Breast augmentation has become an increasingly popular procedure, with the UK seeing a 27% rise in surgeries in recent years.

According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), the number of cosmetic procedures taking place in the UK has continued to increase following the pandemic.

After breast augmentation surgery, it’s crucial to follow specific guidelines to ensure a smooth recovery while resuming physical activities.

Here renowned plastic surgeon Manish Sinha, who has more than 20 years of experience in plastic surgery procedures, shares some of the most frequently asked questions he’s been asked about exercising post-surgery.

He said: “After breast augmentation surgery, it’s crucial to follow specific guidelines to ensure a smooth recovery while resuming physical activities. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions I’ve been asked about exercising post-surgery.

1. When Can I Resume Exercising After Breast Augmentation Surgery?

The timing for resuming exercise depends on several factors, including the placement of your implants and your overall health. Generally:

• Implants in front of the muscle (dual plane): You can typically start light activities, such as walking, within a few days of surgery. More intense activities, including running or lifting weights, should be postponed for 4-6 weeks, with a couple of weeks of extra recovery.
• Implants behind the muscle (submuscular): Recovery might take longer, usually around 8-12 weeks, before engaging in activities that stress the chest muscles. This extended period allows the muscles to heal properly and adapt to the new implants.

2. What Types of Exercise Are Safe During the Early Recovery Period?

In the early weeks following surgery, it’s important to avoid exercises that place undue stress on the chest area. Safe activities include:

• Walking: Gentle walking is encouraged from the first few days to enhance circulation and aid recovery.
• Light Stretching: Mild upper body stretching can be beneficial as long as it doesn’t strain the chest.
• Leg Exercises: Lower body exercises, such as gentle squats or calf raises, are generally safe and can help maintain fitness without impacting the chest.

3. Why Should I Avoid High-Impact Exercises Immediately After Surgery?

High-impact exercises like running, jumping, or intense aerobics should be avoided for at least 8-12 weeks, particularly if the implants are placed behind the muscle. Engaging in these activities too soon can lead to implant displacement, increased risk of capsular contracture (a tightening of the scar tissue around the implant), and other complications. The initial recovery period is crucial for allowing the body to form a protective capsule around the implants.

4. Can I Lift Weights After Breast Augmentation?

Weightlifting should be approached with caution. For implants placed in front of the muscle, light weightlifting may be resumed after 6 weeks, but it’s important to start with lighter weights and increase gradually. For implants placed behind the muscle, a longer wait—usually around 12 weeks—is recommended before lifting weights. Always consult with your surgeon before restarting any weightlifting routines to ensure you are not risking complications.

5. What Precautions Should Athletes Take After Breast Augmentation?

Athletes and those engaged in high-intensity training should be especially cautious. A tailored recovery plan, discussed with your surgeon, is essential. Professional athletes involved in sports that require upper body strength (like boxing or weightlifting) will need a more extended recovery period and may need to adjust their training routines. Ensuring a gradual return to sport, based on your surgeon’s advice, helps prevent complications.

6. Are There Any Exercises I Should Avoid Permanently?

Certain exercises may need permanent modification or avoidance to ensure the safety of your implants:

• Chest Presses and Flyes: These exercises put significant pressure on the chest area and might need to be avoided or modified.
• High-Impact Aerobics: Activities involving high-impact movements should be approached cautiously and may need modification.
• Specific Swimming Strokes: Strokes like butterfly or breaststroke involve intense chest muscle activity and should be avoided for at least three months post-surgery.

7. How Can I Monitor for Signs of Complications During Exercise?

Monitoring your body’s response to exercise is essential:

• Pain or Swelling: Mild discomfort is normal, but persistent or severe pain, swelling, or redness should be addressed with your surgeon.
• Unusual Sensations: If you notice any shifting of the implants or unusual sensations, consult your surgeon promptly.
• Changes in Appearance: Any visible changes in breast shape or size should be reported to your surgeon immediately.

Returning to exercise after breast augmentation requires careful planning and adherence to medical advice. By following your surgeon’s recommendations and allowing adequate time for recovery, you can safely resume your physical activities and enjoy the benefits of your surgery.

The leading preventative healthcare testing organisation London Medical Laboratory has scrutinised the details of the two main national parties’ policies on preventative health measures and community healthcare plans.

The Labour and Conservative parties have now both released their general election manifestos. Both contain plans for healthcare reforms. A leading expert says there is something to commend in both, but there are also questions that need answering.

Dr Avinash Hari Narayanan (MBChB), Clinical Lead at London Medical Laboratory, says: ‘While both parties do address many of the issues facing healthcare in England, the fact is that for the last two years, Government healthcare spending has gone down in real terms when adjusted for inflation. Reform is needed urgently, and when we look at both manifestos, the devil really is in the detail.

