What To Expect During A Breast Augmentation Procedure

If you’re currently thinking about getting a breast augmentation, then you’ll likely have plenty of questions about what you can expect throughout the entire medical procedure. There’s no denying how breast augmentation surgery and implants have become wildly popular in recent years, but patients still must be vigilant in terms of verifying whether or not these procedures are right for them.

The good news is that Smith Plastic Surgery is one of the top cosmetic facilities, not only just in Las Vegas, but also the entire country. Our team has decades of experience supporting women with all sorts of breast implant needs, so you can count on your plastic surgeons providing you with incredible results and a beautiful appearance that you’ll keep for the rest of your lifetime.

Below is a comprehensive overview detailing what you can expect before, during and after a breast augmentation procedure!

What To Expect Before Your Breast Augmentation Surgery

The very first step you should take when you’re serious about getting breast implants or a breast augmentation procedure is to schedule your initial consultation appointment with Dr. Smith. A lot of people are concerned about things like anesthesia, breast tissue incision placement, post-surgery bra comfort, insurance needs, the type of breast implant that’s right for them, pain medication, and all sorts of potential complications that could occur during these types of surgeries.

Your breast augmentation consultation is your time to ask questions and obtain valuable instructions from one of our expert plastic surgeons, and we’ll even let you “try on” breast implant sizes with a specialized bra so you can see the size, shape and profile of your new breasts. This is an important step before breast surgery because it allows patients to more precisely gauge which implant size is right for them and their lifestyle.

If you do decide that a Las Vegas breast augmentation surgery is right for you, then you’ll want to follow the below preparation steps to get you more prepared for your surgery appointment:

Learn More About Breast Augmentation Surgery

Once you and your doctor have determined that breast augmentation in Las Vegas is right for you, you’ll then begin preparing for anything and everything that may take place throughout your procedure. This can include potential symptoms, chest swelling, breast asymmetry, medications, or any other risks that a patient could potentially experience.

But what’s great is that when you team up with Smith Plastic Surgery, you’ll get all the information you’ll need to maintain proper expectations and address your concerns. We’ll look through your medical history and let you know if there are any health or safety concerns that you should be aware of, and we’re always there to help you achieve your goals and help make your recovery back to normal life a lot easier!

Get In Good Emotional & Physical Shape

This is actually a very important preparation step to ensure proper surgery and recovery. Regular exercise and fitness activities is something that your doctor will keep in mind while evaluating your overall health, because patients that are in better shape will typically go through an easier recovery process.

But it’s also crucial to remember that your emotional health is just as important when preparing for these types of cosmetic procedures. We all know how there are some people who are interested in getting breast implant surgery because they’re essentially obsessed with the perfection they see on social media sites like Instagram, Facebook and Youtube, so it’s important to feel good about your body prior to embarking on this life-changing journey.

Below are a few more factors to keep in mind regarding your emotional and physical health prior to your breast augmentation procedure:

You should be in good physical health.
Breast augmentation isn’t for women undergoing a pregnancy, and you should wait at least 3-6 months after breastfeeding your newborn to consider this surgery.
You should have a healthy, stable weight (i.e. sudden weight loss or gain can potentially be a risk for someone considering this procedure).
You should hold realistic expectations about the results of your breast implants, as well as the risks and recovery process associated with these surgeries.

Have Your Financial Plan Ready

Plastic surgery of any kind is never cheap, so it’s also important for breast augmentation patients to be prepared for the financial part of the procedure as well.

What’s great about getting cosmetic procedures with Smith Surgery is that we’ll be there for you with our financing options that’ll make everything affordable for your budget. No one wants to create anxiety for themselves through financial struggles associated with their breast augmentation cost, so we’ll help you plan early.

Have A Friend Or Family Member Help You

Every breast augmentation patient needs a support system to be there throughout the entirety of the process, and this is particularly important for your recovery process.

You’re going to need someone who can provide transportation, help take care of your home, and run errands for you during those first few days while you’re just getting back on your feet.

Make Other Post-Surgery Arrangements

It’s incredibly important for patients to be well prepared for their post-surgery recovery phase. That’s why you’ll need to have all your affairs in order prior to your procedure, because those first few recovery days are supposed to be for rest and relaxation.

Some of the post-surgery arrangements you’ll need to keep in mind include:

Requesting enough time off work (typically 2-3 days).
Have your surgery-day transportation arranged.
Have someone stay with you for the first couple of days after your surgery, including overnight.
Make sure your house is in order (prepare a week’s worth of meals, pay your bills in advance, do dishes and laundry, and take care of other important affairs).
Arrange for pet and/or child care, and keep in mind that having kids and pets could require longer recovery assistance.
Have a comfortable, soft sports bra, and ask your doctor about proper post-operation garments.
Fill up your prescriptions or pain medicine in advance. This can include aspirin, ibuprofen, or any other medicine that your doctor recommends.

What To Expect On The Day Of Your Breast Augmentation Surgery

Your breast augmentation surgery will take place at our accredited surgical facility, and you’ll want to arrive at the time our patient coordinator gives you. It’s also important to remember that you should refrain from drinking or eating for at least eight hours prior to your surgery. This will help reduce the likelihood of you feeling nauseous due to the anasthesia. We also recommend that you wear a loose-fitting shirt that zips or buttons on the front.

Because you’ll be coming out of anaesthesia after your procedure, you won’t be able to drive yourself home. So it’s very important that you arrange your transportation, and you should also coordinate someone to help take care of you while your condition improves over the first few post-surgery days.

