Breast augmentation recovery, week by week
After breast augmentation, most people are back at a desk job after one to two weeks and can drive from the second week, once they are off strong painkillers. Light exercise starts at about four weeks. Heavy lifting and strenuous upper body exercise wait for about six weeks, and you build up gradually. We fit your support bra before you go home. As a guide, you wear it day and night for the first two to three months, then during the day for up to about six months if you can. The implants sit high and feel firm at first. They soften and settle over three to six months, and the final result shows at about six months.
After the price, most of the questions we get about breast augmentation are about recovery: how sore it is, how long you need off work, when you can go back to the gym and how long the bra stays on.
The first week is the hardest, and the pain eases a lot after it. The timings here are what most of our patients find. Your surgeon may adjust them for you, and their instructions come first.
What does breast augmentation recovery look like at a glance?
Day of surgery
Home the same day, in your support bra
Days 1 to 3
Swollen and tight
Days 4 to 7
A little easier each day
Days 7 to 10
Your first nurse appointment
Weeks 2 to 3
Back at a desk
Weeks 4 to 6
Light exercise returns
About week 6
Heavier lifting and upper body exercise
3 to 6 months
The implants settle
What happens week by week?
The day of surgery
Breast augmentation takes one to two hours under general anaesthetic. It is day surgery, so you go home the same day. Your surgeon places each implant through a cut of about 4cm in the fold under the breast, then closes it with dissolving stitches and skin glue.
Our nurses fit your support bra before you leave, so you do not need to bring one. You go home with your painkillers, each labelled with its dose and how often to take it, and your nurse goes through them with you first. You also get a card with your first nurse appointment and our contact numbers. Someone needs to take you home, and a responsible adult must stay with you for the first night.
Days 1 to 3
Expect a lot of swelling, bruising and a tight feeling across your chest, and expect to feel tired. Some drainage from the incisions onto the dressings is normal. The implants sit high and feel firm at this stage. The swelling peaks at 48 to 72 hours and then starts to go down.
Take your painkillers regularly, as the labels say, without waiting for the pain to build. If you were given antibiotics, take them as directed. A cold pack wrapped in a towel helps in the first 48 hours. Rest with your head and chest raised on two or three pillows, and get up for gentle walks around the house from the first day.
You can shower from day one unless your surgeon tells you otherwise. It is fine if the outer dressings get damp. Pat them dry gently afterwards.
Days 4 to 7
The pain and swelling ease a little each day. Most people need fewer strong painkillers by the end of the first week, and very little pain relief by weeks two to three. You may get occasional twinges or zaps in the breast. Use your arms normally for light tasks. Do not drive yet.
Between day 7 and day 10 you see our nurses. They check your wounds, change or remove your dressings as needed and answer your questions.
Weeks 2 and 3
The bruising turns yellow and green before it fades, and the implants begin to settle lower. Numbness or tingling in the breast can carry on for a while. Changes in nipple or skin sensation are usually temporary.
Most people with a desk job go back to work during these two weeks. You can drive once you are off strong painkillers and could do an emergency stop comfortably, and you should check with your car insurer first. Short walks outside, 10 to 15 minutes at a time, are fine. For the first two to three weeks, avoid forceful or repeated overhead movements if they pull or hurt. After the first week you can wash the incisions gently with mild soap and water.
Weeks 4 to 6
By now much of the swelling has gone. Light exercise starts at about four weeks, in your support bra. Scar care starts at four to five weeks, once the wounds have fully healed. If your job is physical, plan for four to six weeks away from it.
About six weeks
From about six weeks you can go back to heavier lifting and strenuous upper body exercise, building up gradually. The early swelling takes six to eight weeks to go completely.
Three to six months
The implants soften and drop into position over three to six months, and the breasts feel more natural as the tissues relax. The final result shows at about six months, when your surgeon reviews you. The scar in the fold under each breast keeps fading for 12 to 18 months.
How the implants settle
Each side settles at its own pace, so some difference between the two during healing is normal.
When can I go back to work, drive, exercise and fly?
