Post-Pregnancy Surgery

Pregnancy and breast-feeding often take their toll on the mother’s body, resulting in excess abdominal skin with stretch marks and sagging, deflated breasts.

Plastic Surgical procedures can help with these demoralizing changes.

Timing. It is generally recommended that the woman wait until she has completed her child bearing before going ahead with a “Mommy Makeover, “ as it has been called. Additional pregnancies will stretch out a repaired abdomen or lifted breasts and, as a general rule, it is better to wait until the woman is sure she will have no further children. Of course there are exceptions to this rule. For example, if a woman has a divorce after the first child and feels uncomfortable getting back into the dating scene, it may make sense to undergo surgery, even if there may be additional pregnancies in the future.

Abdomen. The most common procedure on the abdomen is an abdominoplasty or “tummy tuck.” If there is extensive amounts of excess skin and stretch that extend above the belly button, a full abdominoplasty is usually necessary. If the excess and stretch marks are limited to the lower abdomen, a more limited or “Mini abdominoplasty” may be adequate. The surgeon should attempt to keep the scar as low as possible so that it may be hidden in most underwear. The recovery after standard abdominoplasty is more painful than after facial procedures (such as a facelift) and is similar to the recovery after a C-section. Ouch! Surgery makes such a dramatic difference, however, that most patients feel that it is definitely worth it.

Breasts. The effects of pregnancy and breast-feeding on breasts are greater for larger breasts. Patients who start with an A or B cup frequently do not suffer extreme deterioration in their breast shape/size. Larger breasts, on the other hand, tend to sag and deflate. The result are breasts that may need either a lift (mastopexy) or an implant (augmentation) or BOTH.

These procedures can be done separately or together depending on the needs of the patient, the recommendation of the surgeon, financial considerations etc.

Some women go through pregnancy with minor changes and require no surgical help afterwards. Others, however, for no known reason, develop significant changes in their bodies. For these latter women, plastic surgery can often help tremendously.