Breast augmentation continues to rank as one of the most popular cosmetic surgical procedures performed in the United States. Each year, millions of patients seek this procedure to improve their physical appearance, self-esteem and quality of life. If you’re considering breast augmentation, though, you should follow these recovery tips.

Avoid Heavy Lifting

You should refrain from lifting any heavy loads during recovery. While walking around the house can stimulate blood flow and encourage faster healing, heavy lifting leaves the muscle tissue in your beast susceptible to injury. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) says that most breast augmentation patients can lift heavy loads after six weeks.

Wear Compression Wrap

A compression wrap isn’t just a bra; it’s a medical garment used to protect the incision site from injury and infection while also encouraging blood flow to the affected area. Many cosmetic surgeons instruct their breast augmentation patients to wear a compression after during the first few days of recovery for these reasons. Just remember to change your compression wrap at least once daily.

Take Antibiotics and Keep Incision Site Dry

There’s always a risk of infection whenever the skin is broken. Thankfully, you can minimize this risk by taking the prescribed antibiotics and keeping your incision site dry. Antibiotics contain bacteria-killing microbes -- the good kind -- that eliminates infection-causing germs. Keeping your incision site dry further reduces the risk of infection as most bacteria and fungi prefer dark, moist environments.

Don’t Smoke

It’s no secret that smoking increases the risk of disease and illness, but this habit is particularly harmful for breast augmentation patients. Along with thousands of other chemicals, cigarette smoke contains the vasoconstrictor nicotine. Like other vasoconstrictors, nicotine forces blood vessels to constrict, thereby reducing the flow of blood throughout your body. This is concerning because blood flow is essential to recovery. If blood is restricted, disturbed breast tissue will take longer to heal or even become infected.

Follow Post-Op Instructions

Most importantly, follow the post-op instructions provided by your surgeon. Prior to the procedure, surgery clinics will discuss everything that you should and shouldn’t do to recover. The surgeon or his or her assistant will typically give you one or more printed pages containing this information. Known as post-op instructions, it has everything you need to know to quickly recover from breast augmentation surgery.

Breast augmentation has come a long ways since its origins in the 1960s. Surgeons today now use advanced techniques to achieve better results with a lower risk of complication. To ensure your procedure is a success, follow these five tips during recovery.