Having children is a wonderful process, which a number of women wish and hope to experience. However with pregnancy comes a lot of changes to the body. While weight gain and expanding waistline to care for the baby are two of the more obvious ones, you may be surprised by just how much pregnancy changes your body.
On one level some women may feel a sense of loss about their pre-pregnancy body, and they may have hard time emotionally trying to adjust to their new figure and shape. Pregnancy affects each women differently, some women are able to bounce back within a few months without any signs of previously expecting a child, but for others they may feel like pregnancy has ‘ravaged’ their body. Age and genetics both play a role in how the body recovers after pregnancy, but loose, sagging skin, stubborn fat, stretch marks and a loss of fullness and firmness in the breasts are all common after childbirth and pregnancy.
It is vital that women wait until at least six months after the birth of their child before they consider cosmetic surgery. During the nine months of pregnancy the body goes through incredible changes and it is important that you give your body time to settle down and yourself time to adjust to becoming a parent. You should always aim to use diet and exercise as ways to lose weight and tone your figure, however sometimes even after months of a dedicated healthy regime there are still areas of the body which you haven’t been able to change. We’ve listed some of the most common surgeries requested by women after they’ve given birth.
Tummy Tuck
You will experience abdominal changes after pregnancy. While you carrying your child, the abdominal muscles become stretched and lax, and they often become separated. After childbirth it is important that you allow your body time to heal, before you begin regular gentle exercise. However sometimes because the muscles have become loose and separated, it is difficult to tone and tighten your stomach and you are left with a pouch of soft skin. For some women this can very upsetting, as they feel they still look pregnant. A tummy tuck involves bringing the abdominal muscles together again, tightening them and removing excess skin to reveal a firmer, flatter stomach. When the skin is tightened it can also help to improve the appearance of stretch marks. If it is only your lower stomach you feel needs some extra help then you can have a partial abdominoplasty. This much less extensive than a full tummy tuck, only excess skin and stretch marks below your navel will be removed, and your scar will be smaller than the one associated with a full adbominoplasty.
Liposuction
This is one of the most commonly requested procedure post-pregnancy and can be incredibly helpful. Like a tummy tuck, liposuction is not an alternative to weight loss and you should already be at a healthy weight before the procedure. Instead liposuction is used to target stubborn fat deposits which cannot be shrunk or toned using exercise and a healthy diet. Liposuction can be used on the thighs, buttocks, hips, knees, chin, arms and neck – all common areas where fat deposits lie. Liposuction can is good for targeting specific areas and sculpting the body.
Breast Augmentation
After childbirth, and especially breast feeding, many women mind their breasts have lost the firmess and fullness they used to have. For some women this can be upsetting, they may feel unattractive and be self-conscious about anyone seeing them without supportive underwear. A breast lift, which involes removing excess skinfrom underneath the breast or around the areola, and tightening the tissue and skin of the breast, can help you achieve a firmer, more youthful appearance. This is sometimes combined with implants, to achieve a fuller, perkier shape. If you have smaller breasts and minimal sagging then less tissue will need to be removed.
Skin Treatments
Cosmetic surgery isn’t for everyone though, and some women choose to undergo non-surgical procedures instead. Treatments to rejuvenate the skin, reduce scarring and remove unsightly leg veins are also common. Owing to changes in hormone levels throughout pregnancy, up to 90% of women experience changes to the pigmentation of the skin, this can be temporary or longer lasting. Melasma, often referred to as the ‘mask of pregnancy’, can cause dark pigmented patches to appear on the face and develops overtime as the result of oestrogen and progesterone stimulation. If pigmentation issues persist after pregnancy then Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Rejuvenation is one of the options available to you. It minimises the appearance of pigmentation, but has minimal downtime and a low-risk of side-effects.
During treatment a handpiece which transmits a broad spectrum of light is passed over the face. The filters in the handpiece change the wavelength depending on the application and skin type being treated. The light energy is then absorbed by the melanin (the pigment in the skin), without damaging the surrounding tissue., after which the body’s natural processes remove the pigment. Other treatments which can help with pigmentation include Fraxel laser treatment, skin peels and prescription strength skincare. Your aesthetic practitioner will discuss all the options with you to help you find the right treatment for your skin.
These are just a selection of procedures popular with women after pregnancy and childbirth. With all cosmetic procedures, whether they are surgical or non-surgical, it is important to have a consultation beforehand with an aesthetic practitioner who can discuss the procedure with you and explain the risks, benefits and recovery times. If you are interested in a procedure then book a consultation today.
