By: Jeffry Schafer, MD

Proven, effective surgical techniques are the best way to ensure a healthy recovery, but you also need to consider what steps your San Diego breast enhancement surgeon will take to help you prevent discomfort while you heal. Not all doctors offer pain management systems, and not all pain management systems are the same, but a few simple facts should help you understand what to look for.

Why Is Pain Management So Important?

Some surgeons may choose to manage typical postoperative discomfort through prescription medications, and for some procedures this approach makes sense. However, for breast enlargement surgery in San Diego I prefer to avoid prescribing internal pain medications because they do not focus on the surgical site itself, and side effects like dizziness, sleepiness, and mood changes can add an extra dimension of discomfort after the procedure

For me, patient safety, comfort, and quality of results are top priority. Being stuck in bed after surgery can be depressing, and while a little downtime after surgery is normal, patients whose postsurgical discomfort significantly affects their mood simply will not expect a stellar outcome of their procedure – physically or emotionally. On the other hand, patients who have good reason to be confident in their surgeon’s abilities – and feel more comfortable with their bodies during recovery – will feel better about their results as their San Diego breast enlargement heals.

How Postoperative Pain Management Works

Postoperative pain management systems like the On-Q® PainBuster® (which I use) and the Stryker® Pain Pump require a much smaller amount of medication than pills, and work somewhat like an IV drip, delivering a constant, precisely regulated amount of medication directly to the tissues surrounding the surgical site. Advantages of these systems:

• Portability: These systems consist of a thin catheter attached to the tissue around your incision site, connected by a small tube to a device about the size of a small water bottle, which contains the medication and the pump itself.
• Complication prevention: Some studies suggest that continuous pain relief systems help limit the risk of postoperative complications like surgical-site infection and necrosis. Part of the reason for this may be that the system allows patients to be walking around and maintaining healthy blood flow, rather than staying in bed. Also, the system is continuously activating blood flow in the tiny capillaries that carry oxygen and key nutrients that healing tissues need.

Questions to ask:

For me and for patients of my San Diego Rapid Recovery® breast augmentation procedures, these systems offer a clear advantage. When you don’t have to worry about severe postoperative discomfort, you feel more like yourself and can focus on your recovery and results.

A few questions to ask your surgeon:

• Which pain management system do you use?
• Will I need to take additional steps to ensure that my pain management system operates cleanly and safely?
• May I speak with one of your past San Diego breast augmentation patients to discuss her experience during recovery?