Painless Breast Enlargement?
June 1st, 2009
Painless breast enlargement surgery is impossible to fulfill but it is the ideal for which we strive at my office. Melissa’s recovery course is typical for most of my patients. We have completed breast enlargement surgeries for eleven women during the past two weeks. All but one have taken only acetaminophen and Celebrex ® for pain control. None of the patients have had pain pumps.
Using less drugs directly corresponds to fewer complications after surgery. Strong pain pills (narcotics) after surgery sedate you. This sedation reduces your energy to get up and around. I know it is counter intuitive but being out of bed after surgery actually reduces pain levels and shortens the recovery time. In fact, Melissa was up and about the afternoon following surgery.
Another common side effect of narcotics is nausea and vomiting. Vomiting and retching can cause bleeding around the breast implants. Any blood collection around the implant is known to increase the risk of breast firmness (capsular contracture) and infection.
Please understand, all of my patients are welcome to necessary pain medications if necessary. We always prescribe pain pills when a patients asks for them. You do not have to be a “hero” to get through the recovery after surgery. However, most of my patients experience no need for pain medication during their recovery.
There are two main reasons I believe why we see less pain in our patients. First is the administration of Celebrex ® prior to starting surgery. We have noticed a 50% reduction in narcotic use when we began prescribing a pre-op dose of Celebrex ®. We continue it after surgery as well.
The second reason is the elimination of all dressings after surgery. This means no bra, wrap or strap after surgery. One of the first things I learned as a medical student was surgical sites are tender when touched. Of course, we all learn this as children as a result of minor scrapes and bruises. For this reason, any elastic type dressing or dressings which put pressure on the breasts causes pain.
Cosmetic surgery, particularly breast enlargement does not need to be painful nor does the convalescence need to be long. Melissa is a wonderful example of the quick recovery that most of my patients experience, as shown in the video blog last week. Her post-operative appointment, was only 3 days following surgery and she met a friend for lunch after her check-up with me. As I have instructed Melissa, patients need to take it easy for 2-3 weeks, but I strongly discourage patients from laying around in bed during their recovery.
Please check back to read Melissa’s final thoughts on her choice to have breast surgery, her recovery and personal reflections.
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