The breast implants recovery stages involve some pain, although it is generally “manageable” with the right pain management treatment. The first 2-3 days require the vast majority of medications, particularly those used to control post-op discomfort.
Instead of relying solely on narcotics to control pain during the first few days of recovery, some surgeons recommend pain pumps or pain injections for additional comfort.
Pain pumps resemble a small balloon that carries numbing medications, which slowly “drip” through a catheter and into the breast area for 2-3 days when pain management system is the most needed.
However, some plastic surgery experts prefer pain injections (e.g., Exparel) at the very end of surgery. Pain medications whose effects can last up to 14 hours are directly injected into the implant pocket without the “inconvenience” of carrying pain pumps.
About 3-7 days after surgery most patients are off their strong pain medications, particularly narcotics. Ideally, these drugs should be discontinued once postop discomfort becomes more “manageable” or more tolerable since their prolonged use is linked to constipation, lethargy, and even longer recovery.
Should the patients wish to continue their pain medications after 5-7 days, most are advised to shift to non-narcotics such as Tylenol.