Before going for a breast surgery, either enlargement, reduction or augmentation, many of patients want to know how long with the results last and what they can do to make them last longer.
The usually lifespan of breast implants is minimum 10 years, but over time, breast will start to drop or sag.
Reasons breast surgery results don’t last
The duration of how long will your breast surgery results last is not something that is set in stone. Since there are not two completely identical patients, it’s natural that breast surgery results will last differently for each patient. The main reasons why your results don’t last as long as for other patients are:
- Weight fluctuations
- Pregnancy
- Breast feeding
- Hormonal imbalance
- Changes on your skin
- Lifestyle choices e.g. smoking or too much sun exposure
- Decrease in skin elasticity because of aging
- Illnesses
Tips on how to make your breast surgery results last longer
Before committing to breast surgery, you should do a thorough research and find an experienced cosmetic / plastic surgeon that has good surgical techniques that have been proven effective over time. Also, make sure that you read up on possible complications and how to avoid or minimize them.
Avoiding smoking
If you’re a smoker, the first thing you need to do before your breast surgery (or even immediately after) is that you kick that bad habit and quit. Not only does smoking make your skin look older, but it also harms all your other organs too.
Smoking can significantly hinder the healing process after your surgery and can also lead to seromas, which is excessive bleeding after surgery. Furthermore, scarring is often way worse for smokers because their body doesn’t get all the necessary nutrients it needs for optimal healing and the healing process takes longer.
So at least 4 weeks before your breast surgery, quit that habit and don’t pick it up again!
Adequate support
Wearing the right type and size bra is important even if you don’t get breast surgery. This especially applies for those that have a good exercise routine.
When discussing your breast surgery with your cosmetic / plastic surgeon, make sure that you ask him/her about what type of support bra should you wear. The right type of support bra can make a huge difference and you should be prepared that you’ll need to wear one night and day.
Pick the right size implants
We mentioned before that breast implants (if you’re going for enlargement) usually last 10+ years. Since this is quite a long period of time, you need to make sure that you choose the right one so you don’t want to switch to a smaller or bigger one after a few years.
Picking the right size is a huge thing. It will not only impact the outcome of your breast surgery, but it will also have big impact on the aesthetic appearance, your self-confidence, the quality and longevity of the end results and of course your overall health (remember, bigger boobs usually come with back pain problems).
So for choosing the right size, you should consider the following:
- Be aware of your skins limitations and how elastic it is
- Pay attention to your surgeon’s advice and listen to him/her
- Too big breast usually means shorter results and possible future complications
- Choose the size that will mean less revision and size changes
There aren’t two alike breast surgeries and only surgeons with sufficient qualifications, experience and well-developed surgical techniques could guarantee long-lasting results. So before you opt in for a breast surgery, make sure to contact us and discuss your options with Dr. Kotoske.
