Can I go to the sauna after breast augmentation?
Sauna bathing with silicone implants in the breast. Breast augmentation is one of the most common cosmetic surgeries. But can you take a sauna bath with silicone implants so easily? After all, it does get quite hot on the wooden benches. Temperatures of 176 °F and more are not uncommon. The silicone shell of the implants could melt, couldn’t it? We have investigated this question for you. We also tell you what to watch out for in the sauna shortly after an operation – and show you relaxing alternatives to the sweat lodge.
No fear of melting
You’ve probably noticed that plastic melts relatively quickly. Depending on the type of plastic, temperatures as low as 176 °F are sufficient. Temperatures that can be reached in the sauna. Why should silicone implants of all things withstand this? The answer is simple: Because the body protects them. After all, they are surrounded by a lot of tissue.
Our organism has a rather sophisticated system that protects it from overheating. Even when temperatures rise to 176 °F and more around it, it doesn’t get that warm inside. Sweat, among other things, takes care of that. The fabric is an additional heat barrier. In this respect, you can go sauna bathing with your silicone implants. However, we have to make one restriction: You should wait six to twelve weeks after the operation before taking your first sauna bath.
What to bear in mind shortly after the operation
Even if the scars after a cosmetic breast surgery are relatively small, they are still a gateway for bacteria and viruses of all kinds. This in itself is completely harmless and normal. However, they also get on your body and sweating ensures that they are optimally distributed. This is particularly dangerous on the chest. This is because a particularly large amount of sweat forms around the wounds. The germs can also enter the body through the surgical wounds. This in turn can cause serious infections. This also applies to very minor injuries, such as those caused by an injection.
For this reason, you should not go back to the sauna after any procedure until the wound has completely healed. To be on the safe side, ask your doctor. Healing may be complete, even if red scars are still visible. The doctor can advise you. Only when he has given you the green light should you venture back into the comforting warmth. When the time comes, however, you do not need to pay any further attention to sauna bathing after breast surgery. Even 212 °F and more cannot harm your silicone implants – thanks to the body’s own heat protection.
Can I lie in the sun after breast surgery?
The following applies here: The surgical scars should not be exposed to direct sunlight or excessive UV radiation for about 12 months. Before that, you should cover them, for example, with a bikini top when you go out in the sun, or cover the scars, for example, when you go to the solarium.
Relaxing in the whirlpool is perfectly fine
However, you don’t have to completely give up relaxing in the comforting warmth shortly after surgery. Contact with water, especially thermal water, cannot harm the wounds. On the contrary, thermal water can even promote healing. So there is nothing to be said against relaxing hours in the whirlpool. However, please leave the pool as soon as you feel the slightest burning sensation. Pain always indicates that something is wrong in the body. Otherwise, you can stay in the pleasantly warm waters as long as you like. However, there is one thing you should avoid: swimming.
This is because the movements are performed from the chest. This puts a lot of strain on the surgical wounds. They could easily tear due to the movement. The result would be unsightly scars that would be visible for a long time. Again, talk to your doctor. He can estimate when you will be fit for swimming again. The same applies to land sports.
