In plastic surgery, there are a lot of opinions when talking about drains. Whenever I perform a breast augmentation at Advanced Concepts in Plastic Surgery I use drains, then I leave the drains in.  These are little 1/8” plastic tubes with perforations on the side that pull out fluid from inside the space that was created for the breast implants.  They come out to a tiny 1/8” spot on the side of the breast and are generally removed within 2 days.  The little spot where the drain was removed will seal itself in about  24 hours.

Not all plastic surgeons use drains after plastic surgery, so why do I?

Before I began using drains when performing breast augmentation the breasts would tend to swell more.  When there is more swelling, the breasts will be more sore.  It could take a month or more for this swelling to come down and can be quite uncomfortable. Because I see it as part of my job as a plastic surgeon to reduce as much pain as possible, I began experimenting with drains as a way to relieve this swelling after plastic surgery.

Generally 60 to 200 CC’s of fluid will come out over the course of 2 days.  Some of this fluid is actually blood which would have to be reabsorbed if it is not removed.  Blood gathering around the implants can accelerate infection.  Blood also seems to be a factor in capsular contracture.  Patients that developed hematomas are more prone to capsular contracture.  I have never had a patient develop an infection where I have had to remove a breast implant.

So in my opinion drains speed healing, make people more comfortable, and help decrease capsular contracture.  Seems to be worth the inconvenience of having a tiny drain for a day or two. At Advanced Concepts in Plastic Surgery I really try to make all plastic surgery procedures as painless and as comfortable for the patient as possible.