How Soon Can I Wear a Regular Bra After Breast Augmentation?
For most breast augmentation patients, the surgery comes after a lot of thought and planning. Having dreamed about the end result for months, it’s common for women to want to speed through recovery and see how their new silhouette looks in designer lingerie. Thus one of the questions eager patients most often ask me is how soon they can shop for bras in their new size.
Breast Support is Important During the Initial Healing Period
During the first several weeks of recovery after breast augmentation, it’s important to wear a compression or sports bra recommended by your plastic surgeon. The compression provided by these bras during the initial healing process helps ensure that incisions heal correctly and the implants stay properly positioned. In contrast, a regular bra can hinder healing and keep the implants from settling appropriately during the first few weeks after surgery. Underwire bras can also irritate the incision site for augmentation if it is in the inframammary fold under the breast.
Thus, while most women want to go bra shopping soon after breast augmentation, plastic surgeons generally recommend waiting 4 to 6 weeks before wearing a traditional bra. Breasts remain swollen for a while after augmentation surgery, and the final size and shape is not achieved for several months. Thus new bras purchased too soon after surgery will both hinder healing and fit poorly in the end.
Time to Go Bra Shopping! But Follow Your Surgeon’s Suggestions
When the surgeon gives the go-ahead, the typical suggestion is that breast augmentation patients purchase new bras at intervals, as results continue to develop over time. Several months after surgery, patients will be ready for a final bra fitting. This is an exciting part of the breast augmentation process! A professional fitting can insure that women are wearing the appropriate size that flatters their new cleavage; when the interim bras are no longer needed, these lightly-used bras can be donated to women’s charities.
When most women think about wearing bras after breast augmentation, they don’t picture their new curves in a sports bra. But this short phase is an important part of the process and is just one step towards the final results patients do envision. As healing progresses, patients can enjoy some window shopping instead! When the time is right, lovely new lingerie will be one of the many benefits of breast augmentation surgery.
