Breast Lift Pre & Post-Op Instructions

Preparing for a breast lift Pre-operative appointment

On the day of your pre-operative appointment, we will review your procedure in detail and go over the surgical plan with you. We will also address any questions and concerns you may have. Please read over the procedure consent prior to this appointment and have any questions ready so we can discuss them.

During your pre-operative visit, we will provide you with all the after-care instructions as well as necessary medication prescriptions. You will also be provided with a post-operative appointment for follow up after your surgery.

Before surgery – the rules!

Please do not smoke (cigarettes, vape, or pipe) or use any nicotine products 4 weeks prior to and after your surgery. Smoking and nicotine greatly impair healing, which can cause increased risk for infection and complications, such as delayed incisional healing or wound opening which lead to worse scarring. Please stay away from second hand smoke as well, as this can also cause wound healing problems. If you use nicotine products, you will need to stop 4 weeks prior to surgery and then you will need to undergo a cotinine test prior to surgery to ensure that the nicotine is out of your system.
Please do not drink alcohol before or after your surgery (until cleared by your surgeon). In addition, please do not drink alcohol while taking pain medication, as this can have serious, and life threatening side effects.
Please leave all valuables at home. If you have body piercings, kindly remove them prior to surgery.
Please have someone arranged to drive you home. Due to the effects of general anesthesia, you will be unable to drive. A taxi or car service is not enough – you need the help of a family member or friend who can assist you.
You may have been asked to obtain pre-operative tests at a lab facility or your primary care physician. Your pre-operative tests (labs, X-rays, EKG, etc.) need to be completed at least three days before your surgery. If you have them done at your doctor’s office, the results will need to be faxed to (210) 362-1582.
The surgery facility will call you the day before your surgery to let you know what time and where you should arrive.
Shower the morning of or the night before your surgery with your normal soap and water. Do not use deodorant, lotion, cream, perfume, aftershave, oils, or makeup after bathing.
Do not take Advil, Aleve, Naproxen, Fish Oil, Garlic, CoQ10, Omega 3,6, Motrin, Excedrin, Ibuprofen, Aspirin, medications for arthritis or any medication that contains these medications for ten days prior to your surgery and two weeks after.
Do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your surgery.
Please call our office if you have an infection of any kind prior to your surgery.

The day of your breast lift

On the day of surgery do not take the following blood pressure medications with generic names that end in “-pril,” “-sartan” before your surgery. If you are on metformin, you will be asked to not take it on the day of surgery. Do not eat or drink anything after midnight on the day of your surgery
Once you are at the surgical center, your plastic surgeon will meet you in the pre-operative area to go over any last minute questions or concerns you may have. Your plastic surgeon will make preoperative markings and discuss the markings and expected outcomes with you. They also will perform extensive checks with careful attention to detail. You will meet the anesthesiologist and their team, as well as the members of our plastic surgery operative team.
During the plastic surgery procedure, our plastic surgeons pay meticulous attention to detail and work as a highly experienced team to ensure a great result. Your family will be updated of your status periodically and will be able to talk with the plastic surgeon in person after the procedure is completed. The incisions will be placed in a dressing or a compression bandage. Instructions for care on these will be given to you in your preoperative paperwork.
You will typically spend 1-2 hours in the post-anesthesia care unit before either being discharged to return home or to your room if you are spending the night.

Aftercare

To ensure your recovery is faster and more comfortable, we recommend that you prepare before your surgery. Things you can do are:

Prepare a sleeping area that is easy to access. For example, set up a couch downstairs so you don’t need to get to an upstairs bedroom. Keep your toiletries close by and prepare food ahead of time. Arrange for someone to be with you the first night after surgery.
You may receive your post-operative medications at your pre-operative appointment. You should pick up these medications prior to your surgery.
If you’re having an outpatient same-day procedure you will be released to go home the same day and will need someone to drive you home.
Review your post-surgery instructions given to you at your pre-operative appointment

If you have a history of nausea or vomiting after anesthesia, please let us and your anesthesia provider know. We can prescribe anti-nausea medications and take extra steps to prevent nausea and vomiting after surgery.
When undergoing general anesthesia, you will need to have someone drive you home. You will not be allowed to undergo surgery if there is no confirmed designated driver.

