Breastfeeding After Breast Augmentation with Implants

Does Breastfeeding Ruin Breast Implants?

Having children changes everything. Some of the most physically impactful changes occur in your breasts. If you have had a breast augmentation, you may wonder if those changes will affect the results of your procedure or the integrity of your breast implants.

Here’s what you should know about what breastfeeding does and doesn’t do to breast implants.

Can Breastfeeding Impact Your Breast Implants?

The size and shape of your breasts may change significantly during pregnancy and after breastfeeding, but the fluctuations happen in your breast tissue, not your breast implants.

Breast implants are inserted under the breast tissue and often under the chest muscle as well, so they are shielded by multiple layers of protection. Your baby cannot bite, tear, burst or otherwise harm your implants while nursing, and the pressure from your enlarged breasts will not cause your implants to rupture or contort. Breastfeeding should not change or compromise the structure of your breast implants.

However, the following changes to your breasts may occur when you become pregnant with breast implants:

• Breasts may feel swollen

• Breasts will enlarge

• Veins may become more visible

• Nipples may change colour

• There may be a slight tenderness of your breasts

• Nipples may become more sensitive

How do Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Impact Your Breast Tissue?

Although pregnancy and breastfeeding won’t change your implants, the same cannot be said for your natural breast tissue and skin. During pregnancy, fluctuations in your hormone levels and weight cause your breast tissue to expand, and your breasts engorge with milk. Your skin responds by stretching to accommodate these changes. After childbirth and nursing, your breasts will likely shrink back to their pre-pregnancy size, but your skin may be stretched too far to contract fully around your now-smaller breasts.

The outcome of this process is often loose, sagging skin and deflated-looking breasts. Losing a substantial amount of weight after pregnancy can intensify the loss of fullness and the development of a drooping appearance. While these changes do not affect the implants themselves, they can affect the aesthetic result of your breast augmentation.

What Are Your Options After Breastfeeding?

There are many options for adjustment if you have breast implants. Depending on what changes you’ve noticed and what your goals are, your options for revision surgery may include:

Implant Exchange

Breast implants can be exchanged for a smaller or larger size, a different shape or a different material. For example, replacing your current implants with a larger size may better fill out the breast skin envelope, counteracting the deflated look and providing more firmness. Keep in mind that exchanging your breast implants does not affect the position of your breasts, so if sagging is one of your primary concerns, you may be a better candidate for a breast lift.

Breast Lift

A breast lift elevates the breast tissue and removes excess skin. If your breasts are sagging after breastfeeding, this procedure can recentre your breast tissue around your breast implants. A breast lift can be done on its own or combined with an implant exchange depending on your needs. This is a popular surgery for mothers regardless of whether they have breast implants or natural breasts.

Mummy Makeover

If your concerns extend beyond your breasts, a mummy makeover may be right for you. Mummy makeover surgery targets multiple areas of the body affected by pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. You get to choose the combination of procedures involved. Popular options include breast lift, breast augmentation or implant exchange, tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), liposuction and labiaplasty.

Do Breast Implants Affect Breastfeeding?

It is possible for you to breastfeed with implants – but it does depend on the size and placement of the implants and the type of surgery you've had. If the incisions are under the fold of the breast or through your armpit, you should not have any problems breastfeeding. But if the incision is around the areola, you may have problems as there's a chance the milk ducts have been cut.

If breastfeeding is of utmost importance to you, we do not recommend Nipple (Periareolar) incision. In order to minimise complications with breastfeeding you should opt for armpit incision or the more common under the breast crease incision.

With breast implants there is no way to know with certainty if you can breastfeed until you actually start doing it. You might be able to produce some of the milk your baby needs and then supplement with first infant formula milk. It's a good idea to let your GP or health visitor know if you have breast implants, so they can keep an eye on your baby's weight and make sure they're getting enough milk.

Breast Surgery After Breastfeeding

If you are planning to wait until you are done having children and breastfeeding in order to have a breast augmentation, there are a few things you need to know.

First, you won’t be able to have this procedure done right giving birth or breastfeeding. Surgeons usually recommend waiting up to 6- 12 months after breastfeeding so that your milk dries up before you undergo surgery as there needs to be a recovery period after pregnancy.

Second, it is highly common that sagging may occur to your breasts after breastfeeding. The severity will depend on the amount of breast tissue you have. In most cases, post pregnancy may require a breast lift as well as a breast augmentation.

During a breast lift, the surgeon will make a small incision through which he or she will lift, contour and reshape your natural breast tissue. This gives the breasts a firmer, more youthful contour. The surgeon will also remove any excess skin and reposition the nipple and areola as needed.

Breast augmentation involves inserting an implant behind the breast tissue to give better volume, cleavage and fullness.

Consulting with a board-certified plastic surgeon can help you decide which procedure will benefit you the most. Some women opt for a combination of both surgeries in order to achieve their desired shape. Your surgeon will be able to assess your breasts and make recommendations tailored to your goals and anatomy.