December 28, 2023
Breast implants are designed to add volume, fullness, lift, and shape to the breasts. They come in various shapes and sizes and are made of either silicone gel or saline. When you get breast implants, it can take time for your body to adjust and for the implants to settle into place. Here is what you need to know about how long it takes for breast implants to soften.
Factors Influencing Breast Implant Softening
Young Patients
Patients who are young and have never had children will generally take the longest to settle and soften. Young patients typically have thicker skin and more dense breast tissue. These tissues are “stronger” and have more elasticity; therefore, it takes longer for the breast and skin to stretch and grow to accommodate the implant. Generally, patients starting with smaller breasts have tighter skin and breast tissue, and thus, it simply takes longer for breast implants to settle into place and soften. Also, in these patients, a larger breast implant can sometimes take longer to soften as the skin and breast tissue need to stretch and grow more to accommodate the implant. This will vary depending on the patient, but typically, it will take anywhere from 6 weeks to a few months for breast implants to completely soften in these patients.
Post-Pregnancy Patients
Pregnancy definitely affects the time it takes for breast implants to soften. As we all know, dramatic changes to the breast can occur with pregnancy, and with each pregnancy, the breast and skin will stretch more, causing permanent relaxation and laxity. The breast and skin are less elastic and not as “strong.” A breast implant, in this case, will settle into place and soften much more quickly as the breast and skin stretch and relax more easily to accommodate the implant. In these patients, it is not uncommon to perform a breast lift along with placing breast implants to remove excess skin and tighten the breast tissue. For these reasons, breast implants will soften relatively quickly in patients who have been pregnant, usually in a few weeks.
Older Patients
In older and post-menopausal patients, the breast skin and breast tissue will progressively thin and develop laxity over time. Similar to after pregnancy, the breast and skin will relatively quickly stretch to accommodate breast implants. Thus, breast implants will soften relatively quickly in older patients, typically within a few weeks. The breasts in many of these patients have also been through one or more pregnancies and commonly also need a breast lift along with breast implants in order to achieve the best results.
Softening the Transition: Navigating Your New Breast Implants
When contemplating how long it will take for your body to fully acclimate to your new breast implants, keep in mind that the time required for them to soften is primarily impacted by the skin and breast tissue that support and surround the breast implants. This can vary widely depending on the age and whether you’ve been pregnant. Considering these factors, it should only be a matter of a few weeks to a few months before your body starts to adjust to the implants and they reach their preferred softness.
Learn more about the different types of breast implants offered at Meridian Plastic Surgery.