Medications:

After surgery you will have discomfort and the goal of pain medications is to reduce pain, but it will not completely remove all pain. A good measure for if you need more pain control is that you should be able to take a deep breath without severe pain. Do not wait until your pain is unbearable to take the next dose of pain medication because it will take longer to get your pain under control again.

You may resume your home medications after surgery except blood thinners and as determined by your surgeon. We will give you a prescription for pain medication. If you are prescribed medications that contain acetaminophen (Tylenol) it is important that you not exceed 3500 milligrams of acetaminophen (Tylenol) per day. Do not drive, operate heavy machinery or make important decisions while taking narcotic pain medications.
Narcotic medications may cause constipation. Ensure you have adequate (>25 grams/day) of fiber in your diet and drink at least 64 oz. of water daily. You may also wish to take an over the counter stool softener such as MiraLAX or Colace once or twice daily.
You can alternate your narcotic medication with Ibuprofen 600mg every 6 hours and/or Gabapentin 300mg three times a day. Take ibuprofen with food to protect your stomach from irritation.
If you have a history of nausea or vomiting after anesthesia, you may be prescribed an anti-nausea medication (Ondansetron) which can be taken as needed.
Before prescribing any narcotic medications, we are required to check the Texas controlled substance history database (Texas Prescription Monitoring Program). If you currently have a pain medication contract with another physician or are currently on narcotic medications, we will have to coordinate your medications with that physician.
We will prescribe pain medications for recovery after surgery, but do not prescribe long-term pain medications and do not do more than one refill for any pain medications. If you have pain that is beyond what is usually anticipated for your surgery and there is no surgical reason that can be found, we will help by referring you to one of the many pain management specialists that we work with.

Surgical site care

You may shower 48 hours after your surgery. Do not scrub or apply pressure to your incisions, just let the water run over them and gently dab them dry afterwards. Apply gauze over the surgical site daily as needed for light drainage. Do not immerse your incisions in baths or hot tubs until at least 2 weeks after surgery.

Drain care:

If your breast lift requires drains, they are placed to remove excess fluid from the surgical area. Empty the bulbs and measure the output whenever the bulbs are half full or at least twice a day.

You will be given a sheet to record how much is coming out of the drains. Bring this sheet to your follow-up appointment. In general, drains remain in place until there is less than 30 mL (1oz) through the drain for two days in a row.

Please contact us at once if you experience any of these conditions:

Temperature greater than 100.5 F
Bleeding or pus draining from the wound site. If you have bleeding, apply direct pressure to the area for 20 minutes
Increasing pain that is not controlled on oral pain medications
Increasing redness or size at the surgical site
Your drain is not holding suction
If your incisions come apart
Any other concerns

For non-emergency questions:
During business hours (8 AM – 4:30 PM): call (210) 658-3555.
After hours and on weekends/holidays: call (210) 658-3555 and you will be forwarded to the on call surgeon.
If you are having any serious problems or symptoms such as difficulty breathing or chest pain, call 911 or proceed to your nearest emergency room.

Follow-up appointment

Your clinic appointment will be scheduled at your pre-operative appointment before surgery. If you need to change your appointment time or date, please contact our clinic at (210) 658-3555.

Limitation, risks, complications

The risks of breast lift surgery are bleeding, infection, changes in nipple or breast sensation, poor scarring of the skin, asymmetry, and need for revisions. If you have an implant augmentation performed at the same time, risks include implant leakage or rupture, wrong position of the implant, formation of tight scar tissue around the implant, fluid around the implant, discomfort near or around the breast implant, wrinkling or rippling of the skin over the implant. If any of these complications occur, you may need surgery to fix it. Revisions may range from simple skin adjustments in the clinic to full revision under anesthesia.

The surgeon may adjust any of the above guidelines and instructions based on the patient and type of surgery performed.