Is it necessary to massage my breasts after breast augmentation surgery?

The theory behind massaging your breasts after breast augmentation surgery is to try and reduce the risk of capsular contracture.  It is believed by some physicians that if the implant pocket is kept larger than the implant by frequently moving the implant around, the scar capsule cannot shrink and compress the implant which is a capsular contracture.

To my knowledge, no reliable medical study has ever been published to prove that massaging your breasts after surgery reduces the risk of capsular contracture.  Despite this, many surgeons still recommend breast massage to their patients.  It is truly unfortunate that some surgeons blame their patients for getting a capsular contracture by claiming that they didn’t massage their breasts enough after surgery. 

The honest truth is that capsular contracture is an enigma in plastic surgery.  It is generally accepted that excess bleeding leaving blood in the pocket around the implant can increase capsule formation.  For this reason as well as to reduce the risk of bleeding during and after surgery, it is strongly recommended to avoid any medication that can thin you blood for two weeks before surgery.  This includes aspirin, Vitamin E, ibuprofen, Advil and other anti-inflammatory medications. 

Other theories include the idea that capsule formation has to do with biofilms created by microorganisms.  For this reason and to avoid the risk of infection of breast implants, most surgeons recommend the use of antibiotics for at least a few doses around the time of surgery.

One of the most confusing things about capsular contracture is that it frequently occurs only on one side.  It is hard to imagine why one breast stays soft and the other gets hard when they were put in the same patient, at the same time, by the same surgeon and the same implants were used on both sides.

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