Post-Pregnancy Surgery In Melbourne Victoria by Dr Carmen
Post-Pregnancy Surgery is a number of cosmetic surgeries and treatments to address the issues commonly associated with pregnancy.
They are suitable both for women who had had a natural birth, and those who underwent a caesarean section.
Dr Carmen, Melbourne Plastic Surgeon performs a combination of surgeries for the breast, tummy and more.
Download Dr Carmen’s Guide to Post-Pregnancy Surgery
What can be included in Post-Pregnancy Procedures?
Post-pregnancy procedures can include:
- Tummy tuck – Abdominoplasty
- Breast lift
- Breast augmentation
- Facelift
- Labiaplasty
- Scar revision
- Body lift for excess skin removal
- Arm Lift or Thigh lift
- Liposuction or CoolSculpting (non-surgical fat removal)
Why undergo a Post-Pregnancy Surgery?
If you’ve found your body isn’t responding to healthy eating and exercise as it did before your pregnancy, surgery could be the answer you’ve been searching for. We use a combination of procedures (including breast lifts, augmentation, vaginal rejuvenation, liposuction and tummy tucks/ abdo) to target your specific areas and help you to achieve your particular goals.
Post-Pregnancy Surgery Before and After Photos
See more actual patient photos of Breast & Tummy surgery/ Abdominoplasty performed by our Specialist Plastic Surgeon Dr Carmen Munteanu.
Most Popular Post-Pregnancy Surgeries
During this procedure, a number of treatments are combined. This allows you to enjoy a holistic approach to feeling empowered and comfortable in your own body. Becoming familiar with each aspect will help you determine whether this end-to-end treatment is right for you:
1. Tummy Tuck Surgery – Abdominoplasty
A tummy tuck procedure or Abdominoplasty is a common body contouring procedure to tighten and tone the abdominal wall muscles.
After giving birth, many women experience significant amounts of sagging around the abdomen, particularly in the lower areas. No matter how much exercise you incorporate into your lifestyle, or how well you eat, getting rid of this excess skin sometimes seems impossible. A tummy tuck (or abdominoplasty) re-tightens these loosened muscles, removing unnecessary skin and gives the area shape again. This may require the assistance of liposuction techniques to get the maximum effect. In some cases, women may also opt for vaginal rejuvenation to go hand-in-hand with this part of the treatment.
By removing excess skin and fat, then increasing the strength of the abdominal wall, this procedure can achieve a tighter, flatter tummy.
It’s important to note, however, that this part of the treatment is not an alternative to dieting or exercise.
Liposuction is often paired with this procedure to enhance the results and speed up the recovery. Dr Carmen will assess your candidacy during your initial consultation and compassionately address your concerns.
2. Breast Surgery – Lifting and Restoring the Breasts after Pregnancy
Following pregnancy and childbirth, and particularly after breastfeeding, it’s prevalent to see a loss in volume in your breasts. You may also be experiencing significant breast ptosis, which is all completely normal.
Breast implants can assist you in achieving more volume after having lost it during pregnancy and breastfeeding. During this part of the process, Dr Carmen can appropriately increase your cup size using fat transfer or breast implants, as well as ensuring they’re in proportion with your figure.
While some women may have lost size and volume during these stages of motherhood, others experience growth. For women who desire to get their pre-baby cup size back, a breast reduction is usually the most suitable option.
3. Genital Surgery – Restoring Vaginal and Labial Areas
During childbirth, the body is put through immense change and stress. As a result, women often end up with an overly stressed labia, sometimes causing discomfort.
Labia reduction surgery refers to a cosmetic genital procedure designed to change the appearance of the labia minor. Women requesting this procedure have usually developed a ‘longer’ labia which may protrude beyond the outer labia of the vagina. This can be uncomfortable or even painful (i.e when the labia rubs against underwear).
This surgery can also be used to tone, reshape, reconstruct or tighten various muscles surrounding the skin of the vagina.
When is the best time to have Post-Pregnancy Surgery?
