What physical changes can be expected after childbirth?
The journey of pregnancy and childbirth is both physically and emotionally challenging. During pregnancy, your body undergoes transformative changes to accommodate and nurture a growing fetus. After labour and delivery of your baby, further changes occur, and the body transitions into the post-partum phase, where breastfeeding typically would take place.
The torso, specifically the breast and abdomen, often suffer the brunt of post-pregnancy change and is the most disconcerting.
Some of the changes that you may experience include:
Breast:
Loss of volume, ptosis (droopy or saggy breasts), changes in the size and shape of the nipple and areolar complex.
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Abdomen & Flanks:
Rectus diastasis, unwanted fat deposits over abdomen and flanks, stretch marks, lax and stretched-out skin.
What is rectus diastasis? It is the splaying out or stretching out of the abdominal core muscles of the anterior portion of the abdomen, as a result of the enlarging fetus & uterus during pregnancy. It is common to have residual diastasis even after the post-partum recovery phase. Some of its symptoms include an unsightly bulge of the central abdomen, persistent weakness of the core muscles and even discomfort or pain on exertion.
Skin & hair:
Increased pigmentation, stretch marks, reduced elasticity and firmness of skin, loss of hair, increased sensitivity and dryness of the skin.
Hands & legs:
Changes of the skin as above, swollen (varicose) veins, unwanted fat deposits over proximal arms and thighs.
Feminine areas:
Enlargement and laxity of the labia and vagina
Face:
Loss of volume of facial fat compartments, droopy and/or saggy excessive facial tissues.
What kind of surgery can be done for a mommy makeover?
Surgery would be considered according to individual suitability and one’s priorities for correction. Common requests for correction would include the following:
Tummy tuck or abdominoplasty procedure:
A tummy tuck or abdominoplasty procedure refers to removing stretched-out, loose skin and excess fat tissue of the lower abdomen. This is usually accompanied by strengthening or repairing of rectus diastasis and/or liposuction contouring of the abdomen and flanks to give better curve lines of the waist and abdomen. There are various types of abdominoplasty procedure types, which are indicated for different body types.
Contouring of waist, hips and flanks with liposuction techniques:
This refers to the circumferential or 360◦ liposuction of the torso to remove excess fat, contour the waistline and accentuate feminine curves of the torso. This is often performed with abdominoplasty, to remove the stretched-out, loose skin after liposuction. Various types or techniques of liposuction can be performed, depending on suitability and preferences.
Breast volume enhancement and/or lift:
Breast surgery during a mommy makeover aims to restore the ideal volume and the ideal position of the nipple/areolar with surgery, which preserves function and utilises minimum scars. Options could include Breast Augmentation using Implants or Fat Grafting, Mastopexy (Breast Lift) or a combination of both.
Facial fat replacement and face-lifting (surgical or non-surgical):
Volume loss and droopy/saggy facial tissues are some of the common ageing processes that are accelerated with childbirth. The volume loss can be replaced with injectable fillers, such as hyaluronic acid fillers, or fat grafting harvested during liposuction. Lifting of droopy/saggy tissues of the face can be achieved with either non-surgical or surgical face lifting.
Feminine rejuvenation:
Excess and/or misshapen labia can be corrected surgically through a procedure called labiaplasty, relieving the area of extra skin and restoring a more youthful appearance. Other procedures that can be considered include vaginoplasty and mons pubis reduction. Non-invasive procedures would include non-invasive vaginal rejuvenation.
It is commonplace for multiple procedures to be performed in a combined setting, balancing both patient safety and maximizing results. In addition, mommy makeover procedures can be done in conjunction with other minor surgical procedures, such as hernia repair, or a simple gynaecological procedure.
