The physical changes caused by pregnancy and giving birth lead some women to consider undergoing aesthetic surgery. Pregnancy can leave scars that even a diet or sport cannot heal completely: tummy, hips, breasts, and sometimes the face.
Is aesthetic surgery possible before or after pregnancy? If yes, in which cases and when should you consult, and which operations should you consider? Is surgery contraindicated post-pregnancy or if you wish to become pregnant at a later stage?
Discover all you need to know about pregnancy and aesthetic surgery.
Aesthetic surgery: what are the reasons for consulting?
Pregnancy changes our silhouette and our body. During this period, hormone levels fluctuate and the body stores fat ready for the baby. Your hair, breasts, tummy, and legs change, the skin becomes thinner and dark spots (pregnancy mask) or acne appear. These changes are temporary and in general everything will progressively return to normal after childbirth and breastfeeding.
But some scars can persist: stretchmarks on the breasts, thighs, and tummy, a little or even very distended abdomen, "empty" breasts, and a tired, gaunt complexion.
Aesthetic surgery and aesthetic medicine offer solutions to resolve these problems including:
- Abdominoplasty
- Liposuction
- Breast lift combined with the insertion of implants or lipofilling
- Targeted hyaluronic acid injections to plump the skin and restore volume or botulinum toxin (botox) to illuminate the eyes and appear more rested
- Mesotherapy to brighten the face
Aesthetic surgery after pregnancy: for whom and when?
If your tummy has not recovered its initial shape and you are thinking about undergoing an abdominoplasty post-pregnancy, you will have to wait for six months before having an operation.
If your breasts are not the same as before and seem less firm, emptier, or drooping, it is also necessary to give your body time to recover after the pregnancy both physiologically and psychologically. Your surgeon will recommend you wait at least 6 months or even a year after childbirth (or after finishing breastfeeding) before any operation.
Why is it necessary to wait?
Your weight, as well as all the tissues, especially the skin, must be stable. Pregnancy is an ordeal for the body, so it needs time to slowly recover, at its own pace, before considering a procedure.
Generally speaking, it is preferable to wait until after your last pregnancy (if possible) before considering aesthetic surgery to repair the after-effects of pregnancy. This makes sense as the results of the first operation can be distorted by a further pregnancy, and as a result, it may be necessary to undergo another operation.
In any case, all aesthetic treatments with or without surgery, even non-invasive in-office techniques, should be avoided throughout the pregnancy and during breastfeeding.
Is a future pregnancy a contra-indication to aesthetic surgery?
If you have had aesthetic and plastic surgery, it is better to wait for 6 months before falling pregnant to give the deep tissues time to heal and the scars time to reach maturity (generally after one year).
But you must not worry if you fall pregnant earlier. What advice? It is important to maintain a relatively stable weight during the first months of pregnancy so as not to interfere with healing.
Aesthetic surgery does not stop you from having one or several children. However, some can jeopardize breastfeeding, as is the case with major breast reduction.
In any case, to put all the odds in your favour to achieve the best results, it is better to wait long enough. This is particularly the case for operations in areas that will change a lot during pregnancy: liposuction or abdominoplasty, breast lift or insertion of implants.
I have breast implants; will I be able to breastfeed normally?
This is a question that comes up frequently and the answer is simple: yes, you will be able to breastfeed normally. Breast implants do not prevent breastfeeding as they are placed either under the mammary gland or under the muscle, which has no impact on the mammary ducts that transport the milk to the nipple. Furthermore, there is no risk of the silicone ending up in the breastmilk.
Breast augmentation using lipofilling (or autologous fat cell graft) is not a problem either.
Breastfeeding and breast reduction
Breast reduction with correction of minor ptosis does not have a negative impact on the possibility of a woman breastfeeding either. However, for more major breast reductions, the surgeon has to carry out much more complicated procedures, especially the repositioning of the areolea and the nipple. In some cases, moving the nipple-areolar complex requires a large proportion of the mammary ducts to be severed, which can jeopardize breastfeeding. These can sometimes regenerate themselves within a few months, but it all depends on the type of surgery. Discuss it with your surgeon.
So, in whatever order, pregnancy and aesthetic surgery can go hand in hand. These procedures that aim to help us feel better about ourselves and often regain confidence can be integrated into the life of a woman who has been pregnant or is planning to be. The most important thing is to address the issue with your surgeon who will reassure you and advise you.