“How long does pain last after breast augmentation?”

Hello! Pain after a Breast Augmentation will continue to reduce for the following 4 weeks. Remember - 6 weeks is typically the full recovery time for a Breast Augmentation.

Sometimes you can hurt for sometime. Depending on how the augmentation was done, often the muscle is lifted and this takes time for the muscle to stop spasming and find its new expanded place. It also depends on how larger implants are. I usually tell people that it can take up to six weeks for a lot of that discomfort to go away, however, every day should get better. Furthermore as time goes on massage and pocket softness can help with that discomfort. What you’re experiencing right now sounds very normal. I hope you feel better soon.

Leland Webb

Thank you for your question. I offer rapid recovery breast augmentation which my patients require no narcotics and are usually up and about from the recovery room. I would touch base with your plastic surgeon to make sure you do not have a hematoma which is a collection of blood in the capsule. However, soreness is customary in traditional breast augmentation. I wish you the best of luck.

It really depends on the person, the size of the implant, and the placement of the implant (above or beneath the pectoralis muscle). But at one week you absolutely should expect some discomfort.

At this stage you're still swollen, and your skin (and possibly your pec muscle) is still stretching.

As long as you consider yourself to be feeling pain, take it as easy as you reasonably can. I don't know when you're seeing your doctor next, but if you are in real pain (and not just discomfort) at ten days, you ought to see him or her within the next few days.

Good luck! I hope you feel better soon!!

Depend on whether it is under the muscle, subglandular or subfascia, there is usually more pain under the muscle. Some patients can have pain longer than a week. Some patients have persistent pain because the muscle contraction having the implant under can contribute to pain (uncommon).
Sometimes a conversion from submuscular to subfascial plane can eliminate the pain. This is a general answer to your question without detail of your surgery.

The vast majority of my breast augmentation patients do not experience pain or bruising after surgery. Many returns to work the day following surgery and are able to avoid narcotic pain medications. I use long-acting numbing medications and am careful to not dissect into the pectoralis muscles. This helps reduce the incidence of postoperative pain and bruising in my patients. I most often place breast implants under the muscle and use careful dissection to lift the muscle without injuring it. I usually make the incision under the breast and not in the armpit or around the nipple which allows me to fully see and protect the muscle during surgery.
If you are experiencing pain after a breast augmentation, the intensity and quality of that pain are important to point out to your doctor. If a nerve was accidentally incorporated into a suture, or the muscle itself was injured then you may need alternative medications like gabapentin or Flexeril to help with your discomfort. Please discuss this problem with your surgeon.

I would expect most of your pain should be gone by now. It’s not unusual to feel tight for several weeks, but if you are still having pain that is requiring you to still need narcotics I would recommend being evaluated by your surgeon to make sure you are healing properly.

A submuscular approach can take longer, sometimes a few weeks to feel more normal. If you have bruising that hurts more too. It is always good to check in with your plastic surgeon and make sure everything is healing normally.