Pregnancy is wonderful but it can leave a mom feeling the need for something exercise and diet just can’t produce. Many women find that it’s time to have a tummy tuck after pregnancy.
What is Tummy Tuck Surgery?
A plastic surgeon performs abdominoplasty (tummy tuck surgery) to remove fat and excess skin from their patient’s abdominal area. Sutures are sometimes required to restore weakened and/or stomach muscles, which results in a flatter abdominal profile.
What Is the Difference in Liposuction and a Tummy Tuck?
Liposuction
A person who has sound muscle tone and skin elasticity, but also has pockets of fat that have proven resistant to exercise and diet is generally a good candidate for liposuction. Incisions used during liposuction are smaller than the ones made during tummy tuck surgery, and your plastic surgeon can often hide those in inconspicuous areas of the body.
Tummy Tuck
Because women generally lose a lot of weight after delivery, their physician often suggest a tummy tuck after pregnancy. Rather than just removing unwanted fat, a tummy tuck corrects issues that often present themselves following nine months of pregnancy. During abdominoplasty your surgeon:
- Repairs weakened or separated abdominal muscles.
- Eliminates loose sagging lower abdominal skin.
- Repositioning the navel when called for.
Tummy tuck surgery results in a horizontal scar just above the pubic region, extending one hipbone to the other. However, your surgeon will make the incision where it will be concealed by the bikini line.
How Long is the Recovery Period after Surgery?
Because tummy tuck surgery after pregnancy is more complex than liposuction, you should expect an initial recovery period of two to three weeks. You should make plans to be off work for at least two weeks with no strenuous activities or heavy lifting during that time.
The aesthetic results should become fully visible in about six months after surgery. The amount of time this period required depends on how quickly your body heals and residual swelling subsides.
You should be confident you can maintain your current weight after the procedure and definitely not plan to become pregnant for at least six months.
What is the Best Time to Schedule a Tummy Tuck?
Though a tummy tuck can be performed just after birth (including a Cesarean section), most plastic surgeons prefer a woman wait until after she is certain she doesn’t want more children.
To learn more, consult your medical provider to recommend the plastic surgeon who is the best fit for your needs.
Deepti is a young and enthusiastic writer who is currently pursuing PGPM from ICFAI Business School. Along with this, she is a freelance content writer who thinks pen has the power to change the world.
