Breast augmentation can produce a significant boost in self-confidence and emotional well-being. Happy patients often retain the ability to show off their new look when in the gym or on the beach. Despite the impressive cosmetic results of breast augmentation, it should always be borne in mind that breast augmentation is a surgical procedure and having a smooth recovery means avoiding certain types of exercise until your surgeon says it is safe to resume. Here we discuss top tips about exercising after breast augmentation surgery.
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Go slow for the first few days
Breast augmentation is an invasive surgical procedure; we recommend taking it easy for the first few days. When you move around at home, be extra careful and avoid too much physical exertion. Gentle moving around, even to the bathroom and back, is sufficient exertion at this stage. After five days, try to maintain your blood circulation and optimise healing with slow and leisurely walks outside the home. It’s essential to maintain a balance; we would also advise against being immobile and not moving at all. Breast augmentation surgery has a minimal risk of causing deep vein thrombosis. You can minimise the risk of deep vein thrombosis or blood clots in the legs by keeping reasonably mobile to maintain blood flow.
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Gentle exercise can be restarted after one to two weeks
As the early part of healing after breast augmentation passes, you may carry out low-intensity cardiovascular exercises such as longer walks. You should avoid walking outside when it is very hot to prevent excessive perspiration or raising your heart rate excessively. This can adversely affect healing. Gentle exercises will help keep your muscles well conditioned so that it should be much easier when you resume moderate exercises.
Moderate exercise is allowed after two weeks
When we say moderate exercise, we are talking about using stationary bikes on low settings or longer walks. Low-impact cardiovascular exercises, which should be no more than half of your average pace are recommended. Although you may be allowed to do specific leg exercises, we advise against carrying out any upper body exercise that may affect healing.
Exercise can be gradually increased in intensity after four weeks
Your surgeon will review you six weeks after your procedure. Your healing will be assessed, and depending on the outcome of the assessment, you may be allowed to add upper body workouts to your exercise routines. We would still advise against chest exercises during the first six weeks after surgery. You may be allowed to increase the intensity of your lower body workouts.
Full exercise can be carried out after six weeks
Once your surgeon has cleared you, you may return to your regular exercise routines, including both lower and upper body exercises. High-intensity cardiovascular workouts may also be allowed. It should be remembered that we all heal at different rates, depending on any coexisting medical conditions which may slow down healing, such as diabetes or if you are a smoker. Always listen to your body; if you experience sudden pain or discomfort, you should immediately stop exercising and seek medical attention.
Try not to do too much too soon
Breast augmentation is most commonly performed on women in their 20s who may be physically active in their everyday lives. Therefore, it is understandable to want to return to your normal activities as soon as possible after surgery. A note of caution as advised, doing too much too soon may increase the risk of complications after breast augmentation.
The underlying issue related to breast augmentation healing is avoiding too much chest muscle activity during the early recovery period. Carrying out vigorous exercise too early after breast augmentation may result in problems with implant position or may increase the risk of prominent scarring. In rare cases, patients may cause their stitches to tear, resulting in significant bleeding. Revision surgery may be required for patients who experience significant bleeding after surgery resulting in a breast haematoma or collection of blood surrounding the implants from too much physical activity.
We would advise against carrying out the following activities until a minimum of six weeks after breast augmentation:
- Lifting heavy objects, including young children
- Lifting any weights more than 5 kg
- Push-ups and pull-ups
- Upper body weight lifting such as benchpress
- Deadlifts
- Certain types of yoga and Pilates
- Jogging or swimming
- Using cross trainers or rowing machines
Always wear the prescribed postoperative breast garment after your breast enlargement procedure. This postoperative bra is designed to stabilise the position of your implants to help reduce pain and discomfort and promote fast healing and recovery.
Always listen to your body and follow your surgeon’s instructions
Healing after breast augmentation varies between patients. Activity levels also vary from being sedentary to being highly active. Both of these factors will determine how much you can safely carry out during Breast augmentation recovery. If at any time you experience pain or discomfort during exercise, you should immediately stop what you are doing and speak to our postoperative nursing team for further advice. You should consult with your surgeon about your levels of physical activity, and a customised plan can be designed for you to help you remain as reasonably physically active as possible.
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Book a London breast augmentation consultation today
Once you have decided to proceed with breast augmentation, please contact us on 020 7993 4849 or complete the contact form below to start your journey towards achieving your dream look. Our state-of-the-art Baker Street clinic in London is a specialist centre for all types of cosmetic breast surgery, including breast augmentation.
