Breast implant exercises are a critical part of the recovery process following breast augmentation cosmetic surgery. When the patient received saline or silicone implants, they can expect to have softer, fuller, and more natural looking breasts after surgery when they perform specific exercises.
The breast surgeon should be consulted before performing these exercises. The patient should wait until the initial healing has occurred, and the surgeon allows her to go ahead with the exercise regimen. Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Hisham Seify provides breast augmentation to patients in Newport Beach, Orange County, CA, and surrounding locations.
Need for Implant Exercises
When the breast implants are placed below the pectoral muscle, the surgeon will create a significant breast pocket in the lower portion of the breast. The breast implant can move naturally in this pocket, particularly during positional changes. The breast implant exercises will allow the patient to keep the surgical pocket wide open and help the scar tissue to remain soft, suppler, and bigger than the implant.
If the pockets do not remain open wide, the scar capsule can rapidly become rigid, thick and unyielding. This can lead to breasts that feel hard and painful and may eventually lose shape or position. The risk of capsular contracture may also increase in such cases. Therefore, breast implant exercises will help to create more sustainable results following breast augmentation plastic surgery.
Guidelines for Exercise
The patient should receive proper instructions from the trained staff at the surgeon’s regarding performance of breast implant exercises. The patient should view a demonstration and try to follow the right technique.
- Perform the breast implant exercises frequently during the first six weeks of recovery, preferably with a gap of 30 minutes between two exercise sessions
- Continue performing these exercises twice a day as long as the implants last
- Hold the implant in each position for five to 10 seconds during each breast implant exercise
- The more frequently the exercises are performed, the easier they will become
Experienced cosmetic surgeon Dr. Seify receives patients from Newport Beach, Orange County, CA, and nearby areas for breast implant surgery.
Upward Implant Movement
In this exercise, the entire breast should not be pushed upward, but the goal is to slide the implant upward within the pocket, while the breast stays in place. Grip the implant firmly with both hands using the thumb and forefingers. Apply gentle pressure, squeezing forefingers and thumb together to slide the implant upward into the upper border of the submuscular breast pocket.
Downward Implant Movement
Place the hand and fingers flat and closed on the upper part of the breast just above the nipple. Apply gentle pressure to slide the implant downward until it goes fully down back into the lower area of the pocket and rounds out along the lower breast fold. Return the implant to its original position.
Outer Implant Movement
Cup the hand directly over the opposite breast and feel for the implant. Grasp the implant from the side and gently move it toward your midline until it rounds out along the cleavage area of the breast. Thereafter, slide the implant outward until it has rounded out on the opposite side of your body in the other direction. Return the implant to its original position.