After giving birth – to “fix” the breasts and abdomen: the surgeon answers the most sensitive questions

He debunks myths about tummy tuck and breast surgery and shares what women need to know to regain their self-confidence and entrust tummy tuck and breast correction to a surgeon.

Doctor M. Kieviš says that plastic surgery after pregnancy, childbirth or significant weight loss has become more popular in recent years, but only about 15-20 percent of people decide to do it. people who think about them.

However, according to the doctor of plastic surgery, it is necessary to emphasize that current plastic surgery is not about artificial beauty, but about restoring natural beauty.

“We seek to restore beauty for various reasons: weight fluctuations, age, pregnancy or trauma. Thus, the results of such operations are natural. Many people have surgery, but the people around them don’t even know it, and sometimes they don’t even notice it. Plastic surgeries are surgeries of healthy people,” explains M. Kieviš.

Nordclinic’s plastic and reconstructive surgery doctor assures that operations can be performed quickly and safely thanks to modern surgical techniques (anesthesia, pain management in the postoperative period) and professional experience.

M. Kievišas says that people do not decide on the desired plastic surgery operation because they lack finances or are afraid of the remaining scar.

“Naturally, the scar remains. But it is in less visible places, for example, in folds, bends, in the area of ​​​​underwear. In addition, if the scar is properly cared for, if there is smooth healing, it is usually not noticeable at all,” he says.

However, according to the doctor, plastic surgery, also called “Mommy makeover”, is becoming more and more popular.

“Approximately every third plastic surgery is precisely due to the effects of pregnancy and childbirth. More than 20 percent Abdominoplasty is performed in patients after caesarean sections. Even three operations (breast lift, tummy tuck and liposuction) are in the TOP5 of the most common plastic operations,” explains the doctor.

According to him, these statistics are absolutely normal. After all, pregnancy and childbirth cause many changes in a woman’s body.

“It is not uncommon to see changes in the torso and thighs, excess skin in the lower abdomen. The woman does not feel satisfied, but this is not only an aesthetic problem, because intense sweating occurs under the skin fold, the skin is shunted, sometimes even skin inflammation occurs.

Excess skin makes it difficult to choose the right clothes. “Women sometimes face sagging of the pubis, stretch marks, local accumulations of fat”, M. Kievišas names the current problems of women.

One of the most common problems is the separation of the rectus abdominis muscles, otherwise known as diastasis. The latter is found on average in every second woman who has delivered a baby.

“For some women, it appears as a lump in the center of the abdomen, above the navel. Due to the separation of the abdominal muscles, the posture is changed, the back muscles are stressed. Back pain may start to bother you. Also, due to the separation of the abdominal muscles, the muscles of the pelvic floor become unbalanced, and urinary incontinence problems may occur. A constant feeling of heaviness and bloating after eating can also be bothersome, discomfort can be felt during sexual intercourse,” the surgeon explains about the most common problems.

As M. Kieviš says, there is still an opinion that a person must achieve everything by himself, that is, regain body shape only through hard work, without help.

“We recommend exercising and eating healthy even after surgery. However, when there is a separation of the rectus abdominis muscles, even if the woman works with a physical therapist and strengthens the muscles, the diastasis will only be reduced. In more severe cases, surgery is required,” says the doctor.

As for local fat accumulations, according to M. Kieviš, it is important to know that it is really possible to reduce them by exercising. However, due to hormonal or genetic factors, there are stubborn deposits of fat that persist, even with maximum effort.

“Sometimes we even perform liposuction operations on professional athletes, and you can’t really call them lazy. Breast changes, excess skin and stretch marks cannot be eliminated by sports,” he says.

Women who have given birth also face breast problems that are not only aesthetic. For example, the breasts and nipples usually sag, which makes it difficult to masturbate, stretch marks often appear, and the breasts become heavy due to enlarged glands. A heavier chest can put a strain on your shoulders and neck, which can lead to aches and pains. As a result of the changes, the posture often changes as well. Therefore, plastic surgery is often not a whim, but a need to take care of oneself, so that the body functions properly again and the person feels good.