When you arrive for your breast augmentation treatment appointment, you’ll be “prepped”. This means you’ll change into hospital-like clothing for these appointments, and the MD will then use tape or other skin adhesive to mark the incision site around your breast area. We’ll use saline and other types of cleaning supplements to thoroughly clean your chest area in order to minimize the risk of infection. You’ll then be hooked up to monitoring devices so we can better examine your vital signs, including blood pressure, heart rate, and internal activity.

When you’re prepped and ready to go to your surgery suite, you’ll be provided with two IV lines (one containing an anaesthetic, and the other for hydration). Our expert anesthetist will be closely monitoring any changes to your vital signs throughout your entire procedure, which helps improve the overall reduction of side effects.

Breast Augmentation Surgery Steps

Most breast augmentation surgeries take around one to two hours to complete, and below are some of the procedural steps that the Smith Surgery team utilizes for these cosmetic procedures:

Once you’re fully under anaesthesia, your surgeon will make the proper incisions on the areas that were previously marked during the preparation stages.
The next step will largely depend upon the breast implant placement you’ve previously chosen, but your plastic surgeon will then create a pocket behind your breast tissue or under your chest muscle. This is where your saline or silicone gel implant will eventually be placed.
The next step entails the doctor actually placing the implant into the patient’s breast area. Implants made from silicone gel will already be perfectly filled prior to insertion, and saline implants are usually filled once the implant shell has been properly placed in the surgical pocket.
Dr. Smith will then closely examine for symmetry prior to closing up the incisions via stitches. Once the incisions have been properly closed, your doctor will apply a healing gel to protect the incision sites, keep the breast implant and tissue properly in place, and reduce swelling and redness as much as possible.

Once you’ve come back from your anaesthesia dreams and are awake again, you’ll be placed in a recovery room where you’ll be monitored for about an hour. You’ll still be very groggy due to your pain medications and anaesthesia, so you’ll need an adult to drive you home. We can’t allow breast augmentation patients to drive themselves home after their procedure has ended.

What To Expect After Your Breast Augmentation Surgery

It’s absolutely critical to have a friend or loved one remain with you for the first couple of days after your breast augmentation surgery. You’ll go home wearing a compression bra to help you heal, and your breasts will also be wrapped in a gauze bandage after your surgery.

We’ll also give you a prescription for a narcotic pain medication, which you’ll take for the first few days after your procedure. We never prescribe pain medication drugs like Aspirin, Motrin or Aleve because they are blood thinning medications that can promote bleeding. We do prescribe other pain medications and muscle relaxers, and we’ll be sure to let you know which medications are right for you. You’ll be allowed to drive once your narcotic prescription is over, and most breast augmentation patients can return to work about 2-3 days after their surgery.

It’s also important to remember that you’ll need to wear compression bras for about six weeks after your procedure, and you should avoid strenuous exercise and other activities during your recovery as well. Below are some other breast augmentation recovery tips to keep in mind:

Be sure to eat something prior to taking pain medication. Even if it’s just a simple snack like crackers, a little bit of food will go a long way to prevent nausea during your initial recovery days. This is one reason why it’s crucial to do grocery shopping before your surgery to keep you prepared for those tough first days.
Be sure to sleep on your back or your sides during your breast augmentation recovery. Stomach sleeping can be detrimental to your procedure’s outcomes, because you could potentially displace the implants.
Stay hydrated during your recovery period. Pain medication can often induce nausea and other health problems, so it’s absolutely critical to consistently drink fluids and avoid dehydration.
Be sure to avoid strenuous exercise or activity during your recovery. You can resume this type of activity once you’re not feeling any pain, but it’s important for patients to remember that heavy lifting can potentially cause postoperative issues. Be sure to follow your doctor’s instructions pertaining to exercise.
If you develop any rash or redness, it’s a good idea to reach out to us as soon as possible. You can send us pictures, and we’ll let you know what your best course of action is. If you’re experiencing any kind of itching sensation around your nipple or incision areas, it could be a sign of an allergic reaction. Although this is rare, we’ll be sure to provide you with a diagnosis that gets your recovery back on track.
Avoid using over-the-counter scar tissue creams around your incision areas after your surgery. We’ll provide you with comprehensive instructions on taking care of your scars, and this type of treatment will typically be needed a few weeks after your surgery when your scars are forming.
Expect swelling for a couple weeks after your procedure. Every person is different, so it’s important to remember how your breast implants will gradually improve in definition, soften in texture, and settle into their shape.

Potential Breast Augmentation Complications

It’s also important for breast augmentation patients to simply be aware of the potential complications that may occur after these surgeries. Although complications are very rare, there are still some concerns to keep in mind, including:

Swelling and bruising
Redness
Infection
Scar tissue formation around the implant
Breast implant illness
Breast implant rupture
Bleeding
Sensation changes in nipples and areola area
Possibility of needing revisionary surgery
Allergic reactions to anaesthesia
Tight feelings in chest area
Hematoma
capsular contracture
wrong implant positioning
Skin wrinkling over implant
The implant rotating underneath the breast tissue
The patient’s body rejecting the implant

Reach Out To The Breast Augmentation Experts At Smith Plastic Surgery To Learn More!

Smith Plastic Surgery is one of the leading plastic surgery facilities in the entire Las Vegas Metro Area, and our specialists have supported thousands of patients with breast augmentation procedures. We understand how life-changing these cosmetic surgeries are for so many people, and we’re excited to hear from you and learn more about your dreams.

Our breast augmentation reviews truly speak for themselves in terms of how great of an opportunity it is to work with Dr. Smith for your next cosmetic surgery, and our team is here to answer your questions and help you feel more comfortable with taking the next step in your breast augmentation journey.

Reach out to us online or give us a call at 702-838-2455 to get in touch with us and schedule your consultation appointment with Dr. Smith today!