Breast Implant: How to Sleep Safely Post-Implant Replacement?

Sleep on your back with your upper body elevated.

The Biological Imperative of Sleep in Revision Surgery

Revision augmentation (breast implant replacement) is fundamentally more demanding than an initial breast surgery according to the field of plastic surgery aesthetics. The main challenges include navigation through the old scar tissue and meticulous removal of the implant capsule, all this while possibly reconstructing an internal structural pocket which is meant for the new implant. Due to the highly traumatic nature of these activities, a recovery phase of at least six weeks is considered. This is also the time when the body is most active in fighting off the inflammatory processes and repairing the cellular damage to heal these deep incisions, the main reason why sleep during the first weeks post-operative period is very necessary.

In terms of an unequivocal clinical decision, the way we lay our body during regenerative sleep is very important in determining the aesthetic outcome of your surgery after replacement. Internal tissue pockets are in a very delicate condition, newly created or tightened ones, and they can easily collapse if the mechanical pressure is not controlled. Collagen bonds are also a factor in securing the implants, but these fresh collagen bonds have not yet solidified completely. Incorrect sleeping patterns can cause asymmetrical tension on the breast tissue, severely damage the microvascular capillaries, prolong wound healing, and significantly raise the probability of implants relocating from their engineered positions.

The Supine Position: Why Back-Sleeping is Non-Negotiable

In order to guard your surgical changes against any possible mishap, lying strictly supine or on your back is medically necessary in the case of an implant replacement or revision surgery. When we lie on our back, the new breast implant weight is spread evenly over the chest wall by gravitational forces, and thus the implants are expected to settle down to the bottom of the breast pocket due to their weight. Gravitational force is the reason why the implant is placed evenly so that there will never be uneven pressures at the bottom of the infra-mammary fold (a fold at the base of the breast from which an incision is usually made for the surgery) or on one side of the body.

On the other hand, sleeping in a sideways or prone (face-down) position too soon puts a greater and uneven burden of the weight of your implants on the different parts of the body thus resulting in a lateral or medial displacement of the implants (lateral direction refers to the direction away from the midline of the body towards the sides, whereas the medial direction means toward the midline of the body). These lateral and medial forces are the main agents that tear apart the inner surgical stitches, which are meant to keep the implants in a fixed position.

Elevation and Acute Edema Management

Although being flat on your back is essential for post-operative care, a full reclining position is very harmful and a risk factor in the early weeks after the operation. In order to promote the healing processes as a part of your recovery, the patient should sleep with an angle of 30-45 degrees of elevation. By utilizing this elevated position to the patient’s benefit, the lymphatic fluid and the blood pool that might get settled at the surgery site as a part of the inflammation process are actively drained through gravity. As a result, you can expect a significant reduction in the massive acute post-operative swelling (edema) that is usually the normal consequence of a complex revisional surgery.

Besides the fact that swelling goes down, such an elevated sleeping position can significantly decrease your discomfort and the feeling of the implant resting directly on your rib cage thereby limiting the depth of your breath. To achieve the best results in your early recovery, elite-level programs strongly support the use of a medical-grade orthopedic wedge pillow or sleeping in a recliner chair for your first two to three weeks as a means of keeping that angle of elevation as precise and consistent as possible throughout the night, in addition to a great amount of comfort and an uninterrupted, restful sleep cycle for your body.

Structural Integrity and Adhering to Post-Operative Protective Measures

At sleep time, maintaining strict compliance with a set of protective rules is essential to achieve and maintain an excellent body physique. While we cannot move during sleep, people still need to do their share to ensure safety by designing their sleeping areas to prevent accidental movements. In order to achieve this, one can place large, barrier-like pillows snugly under both arms and around the sides of the torso in order to work like a bumper system, thus keeping the body securely fastened in a raised supine position and preventing a person from unconsciously slipping onto the side or stomach during the night.

To make sure the breasts stay placed precisely where they are supposed to be, patients must also wear a high-quality, surgical-grade compression bra at all times, even when they are sleeping, for the following four to six weeks at a minimum. This bra acts as a kind of cast, keeping things in place and protecting delicate healing skin tissue from being pulled by the weight of the implants while gravity is also kept neutral. Moreover, totally refraining from nicotine consumption before and after surgery is a must since nicotine is highly effective at causing blood vessels to constrict, which leads to the immediate and very serious depletion of blood supply (and with it oxygen which is essential for healing) to the tissues of the reconstructed breast.

LIN Europe Clinic

The choice of LIN Europe Clinic means that you will be welcomed to one of the first-class and best-in-class health resorts of the world where areas like facial aesthetics, structural body contouring through advanced techniques and revision surgery are looked after with complete and unflinching excellence, both clinically and compassionately. We, however, believe, through a great deal of experience, that to achieve a truly outstanding breast implant replacement requires an extremely high level of technical accuracy with complete transparency and also great support. This is the reason we created an environment that is centered on medical evidence and where patients are put first in terms of safety.

By placing complete faith in the committed team of specialists at  LIN Europe Clinic, located in Istanbul, your structural details are closely checked with the precision required by each diagnostic method available. We assist you with detailed and tailored pre-operative planning, including high-definition tissue reviews as well as a healing checklist which guides the patient step by step through the process of healing of the tissues and integration into the patient’s lifestyle. You and your doctor can be absolutely certain that your cosmetic procedure and the well-being of your entire system are fully protected while you are gradually getting used to your new appearance, with total confidence in the team of doctors here as your partner to make it a perfect match for your most desired profile. Our first-rate medical specialists guarantee that any changes to your appearance will only be in accordance with your medical needs, thereby making sure your health and beauty will be at their best, harmoniously balanced.