The breast augmentation procedure is performed on patients with small breasts who want to enhance their appearance with the help of plastic surgery. The procedure can correct other imperfections of the breasts, especially mammary asymmetry, even if the main purpose of the procedure is to make the breasts bigger. Usually, patients prefer to augment the size of their breasts by using implants. However, it is important to know that nowadays there is another breast augmentation method available – fat transfer.
Just like any other plastic surgery, it is important to know what happens before and after the procedure, so here are three things to do before the breast augmentation to ensure good results and a fast recovery process.
- Quit smoking
During the pre-operative consultation, the plastic surgeon will ask about your medical history, allergies, current medication, but also questions related to your lifestyle. The plastic surgeon will ask about smoking, and if you are a smoker, he will recommend you quit three weeks before the procedure and stay away from smoking for at least the same amount of time post-op.
Smoking can interfere with the healing process and make it longer, and it can also affect the aesthetic results achieved. There are several complications that have an increased risk of occurring for patients who smoke, such as delayed wound healing and necrosis of the operated tissues. These complications are more possible to occur for smokers because of the lack of proper oxygenation of the tissues after the procedure. This means that if you want to be a good candidate for breast augmentation, you should first quit smoking.
- Take a mammogram or breast echography
Even if breast augmentation with implants is one of the most commonly performed plastic surgery procedures worldwide, it is still a complex and significant procedure that requires specific preparation. The plastic surgeon will recommend you take a breast echography or mammography (for patients over 40 years old) before scheduling your procedure, aside from other blood tests. We need to check the condition of the breast tissues with these imagistic tests before doing the procedure. If there are any tumors found, the patient needs to address those first before undergoing breast augmentation.
- Get the help you need from friends or family
After the breast augmentation procedure, the patient needs to avoid lifting the arms above the shoulders for a few weeks and also lifting heavy objects from the floor. This means that the patient will need help around the house, while out grocery shopping and in other similar circumstances, especially if small children are involved. Make sure to discuss with the people closest to you about getting the help and support you need for the first few days or weeks after the procedure.