How Pregnancy Changes Your Body and How We Help You Get Your Pre-Pregnancy Body Back

You’ve tried to get back in shape after having your baby, but it’s been months, and you see lumps and sagging in more than one place. You’re too young to have drooping breasts and a drooping belly that make you look years older than you are. 

Dr. Jack Hensel Jr., board-certified plastic surgeon with Lowcountry Plastic Surgery Center in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, helps many women regain their youthful bodies after pregnancy and breastfeeding. Helping you look your best again can provide a huge self-confidence boost. Feeling sensual and attractive is an integral part of your feminine identity, and there’s no reason to give that up.

Post-pregnancy body changes

One of the most noticeable body changes may be in your breasts, since you see them in the shower daily. Before pregnancy, your breasts were likely smooth and round. Now they may look very different. Some women’s breasts get smaller, and some become larger, while some women experience asymmetry: One breast becomes noticeably larger or smaller than the other. 

Many women see sagging breasts after pregnancy; the technical term is ptosis. Your breasts grew to provide milk for your baby, but now they’ve lost their shape. The fatty tissue in your breasts expanded during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The pregnancy stretched your elastin, a skin protein, and your breast ligaments. Once the tissue stretches out, it doesn’t contract. The change is permanent. 

Among other changes you may notice is a softer, saggy belly. Even though you’ve exercised and eaten right and are down to your pre-baby weight, your belly may not look the same. Your skin may have lost the elasticity needed for a smooth belly. If loose, saggy skin or excess belly fat bothers you, Dr. Hensel can help you regain a smooth, flatter abdomen. 

What is a mommy makeover?  

A mommy makeover involves two or more surgical cosmetic procedures that help return your body to an approximation of its pre-baby contours. Following are some of several options Dr. Hensel. offers. 

Breast lift

If you’re still pleased with your breast volume but not the way they droop and sag, Dr. Hensel  can tighten the skin on your breast without implants during a breast lift. You’ll have a natural-looking contour without the drooping skin. 

Breast augmentation 

If your breasts have shrunk and you need more volume, especially on the top section of your breasts, you’ll need implants to achieve the look you want. This procedure is a breast augmentation. It’s your opportunity to increase your cup size, if that’s a goal. It also corrects asymmetrical breasts.

If your breasts have shrunk from pregnancy or if you’ve always had very small breasts and pregnancy hasn’t helped, this is your opportunity to make a change you’ll love. Some women include a breast lift with a breast augmentation. 

Liposuction/Smart Lipo

While Dr. Hensel is working on your breasts, you may want to have work done to attain a smoother abdomen or other body part. Liposuction is the most common cosmetic procedure performed in the U.S. It removes unwanted fat deposits from the targeted area. 

Dr. Hensel lets you know if liposuction or Smartlipo is the best choice for you. Traditional liposuction uses vacuum technology to suck the fat out of your body. 

Smartlipo is minimally invasive and is also helpful for patients whose skin is sagging; the laser’s energy destroys the integrity of fatty tissue cells and tightens the skin. 

Tummy tuck 

If your abdomen really bulges, you may want to go for a tummy tuck. It’s more involved than liposuction, because in addition to removing excess fat, it also removes excess skin.

If you’ve lost a lot of weight and are left with unsightly and sagging folds of skin, a tummy tuck may be a great answer for you. It tightens the muscles in your abdomen if they’ve stretched out. You’ll have a scar, though, so it’s good to know that prior to the surgery.   

Dr. Hensel provides several mommy makeover options. Call Lowcountry Plastic Surgery Center or book an appointment online today for a consultation on how you can restore your pre-baby look. When recovery’s done, you’ll be thrilled when you look in the mirror.