Before, during and after your breast augmentation (enlargement) surgery you will be cared for by a team of specialist cosmetic nurses and your cosmetic surgeon, who will perform your surgery. Together, they will ensure that you are cared for at every step of your surgery and will make sure that your recovery at home is as comfortable and successful as possible with advice and guidance available whenever you need it.

Breast augmentation aftercare is designed to make sure that your body gets the post-operative care and attention it deserves. Carefully staged regular meetings with your surgeon or nursing staff ensure your progress is continually monitored and that you are in constant contact with a breast augmentation expert to discuss any questions you may have.

The time it takes you to recover post-operatively is determined by the positioning of your implants, whether you opt for round, or anatomical ‘teardrop shaped’ implants. Submuscularly positioned implants, in other words implants that are positioned underneath your pectoral muscle, will take longer to heal than those positioned subglandularly – implants positioned over the pectoral muscle.

Both procedures require a general anaesthetic and surgery lasts approximately one hour. So that you can be observed and your post-operative health monitored, you will be required to stay in hospital overnight, but you will be free to leave the following day.

Prior to going into surgery, you’ll be required to ensure that someone else can drive you home from hospital, and you could find a comfort from that person being a close family member, or a good friend.

Immediately post-operatively, you will undoubtedly feel groggy, sore and swollen. Rest and sleep is the best tonic at this stage of your recovery. Sleep is life’s natural pain killer and will see you through the most intense period of any discomfort, which you may experience as dull aching or tenderness.

Throughout this immediate period, you’ll also be asked to wear post operative bandage support, which will help to reduce swelling and keep your new breasts in their right position. Your bandages will make you feel better supported, but you can take pain killers as recommended by your plastic surgeon for increased comfort.

While resting and sleeping, your surgeon will recommend that you do so in a reclining position, to aid the healing process and to avoid placing adverse pressure on either side of your breasts or surgical wounds.

You will be expected to take between seven to ten days off work following breast enlargement surgery, which could be longer if your job involves any lifting or carrying. During this time, your breasts will gently soften and settle into their natural position and you’ll find that any tenderness, swelling and bruising will also reduce.

If you find that your wounds become itchy, try not to scratch – allow your skin to naturally heal itself. The itchiness is a response to your skin stretching to accommodate your new, larger breasts and also the surgical wounds scarring over, but it will subside. You could try a little moisturiser, gently massaged into the area – although expressly not into the wound or scar – to ease any discomfort.

The best post surgery advice you will receive comes direct from your operative surgical team, comprised of nurses and your plastic surgeon. If, following breast enlargement surgery, you experience untoward pain, swelling or prolonged bruising, contact the hospital to speak to one of your specialists directly. The hospital will also establish a series of post-operative appointments at which you can discuss your progress, seek advice and receive specialist care.