Breast lift
Breast lift (mastopexy) after care
- After your operation, you may need to stay in hospital for one night. You may have some bruising across the chest and this usually lasts around 3 weeks.
- You will have stitches around the area we have had to cut. These are dissolvable, but occasionally you may have some that need removing at your follow-up appointment.
- You may need to leave a dressing in place until your follow-up appointment a week later. It must remain clean and dry, so take shallow baths and avoid showers.
- You may have tenderness and lumpiness of the breasts for several weeks or even months after surgery.
- You may experience reduced or altered nipple sensation. This usually returns to normal over subsequent months, but can take up to 2 years. There may be a permanent loss of sensation.
- You will need to wear a sports bra day and night for 4 to 6 weeks.
- Once your wounds have sufficiently healed, the scar lines should be massaged twice a day for 5 minutes using an appropriate cream or oil, until the scars have fully faded.
- Depending on your occupation, you should be able to return to work after 2 to 4 weeks. Bear in mind you will still be unable to lift or complete strenuous tasks.
- Physical exercise should be avoided for the first 4 to 5 weeks. This includes housework (particularly vacuuming and ironing), dog walking and repeated lifting of objects. Strenuous exercise, including jogging, exercise classes, gym workouts and heavy housework, should be avoided for 12 weeks.
- Sunbathing or exposing the scar to direct sunlight is inadvisable for the first year, and sun block should be worn over the scars thereafter.
- The scars will take 12 to 18 months to fully fade. Some can become lumpy and remain raised for this time. Their final appearance varies from person to person.
For further information visit:
BAAPS - BAPRAS - SICPRE
Tel 0117 910 2400 Fax 0117 930 4394
Bristol Plastic Surgery , 58 Queen Square , Bristol BS1 4LF