Everyday life
- Showering
- From day 1, unless your surgeon says otherwise
- Driving
- After the first week, once off strong painkillers
- Desk work
- 1 to 2 weeks
- Physical work
- 4 to 6 weeks
- Short-haul flights
- 1 to 2 weeks
- Long-haul flights
- 3 to 4 weeks
- Alcohol
- After 3 weeks
- Baths, pools and hot tubs
- Once the wounds have healed, usually 2 to 4 weeks
- Sleeping on your front
- When it feels comfortable
Exercise and lifting
- Gentle walking
- From day 1
- Reaching overhead
- Normal light use from the start; nothing forceful or repeated for 2 to 3 weeks if it pulls or hurts
- Light exercise
- About 4 weeks, in your support bra
- Heavy lifting and strenuous upper body exercise
- About 6 weeks, built up gradually
- Underwired bras
- Not while you still wear the support bra
Short-haul flights are usually fine after one to two weeks and long-haul flights after three to four. Avoid alcohol for three weeks.
Back to normal life after breast augmentation
Typical timings, as a guide. Everyone is different, and your surgeon may adjust them for you.
Breast augmentation aftercare: how do I look after myself at home?
How long do I wear the support bra?
As a guide, wear the support bra day and night for the first two to three months, then during the day for up to about six months if you can. Everyone is different, so treat these timings as a guide rather than rules. Do not wear an underwired bra while you are still wearing the support bra.
How long you wear the support bra after breast augmentation
Everyone is different. No underwired bras while you are still wearing the support bra.
In the longer term we advise wearing a supportive bra whenever you are upright. We use nanotextured implants, which stay mobile in their pocket, more so when they sit in front of the muscle. Going without for a special occasion or on holiday is fine.
How should I sleep?
Sleep in whatever position is comfortable. Most people avoid lying on their front for the first few weeks because it is uncomfortable. Once it feels comfortable, it will not harm the implants or the result.
When can I have a bath or swim?
Baths, swimming pools and hot tubs wait until the wounds have fully healed, which is usually two to four weeks.
What should I not do after breast augmentation?
- Do not drive in the first week, or while you are taking strong painkillers.
- Do not drink alcohol for three weeks.
- Do not do heavy lifting or strenuous upper body exercise for about six weeks.
- Do not soak in a bath, pool or hot tub until the wounds have fully healed.
- Do not wear an underwired bra while you are still wearing the support bra.
- Do not smoke, vape or use nicotine patches or gum for at least four weeks before and after surgery.
- Do not leave your scars uncovered in the sun while they are healing.
What is normal, and when should I call?
Normal
These are expected, and most settle:
- swelling, bruising and tightness across the chest
- implants that sit high and feel firm in the first weeks
- occasional twinges or zaps in the breast
- numbness or tingling in the breast, usually temporary
- some difference between the two sides while you heal (one breast suddenly much larger than the other is different: see below)
- feeling tired in the first days
Emergency
Call 999 or go to A&E now if you have:
- sudden severe chest pain or trouble breathing
- heavy bleeding that does not stop after 10 minutes of firm pressure
- signs of a blood clot: a painful, swollen leg, chest pain or shortness of breath
- a high temperature, over 38°C, with confusion or unusual drowsiness
These can be life-threatening. Do not wait to call us first.
Contact us now
Contact us now, without waiting, if you have:
- one breast suddenly much larger than the other
- a high fever, over 38°C, with severe pain
Use the numbers on the card you were given. If you cannot reach us, call NHS 24 on 111.
Tell us immediately if your painkillers are not controlling the pain. Contact us too if you see signs of infection: redness, swelling, discharge or a fever. A fever over 38°C with severe pain is on the list above, so contact us now.
Bleeding that needs a return to theatre affects under 1 in 100 people, usually in the first day. Infection affects 1 in 100 or fewer, and a blood clot in the leg or lung affects under 1 in 1,000. Our breast augmentation page has the full list of risks and where the figures come from.
How do I look after the scar?
The scar is about 4cm long and sits in the fold under each breast. It is red at first and fades over 12 to 18 months.
