Believe it or not, it’s now possible to have breast augmentation and be back to your activities the next day. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?
In the right hands, with the right surgical plan, women can recover from breast enhancement the day after their procedure. It actually does happen, but it doesn’t happen automatically. Here’s what you need to know, straight from a pioneer of 24 Hour Recovery®, Dr. John Tebbetts.
Minimizing Tissue Trauma
According to Tebbetts, a board certified plastic surgeon who practices in Dallas, Texas, there are several keys to achieving a one-day recovery. The first one is minimizing tissue trauma.
Most surgeons still employ either “blunt dissection” or “sharp dissection” techniques, or both. Blunt dissection means they may create the breast pocket with a blunt instrument or their fingers, causing substantial bruising and swelling. Sharp dissection, or the use of a sharp instrument, tends to cause bleeding and swelling. Either way, the outcome is post-operative pain.
In contrast, Tebbetts uses what he terms “specially developed electrocautery techniques” during breast augmentation surgery. In other words, bleeding is minimized at the same time incisions are made. This approach, combined with gentle, precise tissue manipulation, results in minimal discomfort following surgery. For another bonus, few women go home with surgical drains.
Choosing the Right Implant
Another important factor in delivering rapid recovery is choosing the right breast implant for each patient. This means selecting an implant that will create an enhanced figure without being too large. Extra large implants cause tissue stretching—not to mention sagging down the road--and add to post-surgical pain.
In fact, Tebbetts feels that a very precise relationship between the size of the breast pocket and the implant chosen is vital. He uses an actual formula to ensure he is not “pushing tissue, [but] simply filling it."
Keeping Anesthesia and Medication to a Minimum
A surgical approach that’s optimized for minimal tissue trauma also has patients under general anesthesia for shorter periods of time. Plastic surgeons who are adept at 24 hour recovery breast augmentation usually require less than 60 minutes to complete surgery.
With bruising and swelling kept under control, many women find they need no post-op prescription medication at all. The shorter the anesthesia time and the fewer the medications, the faster the recovery.
Getting You Moving Again
Traditionally, breast augmentation patients are sent home in tight garments, instructed to rest for a few days and warned not to raise their arms or perform any lifting while they heal. Tebbetts and other surgeons who use his methods, like Dr. William Adams, another Dallas area plastic surgeon, feel differently about recovery.
Tight bandages, used to reduce bleeding and swelling, are generally not needed. Most women can raise their arms high above their heads before leaving the recovery room and lift all but the heaviest objects right away. Patients are actually encouraged to get moving almost immediately following surgery.
Now, the Disclaimers
A 24 hour recovery can’t be achieved for every breast augmentation patient. Even Adams, who said “it is the normal recovery [he] expects,” will acknowledge that patients with minimal breast tissue to cover implants, women who want very large implants and those who need combination breast lift/breast implant surgery may need more recovery time.
And, be advised that the plastic surgeons who offer true 24 hour recovery are still few and far between. There are those who say you might achieve “rapid recovery” from breast augmentation, which is not the same thing. In order to determine what kind of recovery to expect, examine your prospective surgeon’s website carefully and read about their techniques. Go into your consultation armed with detailed questions about surgical technique and recovery.
It’s likely that a growing number of plastic surgeons will develop the skills to make 24 hour recovery from breast augmentation a reality for most patients. Until then, do your research, ask pointed questions and think carefully about the surgeon you choose.
References:
http://www.thebestbreast.com/book/chapter8.php
http://www.breastsurgeondallas.com/breastaugmentation_24hour_recovery.html