Making the decision between a traditional breast augmentation with implants vs.a natural breast augmentation was probably one that didn’t come easily, but now that you’ve chosen  implant-free breast enhancement, A.K.A a fat transfer to the breasts, a natural breast augmentation, a fat transfer breast augmentation, or fat grafting for breasts, you’re probably feeling a mix of nervous excitement. One of the best ways to channel that energy into something productive is to get yourself prepared with everything you need—and need to know—for your natural breast augmentation recovery.

How long is recovery after breast augmentation surgery?

A natural breast augmentation is a two-part process that takes excess, unwanted fat from one part of the body through liposuction and injects it into the breast to enhance their size and shape. The results can be more natural in look and feel than implants and it leaves no scarring on the breast. Plus, there’s also the sculpting benefits that come with liposuction. Not to mention a significantly shorter recovery than that of breast implant surgery.

As with any surgical procedure, there is of course recovery time. One of the great things about fat grafting for breasts, as mentioned above, is the recovery from fat transfer to breasts is markedly less than with traditional breast augmentation with implants. Each patient and procedure is different, so each recovery will be different. Generally speaking, your liposuction recovery (and therefore your liposuction recovery time) is actually going to be more significant than the fat transfer recovery. You should give yourself about two weeks to recover: three days of solid downtime and relative downtime for the remainder of the two weeks. Some patients feel comfortable returning to work after five days, while others take longer, depending on the amount of liposuction. You may have some minor discomfort, swelling and bruising immediately after your natural breast augmentation, and should rest as much as possible to give your body time to heal, with the exception of some light walking to get the blood moving and prevent blood clots.  In the weeks following, you may have left over swelling and bruising in both the breasts and the area of your liposuction. You may be able to resume light physical activity around the two week mark after your natural breast fat transfer, and you will most likely be able to return to your normal activity level and any swelling, bruising and/or discomfort should be gone or minimal four to six weeks after.  Around six weeks is also when you’ll start to see your final results. To get an idea of what those results may look like, Dr. Barrett has assembled fat transfer breast augmentation before and after images to view.

 What are the best products after natural breast augmentation?

Over his decades of experience, Dr. Barrett has researched hundreds of products aimed at ensuring his patients have the best recovery possible. While the best recovery possible will likely include more than three products, if only three were possible, they would address the main components of recovery: pain, inflammation and bruising, and scarring.

For pain: CBD is among Dr. Barrett’s most recommended products. Wild Health CBD, in particular, a full spectrum organic CBD that’s formulated with 1500mg of pure, therapeutic cannabidiol per bottle, is really a game-changer for pain management, anxiety and sleep. CBD can also help with post-op swelling by affecting the signals in the body’s endocannabinoid receptors, which are found in the body’s central and peripheral nervous systems.

For inflammation and bruising: Arnica montana, known colloquially as simply “arnica”, originates in Europe and is a flowering plant related to the sunflower that typically blooms in the summer. Its use as an herbal medicine goes back centuries due to its analgesic and antiinflammatory properties. Today, it’s most often used in the form of a topical gel or cream, as an oral supplement, or as a tea to treat bruising and inflammation prior to, or after injury or surgery. It’s an effective, holistic way to decrease the inflammation after surgery that occurs in your body without causing a leaky gut that can happen with traditional anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen or aspirin. However not all arnica products are alike. Arnica Recovery Complex, in particular, is formulated to speed recovery up to 50% from surgical procedures and dermal filler injections. Its blend of all natural ingredients is the only combination of arnica montana and bromelain and is free of dyes and artificial colors, with no reported side effects.

For scarring: Dr. Barrett has a carefully curated postoperative scar regimen to ensure the only reminder of your procedure are your desired results. Specifically, he recommends Skinuva®, a surgical scar healing cream that’s backed by science and uses highly selective growth factors which are shown to be twice as effective as silicone cream. Skinuva® is ideal for treating newer scars, typically ones that are less than a year old, and healing scars after plastic surgery that are still red, raised, thickened, tender, itchy, and/or darkly pigmented.

To really optimize your recovery, Dr. Barrett has curated a breast augmentation recovery kit that contains the products mentioned above, as well as all his highly recommended recovery products to ensure his natural breast augmentation patients have surgical success with the least amount of down time and discomfort possible.

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