Nearly 300,000 women in the United States have breast augmentation surgery each year, and it has been the top plastic surgery procedure since 2006. Even though the procedure is so popular, many women have questions about the post-op process, especially when it comes to whether to massage breast implants to improve healing. In this blog post, we’ll discuss whether implant massage is necessary, why it’s sometimes recommended, and how implant massage is done.
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Is it necessary to massage breast implants?
The intent of breast implant massage is to reduce the risk of capsular contracture. However, there is no clear-cut answer to the question of whether or not you need to massage your implants after breast augmentation. Ask 10 plastic surgeons what they recommend, and you will likely get 10 slightly different answers! This is probably because there is just no clear evidence that implant massage works to decrease the risk of capsular contracture, and too much massage early on may increase the risk of bleeding (or hematoma).
What is capsular contracture?
Capsular contracture occurs when the scar tissue that normally forms around an implant tightens and puts pressure on the implant. With capsular contracture, the signs vary according to the “grade” or severity of the contracture. Here’s a list of a few sensations to watch out for:
- Breasts feel too firm or hard.
- Breasts may look overly round or misshapen.
- Nipples may look misshapen.
- Breasts are tender or painful.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 75% of capsular contracture cases occur within the first 2 years of surgery.
What happens if you don’t massage your breast implants?
According to available data, you’ll likely be just fine if you don’t massage your implants. In 2017, researchers examined all studies about post-surgical implant massage and implant displacement from 1975 to 2017. The researchers concluded there was little evidence to support the effectiveness of breast implant massage to prevent capsular contracture. You can read an abstract of the study on the National Center for Biotechnology Information site.
When is implant massage recommended?
The decision to perform implant massage exercises should be made with your plastic surgeon’s advice. Many surgeons will advise patients to massage smooth-shelled implants postoperatively in order to keep the implant pocket open. Textured-shelled implants are meant to allow very fine tissue ingrowth into the shell, which reduces the risk of capsular contracture. Therefore, many surgeons will not have patients perform implant massage after the placement of textured implants.
Some breast shapes may respond better to pushing the implants down along with wearing a breast strap, and in other cases, this may cause too much bottoming out or settling of the implants. Sometimes it is recommended to go bra-less and move around normally to create micro-movement of the implants, allowing them to settle naturally.
How to massage implants after breast augmentation
If implant massage is advised, this involves moving the implant up, down, and side to side at least a few times a day to keep the pocket slightly larger than the implant. This usually starts a week or two after surgery and may continue for a couple of months.
In breast augmentation revision or breast reconstruction cases, it is imperative to talk to your surgeon about postoperative instructions.
The bottom line is that if you are unsure what to do – ask your plastic surgeon. Being too aggressive moving implants around early after surgery can cause problems, and there is no clear evidence that implant massage works to help prevent capsular contracture in all situations. Every patient is unique, and an individualized approach is best.
Explore Your Options!
If you are considering breast augmentation at our Kalispell plastic surgery practice, you can see the type of results we create by looking at our patients’ before-and-after photos.
When you’re ready to discuss your breast enhancement options, you can request a consultation using our online contact form, or you can call us at (406) 609-0210 to schedule an appointment.
Published February 2016; Updated April 2023
Thank you so much for this useful information. It was a question I had written down to discuss with you on my day of surgery. See you soon! 😉