Pregnancy and childbirth do a number on a woman’s body. Some women bounce right back to their pre-baby figure, but most don’t, despite how easy celebrities make it seem on the cover of magazines. 

The truth is, even with personal trainers and chefs, excess pregnancy weight can be stubborn, and even the strictest diet and exercise regime can’t help saggy breasts and loose skin. Cosmetic surgery is the only way to truly regain your pre-baby body, and there are a variety of procedure options that can be customized to your goals.

The most popular options for post-pregnancy plastic surgery include:

1. Tummy Tuck After Pregnancy

Directly after giving birth, you might notice you still look about six months pregnant. This is usually quite shocking to new moms, but thankfully your abdomen will shrink over time. Unfortunately, even women who lose most or all of the excess weight associated with pregnancy will still have to deal with loose and saggy skin after they give birth. That’s why one of the most common questions we get from new moms is “How do I tighten my stomach after having a baby?”

Also called an abdominoplasty, a tummy tuck removes excess skin, tightens protruding muscles, shaves down excess fat, and overall reshapes the abdominal wall. Exercising after a tummy tuck will produce much better results in terms of toned abs, and you won’t have to rely on shapewear under clothes or high-waisted swimsuits at the beach to hide your loose tummy skin.

2. Liposuction After Pregnancy

Losing baby weight is often more difficult than losing weight in general, especially for women who were relatively slim before pregnancy. Excess baby weight is often stubborn and does not respond to normal diet and exercise regimes. A liposuction procedure can help get rid of those pockets of fat in the abdominal area, thighs, hips, waist, and arms.

Liposuction involves the physical removal of excess fat with a thin tube called a cannula, which is connected to a vacuum suction. Liposuction is an extremely targeted procedure, which means it can tackle those stubborn fat pockets in ways exercise never could.

3. Breast Lift After Pregnancy

Breast volume increases dramatically during pregnancy, even more so after birth when the breasts engorge with breastmilk. Once a new mother is done breastfeeding, she may notice a significant reduction in breast volume, along with saggy skin from stretching. Fortunately, it is possible to get perkier, firmer, more youthful-looking breasts without implants.

A breast lift is a common surgery after childbirth. It uses strategic incisions and skin removal to reposition the breasts higher and reshape them with an attractive contour. As a bonus, the breast lift is an outpatient procedure, which means less time in surgery and less recovery time compared to breast augmentation.

4. Breast Augmentation After Pregnancy

For some women, the volume of breast tissue lost after pregnancy, childbirth, and nursing is too much to fix with a simple breast lift. In these cases, or in the case of previously small-chested new mothers who want an added bit of confidence in their new stage of life, a breast augmentation procedure might be the answer. 

Breast augmentation uses silicone or saline implants to give you larger and shapelier breasts, but the surgery is also a great option to address asymmetrical breasts, which can happen as the body readjusts after childbirth. Breast augmentation can also be combined with a breast lift, giving you the volume and fullness you desire.

5. Mommy Makeover After Pregnancy

If your post-baby body is a virtual stranger when you look in the mirror, you might want to opt for an increasingly popular option for plastic surgery after pregnancy: the Mommy Makeover. The all-in-one Mommy Makeover procedure usually includes a tummy tuck, liposuction, and a breast lift with or without augmentation. Best of all, it’s all done in one surgery, cutting down on overall recovery time. 

How Long After Giving Birth Can You Have Plastic Surgery?

Although many women are eager to get bikini-ready soon after giving birth, it’s important to let the body naturally heal from childbirth before undergoing any surgical procedures. The wait time will depend on which procedure you choose:

• Tummy Tuck

  • It takes at least a year for your abdomen to reverse the effects of pregnancy, and if you gave birth to twins or other multiples, or you had pregnancies within a year of each other, you might need to wait longer.

• Liposuction

  • Some of the weight gain during pregnancy is due to hormone fluctuations, and it can take up to a year after childbirth to normalize, so it’s best to wait until then to attack those stubborn fat pockets.

• Breast lift / Augmentation

  • You need to wait for the breast tissue to stabilize after childbirth before having breast surgery, and the timeline will depend on whether or not you breastfeed. If you do, wait three to six months after weaning; if you don’t nurse, wait three to six months after delivery.

Get the Post-Baby Body You Deserve at Feel Beautiful in San Diego, CA

If you’re a mom, you know you’d do anything for your child—but what do you do for yourself? If you’re ready to take back your body and treat yourself to cosmetic surgery after childbirth, call today at (858) 295-4001 or book online here to set up a consultation with Dr. Steve Laverson at Feel Beautiful today. Dr. Laverson has decades of experience helping women like you boost their confidence and feel great in whatever they wear.