While many of the changes that come with pregnancy and motherhood are full of joy and accomplishment, these experiences can also bring about a host of unwelcome changes to a mother's body. From stretch marks and loose skin to stubborn flab and newly irregular body contours, the ways that motherhood can transform your body are not always desirable.
Diet and exercise can help with baby weight and self-confidence, but the amazing changes a mother's body sustains through the pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum stages cannot always be reversed through simple lifestyle changes alone.
Several plastic surgery procedures target these physical changes to reshape and restore a mother's body and bring about a renewed sense of self-confidence. Read on for a few of the cosmetic procedures that are most popular among mothers.
1. Tummy Tuck
Mothers who are left with loose skin or unwelcome abdominal flab, as well as some mothers who face an abdominal muscle separation, may opt for an abdominoplasty after birth. Abdominoplasty procedures are popular among mothers who have a stubborn tummy "pooch" or loose and weakened stomach muscles that make the belly appear bloated or fat.
This procedure, also known as a tummy tuck, involves smoothing and tightening loose skin and connective tissues through surgery. A tummy tuck removes unwelcome stretch marks, tightens abdominal muscles, and results in a flatter, slimmer stomach.
2. Breast Augmentation
Pregnancy and breastfeeding often cause a change in the shape, symmetry, and size of a mother's breasts and, despite some claims, these changes cannot be rectified through toning or strength training exercises alone. A breast augmentation procedure, or a "boob job," uses implants made from either silicone or saline or the transfer of fat from another part of the body to create fuller, rounder, and more well-proportioned breasts.
Breast augmentations are ideal for mothers who have lost volume or shape due to the skin's natural stretching and contractions that come with pregnancy and postpartum hormonal changes. However, additional cosmetic procedures are recommended for those with significantly stretched or sagging breasts, as augmentations are primarily designed to reshape the breasts, increase fullness, and provide a mild to moderate lift.
3. Breast Lift
The hormones involved with pregnancy typically cause breast tissues to swell during pregnancy, but these same tissues shrink and contract in the postpartum period, especially the period during and immediately following breastfeeding, which can pull breast skin beyond the limits of its elasticity. Because elasticity cannot be completely restored, a breast lift is a popular option among mothers who want to reverse these effects through surgery.
While a breast lift cannot alter the size of your breast significantly, this procedure can remove loose skin and reshape the breasts for a more youthful appearance without the use of implants or fat transfer.
4. Liposuction
After pregnancy, many mothers are left with areas that seem to hold on to unshapely flab that won't go away with diet and exercise. Liposuction can be performed in a variety of areas to remove fat tissue and contour the body for a more well-proportioned silhouette.
Liposuction is a procedure that can remove small to moderate deposits of fat from the hips, thighs, tummy, arms, buttocks, chest, and waist, but it will not remedy loose skin and cellulite, nor is it an ideal procedure for those with a significant amount of body fat.
5. Belt Lipectomy
Mothers see changes in parts of their bodies apart from just their torsos and abdomens. In many cases, the skin and tissues of the buttocks and thighs become stretched and uneven, prompting many postpartum mothers to seek a lower body lift, or a belt lipectomy.
Belt lipectomy procedures tighten, reshape, and firm areas of the lower body around the belt, including the lower tummy, buttocks, hips, and thighs. The result is a smoother, more proportioned lower body shape that features tighter skin and a more balanced figure.
If you're a mother who is uncomfortable with your post-baby body, give the offices of
Ronald C. Barry, MD, a call to learn more, schedule a consultation, and discuss which cosmetic procedure is right for you.
