lymph drainage is carried out by trained physical therapists in our practice.

Scar treatment

After the operation, the scars are initially dark red, rubbery and hard. After roughly 2 months they become pale and softer. They become barely visible as time passes. The scars must be treated with special adhesive plasters until they are fully healed. These adhesive plasters will be provided by the hospital on the discharge day. After the scars have healed, we recommend daily pressure massage of the scars, which makes them soft and supple. The patient will be taught the massage technique in the hospital. We also recommend the generous use of gels, creams or silicone strips. Moisturising creams should be used if the breast skin is dry.

Medicines and cooling

Before the operation, you will receive from us a prescription with a list of all the necessary medicines. You will receive pain medicines, an antibiotic, antithrombotic medicines, circulation medicines, decongestants and ointments, gels and silicone sheets for scar treatment. In addition, we recommend cooling the breast with cooling compresses soaked in Rivanol for the first couple of weeks after the breast lift. This can reduce swelling.

Support bra

In most cases, a stiff bra (support bra) should be used for 4-6 weeks day and night.