Having a baby can be one of the most incredible and life-changing experiences, but many women are surprised by all the permanent changes the pregnancy makes to their bodies. They knew that growing an entire human would cause their belly to expand, but many believe that once the baby is delivered, everything will go back to the way it was.
The reality is that they are left with loose skin, stretch marks, and accumulations of excess fat around their midsection that they were not expecting. The picture they had in their mind of getting their pre-pregnancy body back and wearing their favorite outfit again is not what they see in the mirror.
The good news is that there are a number of ways to repair these damages, enhance your beautiful post-pregnancy body, and restore your self-esteem. Today we are going to talk about how to get rid of loose skin after pregnancy using surgery and how to tighten stomach skin after having a baby using less-invasive treatments.
What Causes Loose Skin After Pregnancy?
After pregnancy, it is pretty common to be left with loose skin because your skin has to stretch quite a bit to make room for your growing baby. The longer it stays stretched out, the harder it becomes for it to snap back into place. It is sort of like the waistband on an old pair of stretchy pants, where if you kept pulling it over and over, eventually the elastic would wear out and it would not bounce back the same.
Inside your skin, there are fiber-like elements called collagen and elastin that help keep it tight and firm, but when the skin is stretched too far for too long, these fibers become damaged. This is often what happens during pregnancy, so your skin may not be able to go back to how it looked before. Also, as you get older, the production of these elements slows down and your body makes less collagen and elastin, which makes it even tougher for your skin to tighten up again.
Then, you have to add in things like spending too much time in the sun, smoking, and other unhealthy lifestyle habits because these things can make the problem worse by causing damage to the collagen you do have.
Loose skin after pregnancy can be caused by a combination of things, like how much weight you gain, how far your skin is stretched, the condition of the collagen in your skin before you become pregnant, and your lifestyle.
Is It Excess Fat Or Loose Skin?
Before you can determine the best way to tighten your stomach skin after having a baby, it is important to figure out what is really going on. Are you dealing with loose skin, or is it extra fat that is still hanging around? After pregnancy, many women have a mix of both because their skin is stretched to make room for the baby, and it is totally normal to hold on to some extra body fat, especially around the belly.
Knowing what you are dealing with can help you figure out the best next step, whether that is focusing on fat loss, skin tightening, or both. Loose skin usually feels thin and soft and tends to hang or wrinkle, especially when you are sitting or bending over, but if you pinch the area and it feels thicker or more solid, it is probably an accumulation of excess fat.
You Are Probably Dealing with Loose Skin
- When you pinch the skin on your stomach, it feels thin and soft, and you can only grab a small amount between your fingers, like just a couple of millimeters;
- Your body fat is in a healthy range, which for women is usually around 17 to 18 percent;
- The area you are concerned about looks saggy, has a lot of wrinkles, and looks a bit like crumpled fabric.
You Are Probably Dealing with Excess Fat
- When you pinch the skin on your stomach, you can hold more than a few millimeters between your fingers;
- Your body fat percentage is 18% or higher;
- The excess that you are worried about is sagging but not very wrinkled.
How To Get Rid Of Loose Skin After Pregnancy
If you want to decide how to tighten your stomach skin after having a baby, there are a few things you need to consider. First, you need to think about if you are willing to undergo surgery or if you are looking for less invasive treatments. The treatment you will need to improve the appearance of your abdomen will be dependent on the specific issues you want corrected.
For instance, you will probably need surgery if your abdominal muscles are damaged or you have a large amount of loose skin. If you have only a mild to moderate amount of loose skin and extra fat, non-surgical treatments like radiofrequency, combination microneedling procedures, or treatments of electrical muscle stimulation might provide adequate improvements.
Surgical Options For Correcting Loose Skin After Pregnancy
Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck)
Tummy tuck surgery involves the removal of loose skin and fat from the abdominal area as well as making repairs to damaged abdominal muscles that have been overly stretched or ripped. A surgeon performs this procedure after a patient has lost a lot of weight or after one or more pregnancies.
A traditional full tummy tuck can fix issues on the entire abdomen, including tightening up the abdominal muscles, eliminating any unwanted fat using liposuction, removing any extra skin from above and below the navel, or even repositioning the belly button so the results are natural-looking.
