Care: Breast reconstruction
All in one place: the facts about the procedure, how recovery progresses, and the guides you should read.
The information in this section is for general orientation and does not replace personal medical assessment, instructions or follow-up. Always follow your surgeon's recommendations.
Your surgery in figures
- Length 2 to 8 hours
- Anaesthesia General
- Hospital stay One to five nights
- Normal life 3 to 8 weeks
How recovery progresses
- Days 1 to 10 Hospital stay according to the technique, drains, surgical bra and moderate discomfort. Limited movement of the arm on the operated side.
- Weeks 2 to 6 Drains removed and gradual recovery. If there is an expander, the expansions in the consulting room begin. Shoulder physiotherapy where indicated.
- Months 2 to 6 The expansion is completed and the exchange for the definitive implant is scheduled, or the result of the flap settles.
- Months 6 to 18 Adjustment stages: symmetrisation, fat grafting and reconstruction of the areola and nipple. The complete process is a long one.
These are the indicative timings from the procedure page. Yours depend on your case and come from Dr. García.
The guides that apply to you
In this order: before, the day itself, and afterwards.
- 1 Before your surgery Tests, preparation and the decisions of the weeks beforehand. This is the stage you can influence the most.
- 2 The day of your surgery From the alarm clock to the operating room: fasting, documents, what to bring and what is going to happen.
- 3 Recovery and aftercare Wounds, drains, hygiene, rest and follow-up. What is normal, what is not, and who to call.
- 4 Food and nutrition What food actually does before and after, with no miracle diets and no lists of forbidden ingredients.
- 5 Compression garments What they are really for, how to choose the size, and how to look after them so they last as long as they should.
- 6 Specific aftercare Scars, sun, sleeping positions, exercise, going back to work, and the signs that do not wait for your next appointment.
Reading about this procedure
Warning signs
Some signs do not wait for your next appointment. If one appears, contact the practice immediately and, if you cannot get through or the situation is serious, go to an emergency department.
See the warning signsNeed help?
If something is unclear or worrying you, write to us. We would far rather settle a small question in time than a large one too late.
Contact usWhat applies to your case is given to you in writing by Dr. García, with your quotation and your consent form. If anything here does not match your sheet, your sheet is the one that counts.