Breast enlargement surgery side effects

Knowing the possible side effects of surgery should help you to make an informed decision when you're considering breast enlargement surgery.

What are the earliest side effects?

Following breast enlargement surgery there will be a number of side effects that will occur.  Immediately after the operation you will wake up in a specially designed surgical bra and normally will not feel any discomfort for up to eight hours due to the local anaesthetic injection which has been inserted into your breast area. 

Will there be any pain?

After this time many patients report feeling a tightness in their breast tissue, but no significant pain.  This may develop into mild to moderate discomfort depending on your physique and pain threshold.  Patients who have, for whatever reason, had to have the implant placed behind the chest muscle can find that they experience slightly more pain in the first few weeks following surgery.

Do you know the most obvious side effect?

It may sound obvious, but the main side-effect of breast enlargement surgery is having a larger bust!  At Aurora our surgeons' ethos is to create a natural bust which appears in proportion to the patient's general physique which should hopefully minimise any unwanted side-effects in terms of appearance. 

Are there any long term side effects?

It is highly unusual to have long term problems following breast enlargement surgery and significant adverse side effects are rare.  However, there is a risk of capsular contraction, which you can read more about on our risks page. At Aurora we only use the most modern type of implants and capsular contraction is very rare, occurring in less than five percent of our breast enlargement surgery patients.

Other side effects

Other side effects such as discomfort in the breast or back or neck pain, due to the increased weight of the implants are rare, but some patients do report that their breasts feel slightly colder than normal in extremely cold weather. 

“Can I fly without side effects?!

Many patients ask about whether they are able to fly at high altitudes following breast enlargement surgery and this is totally possible with no adverse side effects to your implants.  In fact many air stewardesses have undergone similar surgery and have no problems flying regularly.  We would recommend that you do, however, try to avoid any excessive trauma to the breast tissue following breast enlargement surgery as this can, in very occasional cases, cause damage to the underlying implants.

“Will the anaesthetics make me sick?”

It is very unusual with modern anaesthetics to feel sick after your surgery.  The reason that people did feel sick after anaesthetics was because they had been given opiate-like materials which provoked nausea.  With modern anaesthetics it is very unlikely you will be sick and most patients are sitting up in bed and having their lunch just one hour after their operation.

Emotional side effects of breast enlargement surgery

It is normal to feel very euphoric on the day following surgery and two to three days later feel very tired.  This is due to a combination of the adrenaline surge you will likely experience before your surgery and as a result of the anaesthetic medication.  Generally patients will continue to feel a little bit tired over the week immediately following surgery, but they rapidly recover and are feeling relatively normal by one to two weeks after surgery.

Possible side effects when sleeping

It is possible that you may be slightly uncomfortable when you are sleeping, particularly as we would encourage you to sleep in your specially designed surgical bra.  It is best to take pain killing medication before you go to bed to reduce discomfort whilst sleeping.  Most patients find that it is fine to share a bed, as long as the bed is large enough so that your partner can avoid coming into contact with your bust accidentally whilst asleep. 

When is it OK to start having sex again?

We would recommend that most patients should not resume intimate relationships for at least a week following surgery and generally your body will act as a guide for this.  As with all other activities we would say that if it hurts it is not a good idea to continue.

“What if I want to talk to someone about the side effects?”

Most patients who have breast enlargement surgery are very happy and satisfied with the results of their operation, but at Aurora we do encourage our patients to schedule annual follow up appointments with their surgeon free of charge and, if you have any concerns about possible side effects, to make an appointment immediately.  Our surgeons are available every day of the week and will be happy to arrange a prompt appointment to discuss your concerns about any possible breast enlargement surgery side effects you feel you may be suffering.

More information

If you would like to hear previous patients' experiences of breast enlargement procedures performed at Aurora Clinics you can visit the testimonial section of our website.

If you would like to see how a breast enlargement procedure is performed, please view some of our breast enlargement surgery videos on this procedure.

Many people find it very useful to listen to our free information CD about breast enlargement procedures and these can be obtained by completing the enquiry form or sending an email request to info@aurora-clinics.co.uk