The 24 Hour Recovery Breast Augmentation Myth

By Jerome Edelstein, MD

Edelstein Cosmetic does not promote 24 Hour Recovery Breast Augmentation because it over-promises, is misleading and, most importantly, it is dangerous to promote the surgery in this way. It’s little more than a hyped up marketing gimmick and you’ll learn why below.
THE TRUTH ABOUT 24 HOUR RECOVERY BREAST AUGMENTATIONWhy It’s unsafeIt’s impossible for you to undergo breast augmentation, a major surgical procedure, and fully recover within 24 hours. Your body’s natural healing processes don’t work that fast. If you accidentally cut your finger while cooking, does it heal by the next day? The cut may partially close over a bit but it will still be highly susceptible to opening up again, even if you put a bandage on it.

Now think about the breast augmentation procedure. The surgery involves making incisions on the body (in the armpit, belly button, breast or partially around the areola), then dissecting tissues inside the chest to make space for the implants. Regardless of how minimally traumatic the surgical techniques may be during surgery, it’s still an invasive procedure that involves the administration of anaesthesia. It is far more traumatic to your body than an accidental cut on your finger, and if you don’t expect to recover from that within a day, then why should you expect to recover from breast augmentation surgery in that same amount of time? You need time to heal and strengthen enough to return to the condition in which you were before surgery, and that takes far more than a day. In addition, you’re unique with your own rate of recovery. No responsible surgeon can promise a 24 hour recovery after breast augmentation, or any other major surgery for that matter. Saying that you’ll recover within 24 hours is a fallacy and promoting that expectation is not just dishonest, it’s also dangerous. Resuming regular activities so soon dramatically increases the risk of complications (e.g. capsular contracture, shifting of the implant) and you may require a corrective subsequent surgery.

Why It Over-Promises24 Hour Recovery Breast Augmentation promises patients that they’ll be able to return to work and their regular daily activities in a day, but what does this mean? Does it mean that you can start dancing, swimming and working out? The answer is a resounding no. Even surgeons who actively promote 24 Hour Recovery Breast Augmentation will say that you must avoid these activities for a few weeks, until you’ve fully recovered from surgery. You may be able to walk, go shopping and go out for dinner (like you would be able to do anyway) but your activities must be limited. You won’t be right back to normal. For this reason, 24 Hour Recovery Breast Augmentation over-promises and under-delivers.Why It’s Misleadingre·cov·er·y
noun, plural re·cov·er·ies
a return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength

24 Hour Recovery Breast Augmentation implies that you’ll be able to get right back to regular activities in a day. However, they fail to mention that you won’t actually be back to your “normal state of health”, as you were before surgery. You’ll actually be far from it. You’ll be in a weakened state, prone to injury. You’ll be swollen, bruised and experience some level of discomfort as is the case with any surgery. For this reason, 24 Hour Recovery Breast Augmentation is misleading.THE RAPID RECOVERY BREAST AUGMENTATION DIFFERENCEOur surgeons do not promise 24 hour recovery breast augmentation, as this is a dangerous gimmick. Rapid Recovery Breast Augmentation is safer, more realistic and never fails to fulfill your expectations. It promises fast recovery following surgery, without defining a specific timeframe to prevent patients from doing too much, too soon.

In Rapid Recovery Breast augmentation, specific techniques are applied to facilitate and expedite recovery.

Precise and meticulous incisionsOne of the primary factors in achieving faster recovery for the patient is to minimize surgical trauma. This means that any incisions that are made during the procedure are precise and meticulous. Our surgeons do not commit blunt dissection surgical techniques (like putting a finger in and sweeping it around to open up the pocket). While blunt dissection may be faster to do, it increases the amount of trauma to your body, resulting in more bruising, swelling, bleeding and pain. To further minimize trauma to the chest muscle, a muscle relaxant is administered.Direct VisionEvery incision our surgeons create is precisely placed under direct vision. A fiberoptic lighted retractor allows for a complete view of everything so that the incisions and implants are placed accurately. For incisions placed in the armpit (transaxillary), an endoscope is used to see inside the chest. This is unlike some surgeons who perform “blind”. The “blind” approach means that the surgeon inserts a large instrument to bluntly open the pocket then place the implant by “feeling around”. Needless to say, working “blind” causes more trauma and bleeding as well as requires the insertion of drains, all of which contribute to a longer recovery period characterized by more discomfort, bruising and bleeding. Rapid Recovery Breast Augmentation patients often do not need drains and medical devices that complicate and prolong healing.Bloodless SurgeryRapid Recovery involves an instrument called a forceps electrocautery. This instrument is used to not just create space for the implant inside the body, but to also seal blood vessels to eliminate bleeding. No bleeding means a faster recovery.
Limited Time While “Under”Our surgeons minimize the amount of time that patients spend under anaesthesia, thereby decreasing recovery issues (nausea and/or vomiting) associated with their use.A FAST RECOVERY, WITHOUT JEOPARDIZING YOUR RESULTS OR YOUR HEALTHYou know that 24 Hour Recovery Breast Augmentation is a myth because you’re smart enough to understand that your body can’t recover so fast, as it requires time to heal and re-strengthen. Edelstein Cosmetic promotes Rapid Recovery Breast Augmentation, a term that is honest and not misleading. You’ll be able to return to daily activities faster than if you had undergone a more traditional form of breast augmentation, without putting your results or your health at risk.