How long does it take to bounce back from breast reduction surgery? [Dan Zegzula, MD, Portland]

Dr. Zegzula (00:00):
Dan Zegzula. I'm a plastic surgeon, Portland, Oregon at the Portland Plastic Surgery Group.

Eva Sheie (00:06):
How long does it take to recover from breast reduction surgery?

Dr. Zegzula (00:10):
Faster than you might think. I have my patients, well, they're ambulatory, right? All these cases are done and an outpatient surgery center. They get in a car, go home that night, very restful. The first day when I make sure the patients are up and walking around thereafter, I tell them they can walk as much as they want around the house or around the neighborhood, but no exercising until I see them at two weeks. I personally see my patients at two weeks, look at all their incisions, and if things are healing well, then at two weeks I let them start doing light exercise, which means even some cardio, some low impact cardio like spinning or stair climbing. I let them get in the water. I let them do a little yoga and some lightweights, maybe five pounds per hand, and then at four weeks they can double that to 10 pounds per hand and they can try to run. Sometimes it takes four or five, maybe sometimes six weeks for people to feel comfortable running. It's the bouncing of the running that's uncomfortable. They can do racket sports and team sports after six weeks. So it's a graduated increase in activity, but you can be getting a sweat going, get your heart rate up after two weeks of everything feeling well.

Eva Sheie (01:20):
When do you get to see your final results?

Dr. Zegzula (01:21):
I take my photos at three months, but I think the result gets even better and the scars fade even more. Of course, after that, if I could get everybody to come back at a year, I would, because when the scars really have matured, but it's hard to get 'em to come back. Otherwise they're fine and they don't need to see me. It's just because I want photos. So I'll ask them, come back in a year if you'd like, and we'll get a final set of photos, but not often does that happen.

Eva Sheie (01:44):
Where can we see your photos?

Dr. Zegzula (01:46):
You'll be able to see photos if you come in and see, do a consultation with me, and I'll usually bring patients through some photos that I think their result might be similar, especially if they have similar body sizes and I can show 'em some of the patients on the website. But if you just want to peruse the gallery at the Portland Plastic Surgery Group website. We do also occasionally put up results in social media, so our Instagram feed has got some before and afters there. Those are the ways.

Eva Sheie (02:12):
On this podcast, we bring you directly to the doctors who are where before meets after. Links to our guest's website and contact info are in your show notes. Follow us on Instagram @wherebeforemeetsafter. Where Before Meets After is a production of The Axis, the podcast agency for Aesthetics, theaxis.io.