A surgeon explains why tight post-op surgical bras after breast augmentation can impede blood flow and lymphatic drainage needed for healing. A loose-fitting garment is usually enough, though frequent breaks from compression help if you do wear one. Follow your surgeon's specific guidance rather than assuming a tight bra is necessary.
This is a surgical bra. I don't typically have my patients wear it after breast augmentation surgery, and that goes against a lot of what doctors typically do. And so a lot of people ask me a question: why don't you do that? Well, two reasons. One, you need a lot of blood flow to an area to heal after surgery, okay? So when you wear a tight bra like this, it restricts that blood flow. You have pressure on the inside from the implant, now you're putting pressure on the outside. The other part is lymphatic outflow. This big band around here builds up all the fluid. It needs to drain out, okay? If you're going to wear a surgical bra, at least take a break several times throughout the day to allow those lymphatics drain off that surgery fluid. But for most of the time after breast augmentation, you really don't need a surgical bra. Some people wear something loose-fitting for comfort, and then if there's certain pocket repairs and things like that, or lifts, sometimes it makes sense to have a surgical bra. So if you are getting a surgical bra, you know, follow what your doctor recommends, but it may not always be necessary. Thanks for watching. It's tight.