Mini Abdominoplasty (Mini Tummy Tuck)
During a mini tummy tuck, the surgeon only makes corrections to the areas below the navel, and it may or may not include repairing the lower abdominal muscles. It works well for people who only have a mild amount of loose skin that is hanging from below their belly button and can also be used to correct the placement of a C-section scar.
Non-Surgical Options For Correcting Loose Skin After Pregnancy
Fortunately, we live in a time where advancements in cosmetic treatments have made it possible to enhance and correct many cosmetic imperfections without surgery.
Treatments like combination radiofrequency, microneedling, and ultrasound can deliver dramatic results that historically could only be achieved using surgery. These types of procedures are recommended for women who do not have a large amount of loose skin or fat to get rid of. Some of the procedures that show very good results include:
Evolve Treatments
There is a family of non-surgical procedures that make up Evolve body contouring. The three procedures Evolve Tite, Evolve Trim, and Evolve Tone can all work together to tone, tighten, and add desired contours to your body without having to have invasive surgery. These quick and painless treatments can be used alone or in combination with each other to get the results you desire without any downtime.
- Evolve Tite: This procedure uses radiofrequency heat that targets the subdermal layer to smooth and tighten the surface of the skin. It also triggers the production of new collagen in the deeper layers, so the results will gradually keep improving as your body makes new collagen and elastin in the targeted areas;
- Evolve Trim: This treatment helps to eliminate excess fat and cellulite by combining heat with a negative tissue vacuum that can reach the deeper layers of subcutaneous fat. It works best for use in smaller areas but can help to reduce the appearance of lumpy cellulite so it leaves the skin looking tighter and smoother;
- Evolve Tone: This procedure is used after the excess fat has been eliminated and the skin has been tightened. Evolve Tone helps to create muscle definition by using electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), which improves the strength of your muscles as well as their tone and makes it look like you spend a lot of time at the gym.
BodyTite
BodyTite is a minimally invasive treatment that helps tighten loose skin and reduce stubborn fat, which helps correct sagging skin after pregnancy. The procedure uses a technology called radiofrequency-assisted lipolysis (RFAL) to firm up areas like the stomach, where the skin often loses elasticity after being stretched by a growing baby.
During the treatment, a small tube called a cannula is inserted just under the skin, and at the same time, a device on the surface delivers radiofrequency energy. This energy heats and melts the excess fat cells, which are liquified and suctioned out through the cannula. The heat energy also stimulates your skin to produce more collagen, which helps it become firmer over the next several months.
Morpheus8
Morpheus8 is a non-surgical treatment that helps tighten loose skin after pregnancy by using your body’s built-in repair system. It works by combining microneedling with radiofrequency energy to cause micro-injuries and heat up the deeper layers of the skin so your body will make new collagen and elastin.
During the treatment, which normally takes about an hour, a handheld device with tiny needles is placed against the skin and is used to gently create small channels while also sending heat energy deep below the surface. When this heat reaches the lower layers of your skin, it prompts your body to start producing collagen and elastin, which makes your skin firmer and smoother. After a few months, your skin starts looking tighter, smoother, and more lifted, especially in places where your skin is loose after having a baby.
PHYSIQ
PHYSIQ is a non-invasive treatment that helps tighten loose skin and tone muscles after pregnancy using a special technology called STEP, which combines deep heat and electrical muscle stimulation in one treatment. The heat works to break down fat, and the electrical pulses help your muscles contract and become stronger like they would if you were working out.
During the treatment, small applicators are placed on your stomach and deliver a warm sensation and muscle stimulation at the same time. Most people say it feels like a warm massage where they can feel gentle tightening and releasing. Each session lasts about 30 minutes, and there is no downtime. Most people begin to notice results after a few sessions, which keep improving, which makes it a great way for busy moms to get back their flat stomach after pregnancy.
Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Sometimes having loose skin after pregnancy is unavoidable, but there are some things you can do to help keep your skin in good shape so it is more likely to bounce back after being stretched. Practicing healthy lifestyle habits can give your skin what it needs to produce collagen and elastin, which are needed to prevent your skin from getting too loose. These healthy habits include:
Eating a Healthy Diet and Drinking Enough Water
Eating foods that are full of nutrients can help give your skin the building blocks it needs to produce collagen and elastin to help it stay pliable. Fruits like oranges and strawberries, and veggies like bell peppers are full of vitamin C, which helps your body make collagen and healthy fats, and omega-3s from foods like salmon, olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds also help keep your skin strong and smooth. Drinking enough water every day is just as important because staying hydrated helps your skin stay soft and stretchy.
Exercising
Staying active during and after pregnancy can help reduce the chances of developing loose skin. Gentle exercises like walking, swimming, or prenatal yoga can help manage weight gain and keep your muscles toned, which can help support your skin as it stretches. After giving birth, practicing strength training and some workouts that focus on core strength can help rebuild muscle and improve the tone of your skin. These exercises boost your circulation and trigger the production of collagen, which are both important for skin elasticity.
Topical Treatments
- Body Massage
- Many women have reported that using natural oils like coconut oil and massaging their bellies helped to keep their skin hydrated and pliable to avoid severe skin stretching during pregnancy.
- Body scrubs
- Sometimes using body scrubs can improve your circulation and also exfoliate the dead skin cells that can hinder your skin’s ability to repair itself. Scrubs made from sea salt can help exfoliate your skin but also deliver healing minerals like potassium, calcium, and magnesium, which help keep your skin healthy and improve its appearance. It is easy to make your own body scrub blend using quality ingredients like vitamin E, shea butter, seaweed, coffee, etc.
- Creams and Lotions
- You can use topical creams or lotions, both over-the-counter and prescription-strength (Retin-A), that can help prevent or correct minor issues with loose sagging skin. These topical treatments are designed to help improve elasticity and boost your skin’s collagen production.
How Do Celebrities Get Rid Of Loose Skin After Pregnancy?
Celebrities may seem to bounce back quickly after pregnancy, but they do face the same challenges with loose skin as anyone else. The difference is that they have access to resources and a variety of treatments and specialists that can help them regain their pre-pregnancy bodies.
Some celebrities choose surgical procedures to eliminate loose skin and extra fat, like Patricia Heaton, who is best known for her role on Everybody Loves Raymond. She underwent a tummy tuck and breast augmentation after having four C-sections to help restore her confidence and restore her body to its pre-pregnancy shape. Jessica Simpson has had multiple tummy tucks to remove stretch marks and excess skin following back-to-back pregnancies.
These procedures are often included in a “mommy makeover” and usually involve a combination of a tummy tuck, liposuction, breast implants, and a breast lift to repair the unwanted physical changes that come with pregnancy and childbirth.
Other celebrities, like Serena Williams, preferred to use non-invasive treatments like a skin-tightening procedure that used radiofrequency technology to improve the appearance of her abdomen after having her baby. The treatment stimulates new collagen and elastin production while also helping to firm up the skin without surgery.
Also, in addition to using surgery and cosmetic treatments, celebrities often follow strict fitness and skincare routines that help their skin to be more prepared for the stretching that happens during pregnancy. Personal trainer Melissa Alcantara, who has worked with Kim Kardashian, stresses the importance of losing weight gradually, staying hydrated, and using exercise and weight training to improve your skin’s elasticity.
It is important to remember that everyone’s body responds differently after pregnancy and that celebrities have access to advanced treatments and personal trainers, unlike the majority of new mothers. The key takeaway from today’s article is that there are some things that can be done by most, like making healthy lifestyle choices that can help avoid and correct loose skin after pregnancy.
IBI Plastic Surgery & Med Spa Can Help
If you are looking for options to eliminate loose skin after pregnancy or have stubborn fat deposits, contact IBI Plastic Surgery & Med Spa today to set up a consultation. Dr. Angelina and her team of experts will evaluate your situation, talk with you about your aesthetic goals, and discuss the best options available to meet your needs.
Motherhood is a new chapter in your life, but it does not have to close the door on how confident you feel or loving the way you look. With the right support and personalized care from the most qualified professionals, you can feel strong, refreshed, and proud of the body that brought your baby into the world. Set up your consultation today so you can look your best tomorrow!
