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We get asked a lot of questions regarding breast augmentation recovery and what you can and can’t do after surgery. Many of these questions revolve around physical activity and how soon one can return to sports and exercise.

Recovery from breast augmentation used to keep you in bed, or resting, for up to two weeks before you could comfortably, and safely, return to day-to-day activities. And when it came to more physical activity, it could be a month before you could return to 100%.

In recent years Dr. Adams has perfected his breast augmentation technique to allow for less recovery time. His 24-hour fast track recovery breast augmentation has revolutionized the industry and has allowed for people to return to normal lives faster than ever before.

While this fast-track recovery will allow you to get back to your daily routine quicker than normal, will it allow for you to get back into the swimming pool?

Breast Augmentation and Swimming

When we talk about swimming, as opposed to an activity like weightlifting or working out, the main thing we must worry about is infection.

Because of the method that Dr. Adams uses in his breast augmentation procedures, the chest muscles under the skin will begin to heal up faster than after a typical breast augmentation, but because there are still surgical incisions made, the visible healing will still take time.

When it comes to swimming after breast augmentation surgery there are a couple things that you should be careful of.

The first thing is the physical movement that comes with swimming laps. The muscles and implants themselves need time to heal and setting into your chest, so you will need to wait before you can fully exert yourself in the pool.

Different swimming strokes could potentially overexert your chest muscles and put strain on your incisions, which could lead to complications. A typical breast augmentation would require around 3-6 weeks before you can resume physical activity, but if you’re just looking to take a leisurely dip in the pool, you need only wait 2 weeks.

In addition to being careful about physical strain on your chest muscles, you need to be careful of your incisions.

Water, both pool water and ocean water, contains microbes that can get into your incisions and cause infection if you’re not careful.

If you plan to go into the water before 6-weeks have passed, there are a few things we recommend.

First of all, don’t stay in the water too long. If you’re incisions haven’t completely healed up, the longer you are submerged in water, the better the chance is for infection.

In addition to that, once you do get out of the water, be sure to dry off the area around your incisions. You don’t want your incisions to sit and soak in the water.

Breast Augmentation During Swim Season

The most important thing to remember after getting breast augmentation surgery is that you’re going to need to take it easy for a period of time. Your doctor will give you exact instructions on how long you’ll need to rest for and how long you need to wait before resuming everyday activities and exercise.

In addition to avoiding the water and swimming, you’ll need to be careful about what you wear to the beach or pool, as well as how long you stay out in the sun.

During the recovery period, you’re going to want to avoid bikinis and underwear that contains an underwire. We usually recommend a soft sports bra that can support your breasts while not pushing up on them.

Depending on where your surgeon makes the incisions for the implants, an underwire bra could irritate them and cause more discomfort than necessary.

It’s also important that if you’re going to be out in the sun for an extended period of time to use sunscreen. Scar tissue on the skin does not have the same general make-up as your normal skin and can become darker and unsightly. Be sure to get the ok from your doctor on when you can apply sunscreen to your incisions/scars, you don’t want to be applying it to incisions that haven’t quite healed yet.

Swimming is a great low-impact activity that is both physically beneficial and mentally relaxing, but it’s important to make sure your body is fully healed before you begin these types of activities.

Your doctor will be able to give you suggested timeframes for recovery depending on how they performed the surgery.

Always listen to your doctor. In most cases they’ve done hundreds, if not thousands, of these procedures and know what’s best for you when it comes to making a full recovery.