Recovering after breast reconstruction

Your wounds may feel itchy after breast reconstruction surgery. Try not to scratch the healing skin. The itching will get better as the wounds heal. It usually takes about 6 weeks for wounds to heal fully.

Once your wounds have healed, most surgeons recommend you massage the scars:

• over your reconstructed breast
• at the donor site, if you have one.

Do this with body oil or moisturiser at least once a day. Massaging along the length of the scars helps stop them sticking to tissue underneath. It can also help soften your scars. Your surgeon or breast care nurse can tell you what they recommend and show you how much pressure to use.

After your operation, scars will be firm and may be slightly raised. If you have white skin, the scars will be red. If you have brown or black skin, the scars will be darker than your normal skin colour.

It can take 18 months to 2 years for scars to settle and fade. Tell your doctor or specialist breast nurse if:

• the scars are not fading and remain raised
• you are worried about how your scars are healing.

There are specific scar treatments that can help the scars settle and fade. If you have keloid scars (raised, thickened scars), they may be more noticeable for longer.

It is very important to protect your scars from the sun. Use a sun cream with a high sun protection factor (SPF). This should be at least SPF 50 for any area of scarring exposed to the sun. You may be told to do this for up to 2 years.

Having breast surgery may affect your sex life and the way you think and feel about your body (your body image). Usually, this improves with time.

It is usually fine to have sex after your operation, when you have recovered. But it is important you feel comfortable when having sex. This could be a few weeks after your operation, but it may take longer. 

Ask your surgeon or specialist breast nurse whether there is anything you need to be careful about.

Breast reconstruction will create the shape of a breast, but sensation in the breast and nipple will not be the same as before. 

If you were previously aroused by having your breasts touched, your sexual arousal may be affected. It may take time to adjust, but it is still possible to enjoy a fulfilling sex life.

It is important to take things at your own pace.

If you have had breast reconstruction to treat breast cancer and you have other treatment for breast cancer, this might also affect your sex life.

If you are having sexual difficulties that are not improving, help is available. You can get sex counselling through Relate or the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT). Or ask your doctor to refer you to a sex counsellor. You can also talk to your breast care nurse about this.

It may take time to feel comfortable talking about your surgery and showing your partner your reconstructed breast. You may feel nervous about your partner’s reaction.

Your partner may be worried about touching the reconstructed breast because they think they may hurt you. You may find talking to each other and sharing your feelings and fears can help you both.

Even if you do not feel like having sex, there are other sensual and affectionate ways of showing how much you care for someone. Some examples of this include, cuddles, kisses and massages. It might help to spend time being close and intimate without having sex. Sometimes this can lead to sex. But it is also a way to build trust and confidence together.

You may worry about what a new partner might think about your surgery. You may be unsure what to tell a new partner. It is your decision how, when and what you tell them. Usually, talking openly with each other can have a positive effect on your relationship. It can make you feel more comfortable with each other.

We have more information on relationships, sex and intimacy after breast surgery.

You can usually start driving again:

• once you can use the gear stick and handbrake
• when you feel comfortable and confident enough to do an emergency stop and move the steering wheel suddenly if necessary.

You are usually able to drive within a few weeks after surgery. But some people may find it takes longer. 

Your surgeon or nurse can advise you on this. Insurance companies usually have their own guidelines about when you can drive again after an operation. Check with your insurance company to make sure you are covered.

You can discuss any worries you have about driving after your surgery with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if you live in England, Scotland or Wales. If you live in Northern Ireland, contact the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA).

We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.

We want our information to be as clear as possible. To do this, we try to:

• use plain English
• explain medical words
• use short sentences
• use illustrations to explain text
• structure the information clearly
• make sure important points are clear.

We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.

You can read more about how we produce our information here.