M. Kieviš reveals that after giving birth, women often choose breast lift surgery. During it, it is possible to remove “loose” skin and stretch marks from the lower part of the breasts. The breast can be lifted and firmed.

“Also, the nipple is lifted, and the size of the halo can be reduced. The scar after such an operation can be different, but it is usually anchor-shaped. The size of the breasts is usually not changed during their lift. However, if you want to reduce or increase, we also provide such a service,” explains the doctor.

The doctor of plastic and reconstructive surgery emphasizes that each situation is individual and requires a separate assessment. Abdominal plastic surgery can be of several types, but the most popular, according to M. Kieviš, is conventional abdominoplasty.

This operation can remove “loose” skin from the lower abdomen along with stretch marks. It is also possible to lift the pubis and suture the rectus abdominis muscles.

“The scar is usually from hip to hip, in the underwear area and around the navel. If the excess skin is less prominent, a mini abdominoplasty is performed. During it, a small fragment of skin is removed from the lower part of the abdomen. The scar after such an operation also remains in the underwear area, but there is no scar around the navel. However, it is important to note that after such an operation, the belly button is lowered. Most of the time, the abdominal muscles are not sewn during this operation”, explains M. Kieviš.

The doctor adds that abdominoplasty with an extended incision has recently become popular. This surgery, he says, can eliminate and fix the same problems as a regular tummy tuck, but with the added benefit of removing “loose” skin and stretch marks from the sides of the waist. After such an operation, a slightly longer scar remains than after a normal abdominoplasty operation.

According to the surgeon, 360-degree tummy tucks and Fleur de Lis tummy tucks are performed on patients after more significant weight changes.

According to the doctor, more and more patients are applying for body contouring surgery, when fat accumulations are suctioned from unwanted areas and transferred to desirable areas. Most often, these are the buttocks or breasts.

“Mommy makeover surgery is also becoming very popular.” This is the kind of operation where tummy tuck and breast plastic surgery is performed at the same time, and liposuction procedures can be performed at the same time. What are the advantages of this operation? Most of the body changes that occur during pregnancy can be reversed at once. Since only one operation is performed, the patient can quickly assess the result, and the postoperative period is also only one. Even financially, it is cheaper than splitting the operation into two stages,” the doctor shares.

M. Kieviš emphasized that plastic surgery is not a means of weight loss. Therefore, it should be operated when a woman is satisfied with her current weight.

“The body mass index should not be more than 27-28. Sometimes we operate on patients with a higher body mass index, but the situation should be assessed individually. In this case, the operation may become risky, and the aesthetic result may be slightly worse,” warns M. Kievišas.

Once the surgery is decided, the doctor recommends planning enough time to recover after it. It is important that the woman is not stressed about returning to work, childcare or other obligations.

If a woman is no longer planning to have children, M. Kievišas says that it is appropriate to plan breast correction surgeries six months after the end of breastfeeding. It is also important to perform a general blood test before the operation, so that the surgeon knows whether the woman is not suffering from anemia or other common health problems.

“One of the biggest enemies of plastic surgery is smoking. It makes wound healing extremely difficult. Therefore, it is necessary to quit smoking at least one month before the operation and not to smoke for another month after the operation”, says M. Kieviš.

The doctor of plastic surgery and reconstruction reassures that swelling after plastic surgery is a completely normal phenomenon. However, to control the swelling, it is recommended to wear a compression garment for 6 to 8 weeks. Lymphatic drainage massages are also recommended. Salty foods should be avoided after surgery.

According to the surgeon, it is possible to return to work about two weeks after the operation. However, if the work is physical, it is recommended to appear in it only after 2 or 3 months. You can usually do sports 6 weeks after surgery. However, if a diastasis recti abdominis suture has been performed, then it is possible to start exercising the trunk muscle only 12 weeks after the operation.

After surgery, it is recommended to sleep on your back, half-sitting. After about two weeks, you can start sleeping on your side.