What does having breast implants feel like?

A look into life with breast implants

Congratulations on your decision to get the breast shape & size you have always wanted! No doubt you are excited about seeing yourself with your great new curves, but you’re probably also a little curious about what it’s like to actually have your implants become a part of your body.

Here we’ll tell you about the physical and emotional adjustments you can expect during the first few months after your breast augmentation procedure. As you get used to your newly enhanced proportions, it’s normal to feel some strange sensations and emotional ups and downs.

What to expect as your implants settle in

Initially, your implants will sit much higher on your chest than it seems they should. This is normal. The reason your implants are so high is that the muscle surrounding your implant needs to stretch out and accommodate the implant. The muscle will stretch and the implants settle over time as they find their way to their final position on your chest. The majority of this settling process takes about 3 months for most patients. After this time, you’ll notice slight adjustments to your shape and size as they get closer and closer to their final position.

What they’ll feel like

As you recover, you will likely feel sensations such as prickling, tingling, and occasional “pinging.” It can feel pretty strange, but it’s usually short-lived, not very painful, and these sensations come and go. This is a sign that your breast tissue is healing nicely, as the nerve endings repair themselves.

A lot of our patients are concerned about losing sensation in their nipples after getting breast implants. While your nipples may feel numb, sore, or extra sensitive at times during the healing process, this is temporary for most patients. All of the incision techniques Dr. Pancholi uses carry very little risk of affecting nipple sensitivity in the long run.

If you have your implants placed under the muscle, you’ll probably be able to feel them move within their pocket when you do certain exercises involving the chest. It can be a little unnerving at first, but this too is completely normal. Your implants will not pop out of place, and you will not ruin their shape.

It’s Emotional: Growing into your new look

An important yet often overlooked aspect of breast augmentation involves the emotional ups and downs that many patients experience. Even if you are thrilled about your results and feel great about your new breasts most of the time, you’re going to experience occasional waves of doubt about your decision. You may even miss the “old” you at some point.

Don’t panic. This happens to almost everyone after any cosmetic surgery, not just breast augmentation. It’s a perfectly normal part of the recovery process. You’ve made a major change to a body you’ve lived with your whole life. Even women who’ve always known they wanted breast implants from an early age go through a stage of incorporating their new shape into their identities. So from time to time, you’ll probably feel strange, as though your breasts don’t belong to you.

Be patient. Within a few weeks or months, most of our patients say they don’t even think about the fact that they have breast implants. They just feel like their breasts are their breasts.

Learn more about breast augmentation in Las Vegas

If you’re considering breast augmentation, we invite you to schedule a consultation with Dr. Pancholi. As a certified cosmetic surgeon and breast surgery specialist, patients from as far away as Los Angeles, Hawaii, and even Canada have come to him to have their breast augmentation or revision surgeries. He will be happy to discuss all of your questions and help you determine the best way to get the results you imagine.