Primary breast augmentation patients who were already exercising prior to surgery may safely resume exercise one week after surgery, says new research.
Postoperative complication rates, the need for additional surgery, and the quality of scarring were not negatively affected by exercise done as early as one week after breast augmentation surgery, according to a new randomized controlled trial.
The patient group that engaged in exercise a week after surgery was also an average of 17% more pleased with their aesthetic results one year after surgery.
Improvements in self-reported satisfaction rates may be attributable to the effect exercise has on mood and quality of life in general, the researchers note.
Nevertheless, the study’s most important finding is said to be that patients who exercised before breast augmentation surgery may be able to safely continue doing so as early as one week after surgery.
And without increasing their risk of complication or the need for reoperation, nor worsening the quality of their incision scars.
Plastic surgeons have typically advised patients to avoid all but light exercise for anywhere from three to 12 weeks after primary breast augmentation surgery, believing it to reduce complications.
| Outcome | Early exercise | Exercise avoidance / control |
| Patient satisfaction score (1yr) | 83.4 | 66.3 |
| Complication rate | 6.9% | 7.5% |
| Scar quality | 29.6 | 29.9 |
The study, by Brazilian plastic surgeons Felipe V. Basile, M.D., and Thais S. Oliveira, M.D., “Exercise after Breast Augmentation: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” involved a total of 225 participants who were variously advised either to avoid exercise for 12 weeks, or to engage in a supervised exercise regimen of aerobic or strength training three time per week for 12 weeks.
Patients in both groups were followed up one-year after their surgery.
Satisfaction rates and scar quality were higher in the exercising patient group, and complication and reoperation rates were lower in the group.
This research was published in the January 2022 issue of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, the journal of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons.