Maintenance:

A good result after breast augmentation surgery depends on how you take care of your breasts and the lifestyle change they are willing to take in order to ensure their health.

Certain doctors recommend breast massage and compression exercises which generally involve displacing the implants to the outermost corners of the breast pockets several times in order to promote a more natural appearance and shape. Meanwhile, some experts say that doing these massages can also reduce the risk of capsular contracture—a painful condition in which the tissue attaches itself around the implants.

However, patients with teardrop-shaped and textured implants need not perform this post-operative care. This is because the teardrop implants already simulate the natural curve of the breasts while the textured shell may reap the tissue if this is moved around the pocket.

To avoid risks, patients should ask their surgeons if performing breasts massage is safe for them. And if yes, they should follow their doctors’ specific recommendations on how to conduct this post-operative care.

As with any cosmetic surgery, breast augmentation involves risk of scarring, although the incision lines usually fade and become almost unnoticeable several months after the procedure. However, patients should not expose their incisions under the sunlight for at least six months to prevent these from developing dark pigmentation.

For women with silicone-filled implants, most cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeons will require them to undergo MRI screening every two years in order to detect “silent leak.” However, this is not necessary for patients with saline implants because a rupture in the shell can provide a visible manifestation (deflated breasts) for as short as four hours after it breaks.

But regardless of which breast implants have been used, most experts in plastic surgery recommend mammograms (or breast X-rays) and breast examinations. For women in their 20s and 30s, they should have a clinical breast exam at least every three years while women 40 and above should have this annually. To prevent or at least postpone future sagginess, experts in plastic surgery recommend the use of a well-fitting bra that can provide a good “support” to the weight of the breast implants.