My job as a double-board certified plastic surgeon is to ensure my patient’s safety and satisfaction. From the time they enter my office until the time they leave I make it my personal duty to make sure they are well informed on the procedure, their expected results and how to best maintain their results for many years to come. However, a large part of your cosmetic breast surgery success depends on you! For this reason, below are three tips that I always advise my breast enhancement patients to help preserve their new breasts.
- Always go to your follow-up consultations. I can’t stress the word “always” enough! The purpose of follow-up consultations is to give us a chance to see how your healing is progressing. With any surgery healing takes time and patience but we want to make sure that it’s moving in a positive direction because the last thing you would want for your breast augmentation results, for example, is to potentially compromise the healing of your scars or increase your chances of experiencing any inherent complications.
- Stay physically active. This is directed towards patients who have been cleared by their surgeon to resume physical activity after a breast enhancement procedure. There’s no set guideline for when you will be ready so initially I suggest limiting to just walking and then slowly progressing into low-impact exercises that will help increase the blood circulation that ultimately helps your healing progress. If you were one who enjoyed exercising regularly prior to your cosmetic breast procedure then stick with it. For patients who may not regularly exercise, this is where the biggest difference in maintaining lasting plastic surgery results can show. An increase in weight can cause the skin to loosen and ultimately stretch, making your once perky breasts appear saggy. I’m not suggesting that you have to go out and run a 5k daily just to maintain results that you’re happy with, but incorporating a minimal amount of exercise like walking around the neighborhood can help keep your weight regulated and minimize the chance of gaining a few extra inches in areas that you just worked so diligently to achieve.
- Proper nutrition. Our bodies depend on healthy food to give us that boost of energy to tackle our busy lifestyles. Regardless if you have a breast lift, breast augmentation or breast reduction, all plastic surgery patients should maintain a proper balanced diet to increase the immune system and give the body the proper nutrients needed to repair itself from daily wear and tear. Try incorporating a good mix of fats, protein, carbohydrates and fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants to give your body the well-rounded diet it deserves.
To maximize successful results for my patients, I start by sending them home with very detailed instructions on how to care for the surgical site, as well as provide recommended medications and discuss plans for when we will have our follow up consultations. What is great about plastic surgery consultations is that it allows my patients and I the time needed to ask and answer any and all questions pertaining to their specific cosmetic or reconstructive procedure. If you’re interested in learning more about a breast procedure performed at Southern Plastic Surgery, P.C., please contact our office to schedule your consultation. To keep up with more plastic surgery news and tips, stay connected with me, Dr. David Whiteman, on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.