From about four to five weeks, once the wounds have fully healed, we advise taping the scars. Put paper tape over each scar and change it once a week. The tape supports the scar and takes tension off it, and tension is what makes a scar thick and red. Keep the scars out of the sun while they mature.
Who should plan the timing differently?
It may be better to wait, or to plan around your operation, if:
- you smoke, vape or use nicotine patches or gum and cannot stop for at least four weeks before and after surgery
- you are planning a pregnancy soon, because pregnancy and breastfeeding change the breasts again
- your weight is still changing, including on weight-loss injections
- you had breast surgery somewhere else in the last six to nine months
- nobody can take you home and stay with you on the first night
- your job is physical and you cannot take four to six weeks away from it
- you look after young children you would need to lift, with no one to take that on for six weeks
- you have a long-haul flight booked in the first three to four weeks, or a holiday with swimming in the first month
If your breasts have dropped as well as lost volume, implants on their own will not lift them. Our guide to whether you need an uplift, implants or both explains how to tell.
What follow-up do I get?
Our nurses see you between day 7 and day 10, and again as often as your wounds need. Your surgeon reviews you at about six months, once the result has settled, and sees you sooner if anything concerns you.
Follow-up for 12 months is part of the price, along with treatment of any complication caused directly by the surgery in that year. Our breast augmentation cost guide sets out what the price includes. Ask any clinic who looks after you once you are home. Our guide to red flags in cosmetic surgery covers what else to ask.
Implants need checking in the years that follow. When that time comes, our breast implant health check combines an ultrasound scan with a consultant review in one visit.
What happens at the consultation?
The consultation costs £200 and is face to face with the consultant plastic surgeon who would operate. All our plastic surgeons are on the GMC Specialist Register for plastic surgery, and our guide to the letters after a surgeon’s name explains what that means. Your surgeon examines you, talks through the size and position of the implants, and explains what the recovery would mean for your job, your family and your plans. A second consultation before you decide is free.
You can book online or call the team on 0131 376 3785.
Questions patients ask
How long does it take to recover from breast augmentation? Most people are back at a desk job after one to two weeks and can drive from the second week, once they are off strong painkillers. Light exercise starts at about four weeks, and heavy lifting and strenuous upper body exercise at about six weeks, built up gradually. The implants soften and settle over three to six months, and the final result shows at about six months.
How long do I wear the support bra after breast augmentation? As a guide, day and night for the first two to three months, then during the day for up to about six months if you can. Everyone is different, and your team may adjust this for you. We provide the bra and fit it before you go home.
What bra can I wear six weeks after breast augmentation? The support bra we fitted. At six weeks most people still wear it day and night, and as a guide you keep it on at night until two to three months, then during the day for up to about six months if you can. Underwired bras wait until you stop wearing the support bra.
When can I sleep on my side or my front after breast augmentation? Sleep in whatever position is comfortable, including on your side. Most people avoid lying on their front for the first few weeks because it is uncomfortable. Once it feels comfortable, it will not harm the implants or the result.
When can I drive after breast augmentation? Do not drive in the first week. After that you can drive once you are off strong painkillers and could do an emergency stop comfortably. Check with your car insurer before you do.
When can I go back to the gym after breast augmentation? Gentle walking is fine from day one. Light exercise starts at about four weeks, in your support bra. Heavy lifting and strenuous upper body exercise wait for about six weeks. Build up gradually, because everyone is different.
Why do my implants look high and feel hard? That is normal in the first weeks. The implants sit high and feel firm at first, begin to settle lower at two to three weeks, and soften over three to six months as the swelling goes and the tissues relax. Contact us now, without waiting, if one breast suddenly becomes much larger than the other.
When can I shower, have a bath or swim after breast augmentation? You can shower from day one unless your surgeon tells you otherwise, and it is fine if the outer dressings get damp. Baths, swimming pools and hot tubs wait until the wounds have fully healed, which is usually two to four weeks.
Ready to talk it through?
Book a consultation online, call the team, or send us a question first.