Liposuction After Pregnancy

Posted on: April 6th, 2015 by California Skin Institute

One of the biggest drivers of bodily changes during pregnancy is the accumulation of fat deposits in localized parts of the body. Many women who visit California Skin Institute for a liposuction consultation often do so because of a difficult time addressing these pockets of fat after pregnancy.* Such fatty tissue can become quite bothersome for some women as the excess fat in the arms, chest, buttocks and abdomen can be difficult to target through diet and exercise alone.*

For example, dieting can certainly reduce body weight, but it often affects the entire body, rather than a localized area. Exercise also has its limitations; often increasing the strength of the muscles, but without significant decrease in fat deposits. This can make it very difficult for some women to sculpt their arms and abdomen, with problem areas like armpit rolls and love handles virtually impossible to remove through non surgical means.*

The Effects of Pregnancy

At California Skin Institute we’ve helped many women reclaim their bodies after pregnancy, using a variety of techniques, including liposuction. However, having helped thousands of patients we’ve come to learn that the effects of an expertly performed mommy makeover are as much about psychology as they are about physiology.

Unfortunately, motherhood has been brushed off as a simple fact of nature for many centuries, without genuine acknowledgement of the changes that occur in a woman’s body during this process. Beginning with conception and throughout the approximately 40 weeks of gestation, a woman’s body goes through rapid hormonal changes that affect absorption of vital nutrients and the rate of metabolism. A woman’s body must now feed the growing life within her, in addition to sustaining her own biological needs.

When the child is ready to come into this world, a woman must often go through many hours, and sometimes days, of delivering the child – a process that isn’t just tremendously painful, but causes significant damage to bodily tissues; leading to vaginal tearing and often the development of hernias.

But perhaps the most significant aspects of pregnancy are the permanent changes to a woman’s body. A small percentage of women are able to avoid permanent weight gain and the sagging of skin, but the vast majority is not so lucky. And many mothers who visit California Skin Institute do so because many years after childbirth they still feel like their bodies are not their own.

Liposuction for Pregnancy-Related Weight Gain

At California Skin Institute we’ve helped many women reclaim their bodies after pregnancy to help them get back to “normal.”* However, our surgeons don’t look at liposuction as just a way to remove excess fatty tissue, but as a way to sculpt the body to a woman’s natural form.* This means carefully assessing a patient’s natural anatomical structure and using liposuction as a way to bring the body back to natural proportion.*

For example, a woman’s unique genetic predisposition can cause her to accumulate excess fat around the arms, chest, buttocks or abdomen during pregnancy.* Often this tissue can affect the aesthetically-pleasing contours and curves of the body, and liposuction must be targeted with precision so that it doesn’t just remove fat, but helps bring back contour to the body.*

How Liposuction is Performed

At California Skin Institute we perform liposuction either under general or local anesthesia; depending on how extensive the procedure must be, based on the unique needs of the patient.*

Once the patient is ready for the procedure, we make small incisions (just a few millimeters in length) around the treatment area.* For liposuction, California Skin Institute surgeons keep the number of incisions to a minimum, so as to minimize scarring.* For example, abdominal liposuction often requires just two small incisions through which the love handles can be targeted as well.*

A small surgical tool, called a cannula, is inserted through these incisions and is gently moved around within the fatty tissue (between the skin and the muscles).* As the cannula is moved around, it draws out the excess fat through a suctioning tube.*

Further, to limit blood loss and increase patient comfort, we use a technique called tumescent liposuction, where a tumescent solution is injected into the treatment areas to numb the area and decrease bleeding and bruising.*

Achieving Natural Liposuction Results

To perform liposuction effectively, great care must be taken to remove fat evenly throughout the treatment area.* California Skin Institute surgeons will often use the cannula with one hand while feeling the tools’ position under the skin with the other; to control the exact areas where the fat is removed.*

Further, when a patient is lying down on the operating table, gravity will pull on the fat.* California Skin Institute surgeons understand this dynamic very well and will often temporarily turn the patient on the side when performing liposuction, which allows for better assessment of fatty tissue from all angles.* In this way, California Skin Institute doctors can work toward outcomes that look more natural, that pockets of fat have not been missed, and that the patient’s appearance will be aesthetically pleasing when standing or sitting.*

If you have any questions about liposuction or would like an expert assessment about whether this procedure is right for you, please give us a call, or click on the scheduling link below to set up your consultation!

*Individual results may vary and are not guaranteed.