How Long After Plastic Surgery Should You Wait to Workout

When someone who consistently workouts undergoes a major cosmetic surgical procedure such as a breast augmentation, they can get restless waiting to get the approval from their physical to get back into the gym. The stress is understandable but at the same time, you have to remember, you opted for this procedure and patience is key to a successful recovery.

So how do you ensure you can remain unharmed? Continue reading to find useful suggestions for active women who have gone through a breast augmentation surgical operation from industry leading professionals.

Weeks 1-2

The first 2 weeks are all about resting. The doctor may advise some daily stretches for you to do at home. Your activity should be limited to these stretches.

Weeks 2-6

After the second week of recovery most physicians will suggest increasing your activity to limited cardio and maybe some lower body workouts. At this point it is crucial that you are smart about how hard you go. It is important to not overlook the fact that this is still the beginning of your recovery. these workouts are less about going hard and being fit and more about slowly regaining your strength.

Week 6+

At six weeks post cosmetic surgery, this is the point that you can gradually get back into a more regular routine with low-weight resistance training sessions. Performing low-weight, high-rep workouts will slowly build up your muscles around the area of the procedure. This is a slow process, start with kneeling pushups and other modified workouts. You are still recovering so just because you could do 50 pushups prior to surgery, does not mean you can jump back to where you were. 

It is important to not try these exercises before this point in your recovery, especially if you are recovering from breast reconstruction or submuscular implants. Women who get subglandular implants have a different recovery time. These patients can typically start this level of activity after 1 month.

During the course of your rehabilitation, being exceedingly cautious is more than necessary to guarantee a healthy healing. Skipping steps or overlook the instructions given by your physician will lead to a list of serious complications. Your best option is to go over the healing process in an entirety, including exercise, before doing anything on your own. If a surgeon does not cover this and more, this is a red flag. Instructions on how to take care of your self before and after surgery should be covered during the consultation process. Leading cosmetic surgeons in NYC are some of the most renowned. Seeing one of these surgeons may be your best bet to ensure are in the best hands and know exactly how to care for yourself.