Whether you’re opting for a breast lift, breast reduction, or breast augmentation, breast surgery is just that — surgery. Nearly 370,000 cosmetic breast surgeries were performed in the United States in 2020, and what each of these patients can tell you is that it’s a good idea to do what you can to prepare so that everything goes as smoothly as possible.
The good news is that you’re in excellent hands here at McHugh Plastic Surgery. Dr. Thomas McHugh has been performing breast procedures for decades, which means he has extensive experience with these surgeries.
Thanks to this experience, Dr, McHugh has learned a few things along the way, especially practical tips that can help you recover more quickly and comfortably.
Before your breast surgery, we ask you to get some pre-op work, such as a check-up to make sure you’re in good health for this elective procedure. Or, we might ask you to have some blood work or a baseline mammogram.
Each of these is important, and we urge you to schedule them right away so we don’t hit any snags before your breast surgery. Rest assured, we’ll let you know in detail what pre-op work we need.
Depending upon the type of breast surgery, you’ll need to take some time off. Whether you have a job or other obligations, know that you’re going to need some recovery days.
For a breast augmentation, you might only need a few days, but a more involved breast reduction or breast lift surgery will require that you take it easy for longer.
Here again, we’ll let you know how much time we’d like you to devote to recovery so you can make arrangements well in advance.
While getting to work or school is one thing, you also need to take it easy on the home front. Trust us, you’re not going to be up and doing chores around the house for a little while after your breast surgery.
So, we recommend that you enlist the help of others to take care of things around the house, or do some things in advance. For example, you might cook meals ahead of time so that during recovery all you need to do is heat up your food.
Knowing that you’re going to have some down time after your breast surgery, now is a good time to explore some activities that can keep you occupied. Whether you download some podcasts or order some sudoku books, plan some enjoyable recovery activities.
Perhaps you might take this opportunity to try a new mental challenge that can keep your brain fired up while your body is at rest, such as crosswords or the aforementioned sudoku.
We ask that you sleep on your back after your breast surgery, and we suggest practicing this sleep position beforehand if you’re not a back sleeper. Introducing a new sleep position after the surgery might just add to your discomfort.
The good news is that sleeping on your back is the best position for your body, so this might be a good side benefit to come out of your breast surgery.
A tip to help keep you on your back is to arrange some pillows down the length of your body to prevent you from rolling over during the night.
If you have more questions about preparing for your breast surgery, we’re just a phone call or click away. To get started, please contact our office in The Woodlands, Texas.