Labour Manifesto

‘Labour’s manifesto, released today, pledges to cut the NHS waiting list with 40,000 more appointments each week, during evenings and weekends, paid for by cracking down on tax avoidance and non-dom loopholes. It also promises the ‘Return of the family doctor’.

‘We agree entirely with its policy to “shift our NHS away from a model geared towards late diagnosis and treatment, to a model where more services are delivered in local communities”. It’s important that the manifesto says Labour will “embed a greater focus on prevention throughout the entire healthcare system and supporting services”.

‘How Labour undertakes these measures remains to be seen, however. It says the 40,000 additional appointments a week will be achieved by “incentivising staff to carry out additional appointments out of hours.” The fact is, NHS workers, just like staff at local clinics and pharmacies, already work long hours and that includes significant amounts of overtime. Healthcare is not a 9-5 job. Those incentives need to include appropriate compensation, maintaining healthy staffing levels or expanding staffing numbers without overstretching and burning out the current workforce.

‘Its manifesto also says: “Labour will use spare capacity in the independent sector to ensure patients are diagnosed and treated more quickly.” There is an important role that private sector healthcare providers, including private clinics and laboratories, can play in contributing to local health reforms. However, this will not be an overnight fix and needs to be carefully planned. Private health is a controversial topic for both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer. However, true leadership requires an ability to leverage private health to break the deadlock in NHS service provision.

‘Crucially, its manifesto says: “Labour will also take the pressure off GP surgeries, by improving access to services and treatment through new routes. We will create a Community Pharmacist Prescribing Service, granting more pharmacists independent prescribing rights where clinically appropriate.”

‘That is an excellent policy. Pharmacies should be empowered to offer many more services, including menopause support and treatment for certain infections. They should also be able to increase specialist services such as finger-prick blood tests to identify a range of conditions.

‘However, many community pharmacies say that they are receiving insufficient renumeration for new services at a time when they are increasingly stretched. According to analysis from the National Pharmacy Association, 177 pharmacies closed between January and April 2024, compared to 116 in the same period in 2023, making this the equivalent of 10 local pharmacies closing their doors every week on average so far this year. Adding to their workload without sufficient renumeration will increase the number of “pharmacy deserts”.

‘Furthermore, it is important to note that medical services cannot be substituted with non-medical services, despite achieving similar or comparable outcomes for patients. People still do want to see doctors. Changing mindsets would be a long-term game not only through educating the public, but levelling up other services while improving the medical workforce.

Conservative Manifesto

‘On the face of it, the Conservative’s manifesto commitments on health also look promising. They pledge to increase NHS spending above inflation every year, recruit 92,000 more nurses and 28,000 more doctors, drive up productivity in the NHS and move care closer to people’s homes through Pharmacy First, new and modernised GP surgeries and more Community Diagnostic Centres.

‘However, once again, it’s all about the fine print. The promise to increase NHS spending above inflation every year does not square with our recent research that shows that, in real terms, Government-financed healthcare expenditure was around £239bn in 2023, a decrease of 2.1% after adjusting for inflation. Government healthcare expenditure also decreased by 0.7% in nominal terms and by 5.5% in real terms between 2021 and 2022.

‘The Conservatives also say their NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan will help shift care away from hospitals and into local communities. To support this, they too will expand pharmacy services, including for menopause support, contraception and treatment for chest infections, freeing up 20 million GP appointments a year.

‘Once again, this is a sensible approach. However, there is no real indication that, on their watch, the Conservatives appreciate the funding issues facing local pharmacies or how many vital community pharmacies have closed recently.

‘With real-term cuts in Government funding over the past two years, private health spending – particularly on preventative health products – is likely to grow, whichever party wins. Increasingly, consumers are wisely spending money on preventative healthcare items such as vitamins, supplements and off-the-shelf blood tests.

‘Based on consumer trends and current healthcare pressures, the expansion of private healthcare is inevitable in the UK. However, as already mentioned, true leadership is needed to strengthen this sector in the wake of current economic pressures. Although regarded as friendly towards privatisation, Conservatives have not demonstrated a tangible commitment to this agenda.

‘For those concerned about easy access to healthcare, it’s useful to know that revolutionary new blood tests introduced in the last few years mean people have swift access to a vast array of information about their own health through a simple finger-prick test, which can even be taken in their own home.

‘For example, London Medical Laboratory’s General Health Profile blood test monitors seven key areas of health. It includes muscle and bone profile, liver & kidney function, risk of diabetes (by checking levels of HbA1c), cholesterol levels, iron levels and even the risk of gout.

‘London Medical Laboratory’s General Health Profile blood test can be taken at home through the post, or at one of the many drop-in clinics that offer these tests across London and nationwide in over 120 selected pharmacies and health stores. For full details, see: https://www.londonmedicallaboratory.com/product/general-health