Tummy Tuck After Pregnancy

By Jerome Edelstein, MD

Pregnancy changes the body in many different ways, altering appearance in a manner that many women find undesirable. Drastic hormonal changes and the physical stress of carrying a baby lead to fat redistribution, loss of breast fullness, excess hanging tissues in the abdominal area, and stretch marks. These are among the most common complaints that follow pregnancy.

HOW CAN THESE PROBLEMS BE SOLVED?

Most women who are unhappy with their post-pregnancy body do their best to follow an exercise regimen and healthy diet in an attempt to solve their problems, but this doesn’t always help. Stubborn fat deposits (like the “baby pooch” that effects the abdomen) can combine with pregnancy-related skin and muscle laxity to create unsightly abdominal skin sagging that simply doesn’t respond to healthy living. Most post-partum changes are the result of genetics and the stress that carrying a child takes on the body. These typically will not disappear through hard work and discipline alone.

HOW A TUMMY TUCK HELPS

In many cases a procedure called abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) can resolve these problems and restore a woman’s body to its pre-pregnancy best. The procedure itself can take several different forms, the technique being determined by your surgeon based on the extent of the patient’s muscle laxity and skin laxity.

CAN YOU BENEFIT FROM A TUMMY TUCK?

While most women are candidates for a tummy tuck a few factors may make them ineligible. It’s important to wait for at least six months after giving birth before scheduling a tummy tuck. During this time, patients can improve the results of their surgery by working toward returning to their ideal body weight. A tummy tuck after a c section birth can be performed.

PREGNANCY AFTER TUMMY TUCK

Women who may wish to have more children in the future should not undergo a tummy tuck. The benefits of the procedure can be maintained after further pregnancies, but the same bodily changes that caused an altered appearance in the first place may return in many cases. For this reason it’s a good idea to delay undergoing a tummy tuck until you no longer plans to have any more children.

Tummy tucks also require a period of recovery wherein the patient won’t be able to lift anything heavy (including children) for approximately two to three weeks following the procedure.

Call (416) 256-5614 for more information about a tummy tuck Ontario.