Downtime:14 days
Post-care:Post-operative care for breast surgery includes wearing a surgical support bra or compression garment for several weeks, managing discomfort with prescribed pain medication, and caring for drains if present. Patients must avoid strenuous activities and heavy lifting for 4-6 weeks, while keeping incision sites clean and dry. Follow-up appointments are essential to monitor healing and guide the return to normal activities.
Risks:Potential risks include those common to all surgeries: infection, bleeding, hematoma (blood collection), seroma (fluid collection), adverse reaction to anesthesia, and poor wound healing. Specific to breast surgery: unfavorable scarring (keloid, hypertrophic), changes in nipple or breast sensation (temporary or permanent numbness, tingling, or increased sensitivity), asymmetry in breast shape, size, or nipple position, chronic pain, and dissatisfaction with the cosmetic outcome requiring revision surgery. For procedures involving implants: capsular contracture (scar tissue tightening around the implant), implant rupture or deflation, implant malposition or displacement, rippling or wrinkling of the implant, Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL, a rare type of T-cell lymphoma), and symptoms sometimes referred to as Breast Implant Illness (BII). Fat necrosis (death of fat tissue) can occur, especially in reductions. Difficulty or inability to breastfeed may occur after some procedures.