Recovering After Breast Reduction

You may shower 24 to 48 hours after surgery, and it is fine to shower with the drains in place. Let the water run over the incisions rather than scrubbing them, pat dry, and put your surgical bra back on. Baths, pools, and hot tubs wait until Dr. Ovadia clears you.

Nothing heavier than 10 to 15 pounds for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, build back up to your normal lifting gradually rather than all at once.

Reaching overhead pulls on the incisions while they are healing. For the first month, keep your elbows below the level of your shoulders: no reaching for high shelves, and no raising the arms to wash or style your hair. After a month the arms can come back up.

At about 2 weeks you can generally walk on a treadmill or ride an exercise bike at an easy pace. Running and a faster pace come back at 3 to 4 weeks. Heavy lifting and strength training wait until 6 weeks, and then build back gradually. Everyone heals differently, and Dr. Ovadia reviews your timeline with you during recovery.

At 3 weeks after surgery, once the incisions have closed. Silicone helps the scars stay flat and fade. We go over how to apply the strips and how long to wear them each day.

While you are in the hospital, the nurses care for the drains and teach you how to empty them and record the output, so you are comfortable doing it at home. You can shower with them in place. They are removed in the office.

Around the clock for the first 3 weeks, taking it off only to shower. For the next 3 weeks, wear it during the day or at night, whichever you prefer. After 6 weeks, wear it as you like. The compression matters because it helps prevent and minimize swelling, which is normal and expected after surgery.

Yes. A supportive sports bra that closes in the front is a fine alternative, worn on the same schedule as the surgical bra.

After about 2 months. Until then, the wire would press on the incision along the fold under the breast while it is still healing.

It is not uncommon for a small area along an incision to look raw or open up a little in the first weeks, most often where the incisions meet under the breast. It is usually minor and is typically treated with a thin layer of bacitracin and a bandage, changed daily, until it closes. Let us know so we can look at it at your next visit, and call sooner if there is spreading redness, pus, or a fever.

Most likely a spitting suture: a dissolvable stitch under the skin that the body is pushing to the surface before it dissolves. It is common and not an infection. Do not pull on it. We can trim it in the office, and the spot settles within a week or two.

If the scars will be exposed to sunlight, yes, for the first year. Sun darkens a healing scar and makes it stand out longer. Under clothing or a swimsuit they are covered and need no sunscreen.

Many patients are back to desk work in about 2 weeks. Work that involves lifting, reaching overhead, or physical exertion waits longer, in line with the lifting and arm restrictions above. Dr. Ovadia goes over your return to work with you.

Early after surgery there may be changes in sensation in the nipples or the skin of the breast. These typically return to baseline over time. Permanent changes or loss of sensation are uncommon.