Getting pregnant before or after cosmetic surgery

Because pregnancy has such a profound effect on all women's bodies, many women wonder when the best time is to have cosmetic surgery performed.

What effect does pregnancy have on a woman's body?
Pregnancy causes weight gain in the abdominal area. This weight causes the skin and muscles in the lower abdominal area to expand and stretch.

The result of pregnancy can include:

• Fatty areas which cannot be removed through diet and exercise alone
• Stretch marks
• Hanging skin
• Issues having to do with the abdominal wall muscles themselves

Where diet and exercise fails to fix the bulging and stretching muscles, a tummy tuck can provide a perfect solution.

When is the best time to have a tummy tuck if you are a mother?
To ensure that the effects of your surgery will be long lasting, the best time to have a tummy tuck is clearly when you have finished having all of your children.

Can I have one if I have had a Caesarean Section?
Yes.

Is it dangerous to get pregnant after a tummy tuck?
No. However, the pregnancy can reverse all of the changes made by your abdominoplasty and cause you to need another one following the birth of your child.

What about breast implants and pregnancy?
Breast implants do not harm or pose a risk to normal pregnancy in any way. Breasts with breast implants will naturally enlarge during pregnancy, but to what extent all other natural and normal changes will also occur will depend upon each woman – and also the size/type of the implants.

But can’t pregnancy interfere with the implants?
While the breasts will usually increase in size during pregnancy (a process called engorgement), this does not involve or affect the implants themselves (the implants are usually unaffected since they are behind the pectoralis muscles). That said, sometimes rare events such as deflation or hardening of the implants can occur, but there are no unusual implant complications during pregnancy.

What about breast implants and breastfeeding?
For the vast majority of women who have breast augmentation, breastfeeding is no more difficult with implants than without.  In fact, some women who have breastfed before and after they had implants put in say that breastfeeding with implants is easier.    

Studies have shown that levels of silicone in the breast milk of women with any type of breast implants are not higher than in those without breast implants.

It is very important to discuss your plans of breastfeeding your baby when you consult with your plastic surgeon. Your surgeon will be able to work with you to get the best possible results, even if you are not planning on having children in the near future.

Find out more
If you would like to find out more about tummy tuck surgery and breast surgery and pregnancy (or arrange a consultation), contact us today on 08707 606 555, or by completing our online enquiry form for an immediate response.