You’re ChestSculpt Gynecomastia surgery recovery is complete! Here are some important recovery tips to follow from Dr. Marc Adajar.*
Immediately Following Your Surgery
- Read and make sure you understand your doctor’s post-operative instructions BEFORE going into surgery.
- Follow instructions regarding compression or protective garments. Your post-surgical compression vest is to be worn 24 hours per day until your first post-operative appointment. You may take this garment off to shower 24-48 hours after surgery. You will be instructed to wear an elastic garment such as Under Armor for two weeks post-surgery. You may choose to wear the garment for up to 6 weeks to achieve optimal results and comfort.
- You may feel light-headed, dizzy and some nausea as the anesthesia wears off.
- Don’t push yourself. But do make sure that you are up and moving around. This will help you to avoid complications of surgery. Get lot’s of rest!
- Drink lots of fluids and stay hydrated with water or beverages like Gatorade or juices.
- If you’re experiencing an abnormal amount of discomfort, aching, pain or redness, call your surgeon immediately.
First Week After Surgery
- You may experience some soreness, bruising or discomfort in the treated areas.
- During the first week of recovery, rest and stay away from activities that raise your blood pressure to prevent bleeding at the surgical site.
- Talk regular walks and enjoy light activity.
- Wear your garment day and night. You can remove your garment to shower 24-48 hours after surgery.
- If bruising is present, it should start to resolve at this point.
- Patients generally return to work 3-5 days after surgery.
- You may wash your compression garment and foam in the washer to keep it clean. Dry on low setting.
While it’s rare, some complications may arise and here are a few things to watch out for. Contact your doctor immediately if you notice:
- Seroma is fluid collection that could develop following your surgery. This will need to be aspirated by your doctor to prevent infection and you should contact your doctor immediately.
- A hematoma is a collection of blood outside of a blood vessel. It will look like black and blue under the skin and should be immediately be evaluated by your doctor.
Two Weeks After Surgery
- You are back at work and probably ready to get moving with moderate cardiovascular activities like speed walking.
- Avoid cardio like running, chest exercises or back exercises to allow your body to heal. You will still experience a moderate amount of intermittent swelling which can be worse after too much activity.
- Soreness can also be expected during this time. Take it easy and listen to your body.
- Consult your surgeon if you have questions about gynecomastia surgery recovery tips.
One Month After Surgery
Bodies tend to heal at different rates and you may experience some hard “lumps” or swelling and for up to 3 months.
- Feeling like yourself again and ready to start lifting? You may experience tightness in the treated areas as the scar tissue begins to develop. This is normal.
- Stretching and massaging of the scar tissues is very important. Although the tissues will feel tight, you will not likely hurt anything by stretching or weight training. Massaging tools may be used to help break the scar tissue down and recommend massaging the area 2-3 times a day for 5 minutes.
- Make sure you get the go-ahead from your surgeon before resuming strength training and resistance exercises.
3-6 Months After Surgery
Your results will be more noticeable during this phase as your skin begins to “tighten” and fully heal. Continue to massage the chest area.
It’s important to keep in mind your final results from gynecomastia surgery take time as your body heals. You may not see the gynecomastia surgery recovery final results for up to 6 months and results will vary from patient to patient.
*DISCLAIMER: Remember these are some general guidelines for XSCULPT patients only. If you have questions about your gynecomastia surgery recovery tips please contact your surgeon.