Before your surgery
Before your Breast Reduction surgery As with many forms of breast surgery, your doctor may well ask you to give up smoking, lose some weight and to stop taking the pill
Losing weight can help the operation be more successful as the more weight lost prior to the operation – the better the outcome. Losing weight can also lessen he possibility of having a complication .
Stopping smoking before a breast reduction operation can also help in the recovery process. More specifically, stopping smoking before a breast reduction operation will assist in the healing of any wounds. Your surgeon will cover all of this off when you meet for your consultation. You can also discuss with him how long you will have to wait after your breast reduction before you can start smoking again.
On the day of your breast reduction surgery
When you have your consultation with the surgeon, you will obviously discuss what size you want your breasts to be following the breast reduction surgery. When this has been agreed, following the consultation – you will need to go out and purchase a sports bra in the agreed size. It is important that you remember to bring this with you on the day of your breast reduction surgery.
When you arrive in the hospital, you will be taken to your room before the surgery. You will get a visit from the Surgeon and he will make markings on your breast in the preparation for the surgery. This will also be an opportunity for you to ask him andy final questions before you go into surgery for your breast reduction operation. Once you’re done with any final questions you have, you will be asked by your surgeon for your final consent.
When you wake up, just as in many different types of surgery, you shouldn’t be surprised to find your self in some discomfort and/or pain. If this is the case, then you should let your surgeon know and he will ensure that the nurse administers some painkillers to help you through the first few hours after your surgery .
When you wake from your surgery you can expect to experience pain – you will be prescribed appropriate pain relief, which will be administered by your nurse. When you get back to your room, you will have dressing on your breasts and you will be wearing the new sports bra which you brought with you earlier that day. You will also have a drainage tube in each breast which will be removed before you leave the hospital. Recovery time will vary from patient to patient, but generally you should expect to be in the hospital for just one or two days following the breast reduction surgery.
Going home after your breast reduction
You should ensure that you have someone to come and pick you up following your operation to make sure you have some company on your way home. Depending on what your occupation is, you will have to stay off work for at least 2 weeks, and possibly up to 4 weeks. Your surgeon will also advise you with regards to how long you will need to wear your sports bra, and also when you can start normal activities such as shopping.
For this period of time, you will need help with general chores and household duties. Please ensure that you have someone nearby who will be able to help you through the recovery period following your breast reduction. If you have a child, you may also need some help with the childcare. When the wounds around the breast have improved and healed, you can resume sexual activity.
To minimise the time required for your wounds to heal, you should try your best to keep all your wounds as dry as possible during the early days. The dressings which you wake up wearing, should remain on you until you are back in the clinic for your check up, which will normally be about 7 days following the breast reduction operation.
Because of the way that they are constructed, you shouldn’t wear an under-wire bra until you have been given the green light from your surgeon.
Finally – please make sure that you don’t miss your appointment for the check up. These will ensure that the healing process is moving along as the surgeon expects, and also can give you another opportunity to ask your surgeon any questions which you may have regarding the surgery you’ve had, or the recovery process which lays ahead.
