Breast reduction is a procedure that helps to provide a simultaneous reduction of breast skin tissue while lifting and creating a more natural, youthful, and lighter appearance. Recovering from breast reduction is an individual matter that varies from woman to woman, depending upon a range of factors. Things like your genetics, pain tolerance, amount of breast tissue removal, and your surgeon’s surgical technique all play a role in how you will recover from your breast reduction procedure.
For women who will be undergoing breast reduction, it is essential to pay attention to post-operative care. After the removal of your gauze and dressings, you will be wearing a breast reduction bra to minimize your swelling and secure your breasts. Doing this for several weeks will help ensure proper alignment and tissue conformity.
It is very important to wear the right things after your breast reduction surgery. Some critical elements to consider are your comfort and wearing the right clothes so that you heal and recover as quickly as possible.
Following your breast reduction procedure, it is essential that you wear a post-surgical bra due to the many benefits that it will provide in helping you heal and recover more quickly. This type of bra will help you recover by compressing the area to promote good blood circulation, which will help decrease inflammation and fluid retention while you recover from your surgery.
Another benefit of a post-surgical bra is that it can completely cover up the surgical site, protecting incisions and preventing infections. But your post-surgical bra needs to be comfortable and provide complete support, particularly since you will not be able to raise your arms for a while.
Post-Surgical Bra: Essential Features
The following are some desirable features in a post-surgical bra:
- Soft fiber
- Front hook
- Wireless style
- Controlled compression
- Comfortable, adjustable straps
- Soft cups and supportive underbust banding
Finally, you should consider what type of clothes you wear, in general, after your surgery. In addition to the surgical bra provided to you by your surgeon, you will have some other clothing choices to make.
You will want to wear loose clothes that do not cause skin friction or irritation. Your recovery might be slowed down if you wear overly tight clothes that place pressure on your breasts, which will be sensitive and healing at this time. So be sure that you avoid wearing clothing that is excessively tight and could place pressure upon your chest to help ensure that you recover fully and quickly from your breast reduction surgery.
Recovering From Breast Reduction Surgery
The way that you recover following your procedure will have an impact on how your breasts will eventually look. You will need to know how to properly care for your incisions, how to minimize pain and discomfort, and when to resume physical activity so that you achieve the best possible outcome after your breast reduction surgery.
Surgery Follow-Up
Breast reduction surgery is a procedure for the removal of excess fat, glandular tissue, and breast skin tissue, which is performed under general anesthesia. Just as with any form of surgery, breast reduction procedures involve a significant recovery period.
One critical factor in your recovery is ensuring that you follow your plastic surgeon’s postoperative instructions very carefully. This could involve things like instructions on taking certain prescribed medications, topical medications to apply to the surgical site, or when to follow up with your surgeon so that they can check on your progress.
Common Post-Operative Symptoms
There is a range of symptoms that you will likely experience after your breast reduction surgery.
Here are a few of the most common symptoms and what they mean:
- Chest tightness and stiffness; intermittent shooting pain, tingling and burning
It is normal to experience these types of symptoms after a breast reduction procedure. They mean that your soft tissues and nerves are healing. If you are experiencing discomfort due to these symptoms, take your pain medication and muscle relaxers as prescribed. It is normal to experience some localized discomfort if you have drains placed. If you should experience consistent, sharp pain, contact your plastic surgeon immediately.
- Either hypersensitivity or numbness of nipples
This is another normal symptom that will gradually resolve itself as the days go by. It is normal to experience a small amount of milk or fluid seepage from the nipples. If it becomes excessive or painful, contact your surgeon right away.
- Itchy or shiny skin
Post-operative swelling can make your breast skin tissue look shiny. As you continue to heal, you may experience an itchy feeling around your breasts. This means that your skin tissue is beginning the healing process, which involves some inflammation. Taking an antihistamine should help to alleviate severe itchiness. However, if your skin grows red and hot to the touch, contact your plastic surgeon right away.
- Asymmetry of breasts
This is also normal. In the days after your breast reduction surgery, one breast may look somewhat different from the other. One breast could be experiencing more inflammation and swelling than the other, for example. So this is completely normal, as no two breasts are perfectly alike, either before or after surgery.
