Posted March 09, 2016 in Blog
One of the most frequent questions we hear from patients is, “When will I see my final results?” If you’re planning to unveil the new you by a certain date, you’ll need to plan accordingly. To be swimsuit ready by summer, for example, you’ll want to schedule your cosmetic procedures in the winter or early spring. To help you as you’re planning, we’ve put together a list of some of the most popular procedures and when to schedule a cosmetic procedure and when you can expect to see your final results.
BREAST ENHANCEMENT
While everyone heals differently, you can expect to wait around six months to see the final results of your breast enhancement procedure. You’ll likely be very happy with your look and feeling back to normal long before then, but if you’re wondering when you’ll look totally fab in a teeny bikini, read on for details.
BREAST AUGMENTATION
Your breast implants need time to fully settle in after breast augmentation. Depending on the specifics of your surgery and the type of breast implants you chose, the time varies, but here’s what most patients experience. For the first few months, your breast implants will be higher and firmer as your muscles and tissue acclimate to their presence. By the time you reach six months post-op, everything will have relaxed into place. At that point, your augmentation results will look much more natural, and your implants will feel like they are a part of you.
Almost There: 2-3 Months
You Look Fabulous: 6 Months
BREAST LIFT
After breast lift surgery, your recovery will be two-fold; you will need to protect your healing incisions as well as support your breasts. Depending on the severity of sagging to be corrected and incisions used, it will take anywhere from 3 weeks to 2 months for your incisions to heal and swelling to resolve. After around five months, your incisions will have healed, resulting scarring will have begun to fade, and you should be able to perform all your normal activities.
Almost There: 2 Months
You Look Fabulous: 5-6 Months
BODY CONTOURING
The biggest obstacles to overcome while waiting for your final results after a body procedure are typically related to swelling and wound healing. Luckily, most of our patients say it was well worth the wait!
LIPOSUCTION
While most report that liposuction recovery is not bad at all given the tiny incisions, you will need to allow some time for your body to heal. During the procedure, a cannula (special hollow tube) is inserted through incisions to loosen and suction out fat. This process will cause some tenderness, bruising, and swelling in the treated areas, so expect to wait a few months for all bruising and swelling to subside, allowing your final results to fully take shape.
Almost There: 1 Month
You Look Fabulous: 2 Months
MOMMY MAKEOVER
A mommy makeover is a combination of procedures to restore deflated breasts, remove unwanted fat, and lift sagging tissues, and can include breast augmentation and/or a breast lift, a tummy tuck, and sometimes liposuction. Your recovery will largely depend on your individual procedures. Tummy tuck has the lengthiest recovery of typical mommy makeover procedures, so if your plan will include one, be sure to plan well ahead. It’s important to give your body time to heal properly, as this surgery involves underlying muscle repair and extensive reshaping of the abdomen. The good news is that after six to seven months, you will be completely back to normal and your tummy tuck incisions should be healed and beginning to fade.
Almost There: 3 Months
You Look Fabulous: 7 Months
FACIAL REJUVENATION
Whether you want to reduce unwanted signs of aging or you’re hoping to recontour your facial features, facial procedures can require a little patience as you wait for your results to settle and incisions to heal.
RHINOPLASTY
Rhinoplasty is a great option for sculpting the nose to improve facial harmony. But if you have a big event in the upcoming year, it’s crucial to plan ahead, as it can take a while for optimal results to appear. It’s normal for bruising and swelling around the nose and under the eyes to occur in the days after surgery, and residual swelling can last for many months. But don’t worry—most patients are already thrilled with their results well before the anniversary of their surgery!
Almost There: 3 Months
You Look Fabulous: Up to a year
FACELIFT
A facelift can take up to 10 years off of your appearance, but many patients are concerned about recovery and the presence of healing incisions, bruising, and swelling. Even so, most patients feel “public-ready” within a month, given the help of creative hairstyling and camouflage makeup. The good news is facelift incisions are largely hidden by the ears and hairline. In the cooler months, it’s easy to additionally camouflage any swelling and bruising with typical winter accessories. If you schedule surgery in spring or summer, simply swap those accessories for a sun hat, wrap around sunglasses, and a silky scarf.
Almost There: 3 Months
You Look Fabulous: 6 Months
ARE YOU READY TO START PLANNING?
If you’ve been considering a procedures but are still unsure of the details or where to start, contact the Centre for Plastic Surgery in Atlanta to schedule a personalized consultation. Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. David Brothers has extensive experience and can help you look and feel your best in time for all of life’s big events!
