Recovery after reconstruction

Immediately after surgery, your reconstructed breast may be covered with dressings that the nurses will change regularly. Alternatively, the wound may be held together with sticky, plastic strips, which are left in place until the wound has healed. At first, your new breast will be larger than your other breast. This is usually due to inflammation and swelling after surgery. It should gradually get smaller over a few weeks or months.

Once the dressings are removed, you can gently shower the wound with clean water. Pat the wound area dry with a clean towel – don’t rub it. Once the wound has healed you can have baths or showers as normal. Wash with lukewarm water and unperfumed soap, rinsing the wound line well.  

Some surgeons advise women to wear a support garment such as a firm supportive bra, for several weeks after reconstructive surgery. They may recommend wearing this at night as well as during the day. In addition, some surgeons give patients a Velcro band to be worn continually for several weeks.  This sits on top of the implants and keeps them in place. This helps to make sure shaped implants do not twist and ensures the implant stays low.

Other surgeons suggest wearing a normal bra or no bra at all. They believe that this encourages a more natural droop of the reconstructed breast and that wearing a bra makes little difference to the cosmetic results of surgery. It may be helpful to discuss this further with your surgeon. 

Many women want to know when they can get back to doing everyday things like driving, carrying the shopping or doing the housework and gardening. This will vary, depending on the type of surgery you’ve had and on how you feel. It‘s a good idea to discuss this further with your surgeon or breast care nurse.

It's usually fine to start driving again when you feel that you could safely do an emergency stop or move the steering wheel around suddenly, if necessary. Some women find that this is possible within a few weeks of the surgery and others find that it takes longer. Some insurance companies have specific guidelines about when you can drive again after an operation, so you should check this with your car insurance company.