Many people who sign up for breast augmentation procedures in Philadelphia might assume that the recovery period is a straightforward process once the surgery is completed. In many ways, they’re right: you can usually return to work after a week and engage in low-impact exercises such as walking.
However, it would be a mistake to assume that there aren’t restrictions on what you can do. Breast augmentation surgery of any kind is still surgery, and as a result, you must limit yourself to performing only activities that are deemed safe by your doctor for proper recovery.
Here are some of the biggest things you should avoid following your surgery:
Strenuous Exercise
It’s relatively obvious that anytime you undergo surgery, you should avoid strenuous exercise. When it comes to breast augmentation, it might be tempting to forgo this, because you might think you aren’t really working the muscles around your breasts unless you’re doing upper body workouts.
However, it’s recommended that you avoid strenuous exercise of any kind for some time. “Strenuous exercise” can mean upper body workouts, but it also includes running (which can cause the wounds to reopen) or doing arduous chores around the house. Anytime you have to put weight on your chest muscles, you’re risking injury to the surgery site.
Sleeping on Your Side
After breast augmentation, it’s perfectly fine for you to sleep on your back, but sleeping on your side or your stomach during the recovery period can dislodge the implants and reopen the surgical wounds, so it’s crucial to avoid this sleeping position following your surgery. Failing to do so can lead to not only slower wound healing, but also issues like increased risk of infection, higher prominence of scarring, and overall poorer satisfaction with the outcome of the procedure.
Getting Wet
For your breast augmentation procedure to have the best possible outcome, it’s essential to avoid getting the surgical wounds and their dressings unnecessarily wet. However, we do recommend people shower on the first day after surgery.
You want to make sure that your wounds remain clean, and it’s hard to do this if they are in constant contact with wet bandages. Failure to keep the dressings dry can lead to slower wound healing and even present some risk of infection.
To find out more about what you can and can’t do following your procedure, or to find out about breast augmentation surgery in the Bucks County area, call Gabay & Gottlieb Cosmetic Surgery today!
