One of the least pleasant aspects of dealing with breast augmentation, if you choose implants, occurs immediately after your operation—and it isn't the pain. In fact, the pain associated with breast implants is generally fairly mild and easily controlled with prescriptions like Vicodin or Percocet. Instead, the real bugbear of the whole thing is something that you may not even have realized you were going to have until after the surgery was over: drain tubes.

This is what you need to know about drain tubes after breast augmentation, including what they do, how long you're stuck with them, and what you need to do to keep them from becoming a problem.

What are drain tubes and why are they important?

Drain tubes are just long, thin flexible plastic hoses attached to small plastic "bulbs" that hang from their ends. You'll find them (maybe to your surprise and disconcert) coming out of your body along the edge of your breasts, probably where the incision was made. The tubes and bulb create a suction effect that helps drain excess fluids that might otherwise build up in the spaces around your implant. 

Having drain tubes can also keep you from having excessive bruising, swelling, and lingering fluids that could promote infection. Your surgeon is going to ask you to empty the bulbs on a time schedule and record the amount of the fluid gathered from each breast. That helps the surgeon gauge when it's time to remove the tubes.

What do you need to take care of these things?

The reality is that they're annoying, and long after you've discarded the bra and padding that the hospital put on you before they wrapped you up to go home, you'll probably still be dealing with the drain tubes. If you're lucky, you could get rid of them in a few days, but it isn't uncommon for them to remain where they are for a few weeks, either. Your doctor wants to make absolutely sure that fluid isn't likely to start building up inside your body because that might mean another surgery that could otherwise be avoided.

Start your planning to care for the drain tubes in your recovery room. If nobody thinks to offer you one, ask for a belt that can be used with the tubes. In fact, ask for two—that way you can toss one in the washer when you need to or keep one for the shower so that you don't have to try to hold the tubes in place and shampoo your hair at the same time. The belt is just a thin, elastic belt that has velcro fasteners on it in various spots that can be used to hold the drain bulbs in place.

Also, ask for a stack of small measuring cups, since you'll have to track the fluid in milliliters. Having the disposable cups means you don't have to wash and sanitize the same tiny plastic cup over and over again. Similarly, ask for alcohol wipes. You should always wipe the opening of the drain bulb with an alcohol wipe after you empty if of fluid before you close it back up again. That helps cut down on the possibility of bacteria getting into the bulb and traveling up the tube and into your body.

Generally speaking, the nurses will be more than happy to supply you with what you need if you ask. One of them may remember to do it even if you don't ask, but many just get busy or assume that someone else already took care of it, so don't be shy about speaking up for yourself. 

Other than that, you just need a pen and paper in order to mark down the fluid levels each time you empty the bulb, along with the time and date that you emptied it.

What should (and shouldn't) you worry about?

Try to avoid pulling on the drain tubes or letting a small child or the family pet accidentally snag one. Keeping them attached to the belt and under a few loose layers of clothing helps protect them and you from unnecessary tugs. Don't let them hang loose without support because the weight of the bulb can start to pull the tube out of your body.

Don't panic if the fluid coming out is bloody, yellow, or doesn't have the exact same color on each side. It can be disconcerting to see the blood, but that's likely to taper off after a few days. The color of the fluid is dictated by everything from fat cells that are picked up in the fluid to old blood cells and it can range from mostly clear to dark brown. 

Do get concerned if the area around the tube is red, hot, itchy, or painful. You shouldn't have any of this after the first day or so and that could be the sign of an infection. Call your doctor immediately and ask to be seen. If you catch an infection early enough, an antibiotic can often clear up the issue. If you wait, you may need surgery again to clean it out.

For more information on how to handle drain tubes after your surgery, talk to your doctor or your doctor's staff for advice. They'll be more than happy to help! Contact a clinic like Mansfield Plastic Surgery LLC to learn more about the process.