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General
Postoperative
Instructions

Immediately after surgery

  • Your support person is required to check you out of the hospital and drive you home. Your support person must stay with you for at least 24 hours after surgery.
  • You will usually feel the effects of the general anaesthetic for at least 24 hours after your procedure.
  • Unless otherwise indicated, you may remove the compression stockings as soon as you are regularly mobilising, even if you’re just getting up to go to the bathroom.
  • It’s not unusual to experience postoperative nausea. To help with nausea eat dry, solid food with small sips of water.
  • Make sure you are familiar with the signs and symptoms of a medical emergency. These may include, extreme pain, swelling, redness, or heat (usually one sided), a temperature, chills or persistent vomiting. If you are experiencing something of concern, please contact the clinic immediately.
  • Take your medications as prescribed. Take all medications with food to prevent nausea. Avoid taking all your medication at once – try to space out your doses by 30 minutes.
  • The day after surgery, our clinic nurse will contact you to arrange your dressing changes or to organise your virtual postop appointment if you live out of town.

General instructions

  • No showering for 5 days. After 5 days, avoid wetting the dressings, dry with a hairdryer on a low heat setting. If dressings get overly wet, you will need a dressing change earlier
  • Do not massage your breasts
  • Do not put anything on your breasts: ice, heat, creams etc
  • You may experience nauseas and vomiting following the general anaesthetic. You will be prescribed anti-nausea medication that will help manage this.
  • It is important to maintain a good oral intake of food and fluids as the analgesia (pain medication) can cause bloating and constipation.
  • Maximize resting in the first week of healing; you should not be performing any excessive exercise or activity which elevates your heart rate or causes you to break a sweat for the first 3 weeks of healing.
  • Do not drink alcohol for 1 week or until your antibiotic course is complete
  • Do not drive for 1 week
  • You may resume all supplements ceased after 2 weeks
  • No smoking for at least 6 weeks; significant wound healing compromise can occur if you continue smoking.
  • It is normal to hear strange gurgling, sloshing sounds in the breast pocket
  • Numbness and altered sensation is normal; Nerve channels can take up to 6 weeks to heal.
  • Bruising may occur as the surgery involves manipulation of the muscles and skin across your chest. We recommend taking arnica tablets post and even leading up to surgery if you are prone to bruising.
  • Breasts should be treated as separate surgeries: one may heal faster than the other, they may appear uneven in early recovery, trust the process. It will take 3 months before the swelling starts to subside. You should allow up to 1 year to see the final results of your surgery.

ARM & LIFTING

  • Textured Implants: Don’t lift arms above shoulder height for 2 weeks
  • Motiva / Smooth Implants: Don’t lift arms above shoulder height for 4 weeks
  • Don’t lift or push anything heavier than 5kg for 6 weeks
  • After 6 weeks this can be increased by 5kg per week as comfort permits

SLEEPING

  • Week 0 – 1: Sleep and rest in an upright position on 2-3 pillows
  • Week 2 – 3: You may sleep flat on your back
  • Weeks 3 +You may sleep on your side
  • No stomach sleeping for 6 months

POST OP BRA

  • 0 – 6 weeks: wear your bra 24/7 – it should feel firm, but it’s not a sports bra and should not feel as tight as one
  • 6 – 8 weeks: wear a firm fitting, sports bra with NO underwire or padding during the day and your postop bra at night
  • After 8 weeks (pending review): no bra, strapless bras, bras with underwire may be worn
  • After 3 months: padding may be worn
  • If you have Motiva implants you are required to wear your postop bra for 3 months
  • We recommend wearing your bra as much as you can. Your implants will keep their shape and last longer if you wear a bra the majority of the time.

EXERCISE

  • No exercise or submerging your body under water for 6 weeks, no exceptions.
  • Week 1: Gentle walking only – the pace you would walk around a shopping center.
  • Week 6 (pending review): exercise, gym work, running, swimming.
  • 3 Months: contact sports: surfing, horse riding, netball, scuba diving, gun range, ski diving, roller coasters, bowling
  • 6 Months: Crossfit style exercising, MMA fighting, pole dancing
  • Sexual intercourse: may be resumed after 2 weeks, however if you are resuming prior to 6 weeks your post op bra must remain on, refrain from any strenuous exercising that could disrupt healing (ie. bouncing, grabbing and handling of the breasts). No mouth to nipple contact for 3 months to prevent infection.

ARM MOVEMENTS

  • If you have MENTOR implants, you can lift your arms above your head after 2 weeks
  • If you have MOTIVA or SMOOTH implants, you can lift your arms above your head after 4 weeks
  • Work within your limits, if something feels uncomfortable or hurts – stop

RESUMING TREATMENTS

  • Cosmetic Injections: resumed after 2 weeks
  • Dental Work: resumed after 6 weeks – advise your dentist you have implants as you may require prophylactic antibiotics to prevent infection
  • Laser Hair Removal: body resumed after 6 weeks, no laying on your stomach for at least 6 months, underarms resumed after 3 months
  • Tattoos: body tattoos resumed after 6 weeks, breast/ torso resumed after 6 months
  • Piercings: body piercings resumed after 6 weeks, NO nipple piercings due to infection risk
  • Massage: resumed as comfort permits, no laying on your stomach for at least 6 months
  • Tanning: resumed after 4 weeks. Cover incisions and nipples with tape for at least 3 months to prevent infection
  • Sauna: 6 weeks after surgery (provided incisions have healed)
  • Cool Sculpting/ Body Sculpting: stomach resumed after 3 months, body resumed after 6 weeks, no laying on your stomach for at least 6 months

 

Dressing changes

  • With most of our surgeries, dressing changes are required at once a week for three weeks, however you may need additional dressing changes.

  • Dressing changes may be done in clinic by the nurse or at your local GP if you live out of town.

  • In summer we generally see an increase in infections due to the heat. If you get hot or sweaty you will need to arrange an earlier dressing change, sometimes patients who live in humid climates may require two dressing changes per week.

  • If you have sutures, these are usually removed at week two.

Out Of Town Patients

  • We will provide you with a Dressing Change Letter to give to your GP.
  • You will have a Virtual Appointment with your doctor at week one.

  • You may experience some discomfort at your week one dressing change, take your prescribed pain medication prior to your appointment.

At Home incision care

fter your last scheduled dressing change you will look after your incisions yourself using Micropore (the brown or white roll of tape), please advise us in advance if you have any tape allergies!

  • Wash hands thoroughly
  • Remove dressings in the shower, rinse with tepid water
  • Pat dry with a clean towel
  • Snap a pic and email through to us for review: info@inigocosmetic.com.au
  • Follow dress change letter
  • Change tape every 5 days, or as required (changing it too often may irritate the skin)
  • Continue use until your 6 week appointment
  • If you notice any discharge or redness contact the clinic ASAP

For information on scarring and how to care for your incisions after 6 weeks refer to our Surgery & Scarring Guide

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