Dr Carmen recommends your weight be stable for at least six months before undergoing surgery. If you are breastfeeding, it’s best to wait until at least six months after you stop nursing. It’s also recommended you ensure you are in the best emotional and physical condition possible before undergoing surgery of any variety.
One of the many reasons to wait at least six months after childbirth is that your body will still be going through the process of healing. As the tissues deep down in your abdomen have become severely stretched, and potentially ripped, it’s crucial to give the area time to revive itself. This is also the case for vaginal rejuvenation and breast augmentation.
After around six months, the hormones related to pregnancy will have subsided, and the stretching around your body will most likely have healed. This means that the tissue will hold together much more efficiently, once you go through the Post-Pregnancy Surgery.
Recovery after Post-Pregnancy Surgery
Following your surgery it is of utmost importance that you limit yourself to only light activities for about 2-4 weeks. Your torso and breasts may feel extremely tight and you may have a considerably unusual posture for a few weeks. You may feel you are bent over and cannot stand completely upright, this is normal. Most patients will have a hospital stay of 2-4 days. Recovery times vary, with most people returning to work in 2-4 weeks. However, we recommend no sport or heavy lifting activities for 6-8 weeks.
If you work an office or sedentary job, you can return to work within a few weeks, but for women returning to a more demanding position, more time off may be required before you jump back into heavy-lifting or physical tasks.
Additionally, the final result of your surgery may take several months to become visible, as the body needs time to heal itself effectively.
Should you have Post-Pregancy Surgery if you’re planning on more babies?
While it’s not necessary that you wait until you’re finished having babies to have the procedure done, it is recommended. The surgery can be performed at any stage, but because of the nature of changes that the female body goes through during pregnancy, the results of your procedure will be suboptimal. You may see the contouring begin to loosen, the breasts starting to sag and the abdomen skin stretch again.
Because the abdominal muscles separate during a subsequent pregnancy, it may be necessary to have another procedure done to redo the treatment.
Preparation for the Post-Pregnancy Procedure
The best way to get organised for the treatment is to make sure you have everything lined up in advance. The procedure requires extensive downtime, so you’ll need to give yourself time off from the normal daily activities you take on. Additionally, ensure you’ve arranged for enough time off from work, and allow for someone to be around during your first few weeks, if possible. It’s likely you’ll need a hand with even the smaller tasks – from bathing the kids through to fiddling with car seats.
When you get back from your surgery, you should have all the essentials already there and waiting for you. Equip yourself with healthy, clean foods, compression garments and prescribed medication. You may also want to have some stool softener handy in the first aid kit, just in case.
All surgery has risks – for detailed information about the risks and potential complications of Post-Pregnancy Surgery please visit the risks of surgery page.
How much are Post-Pregnancy Surgeries? – pricing and fees
Since the surgery combines several different procedures, it can be difficult to determine exactly what the total cost will be without a consultation. During your consultation with Dr Carmen, your specific concerns will be discussed and a thorough physical examination will need to be performed before any procedures can be recommended or costs can be discussed.
All surgery is customised. You will be provided a fee for surgery depending on the type of procedure you are having, the hospital you attend and the length of your stay.
Some portion of the surgery may attract a Medicare rebate if you are eligible under the government guidelines?
With a doctor’s referral you may be able to receive a Medicare rebate for your initial and subsequent consultations (if you meet the criteria).
There is not a fixed fee or a ‘one size fits all’ fee structure. All surgery is individually designed to suit the individual and the particular problem. In the fee structure a number of details will be considered, such as the extent of your surgery, the risks associated, the possible complications, the possible necessity for revisional surgery.
The fees will also vary from one hospital to another, and although we only work in accredited facilities, the fee structure can be quite different. The length of your stay can add to the expenses, however we would usually consider that one night should be sufficient for this type of operation.
At your initial consultation you will be given a detailed quote which will include, the surgeon’s fee, anaesthetic fee, assistant’s fee and the hospital fees, including theatre and overnight fee.
The fees are inclusive of all post-operative care for the first 6 weeks or however long it takes for the complete healing to occur, if there is a delayed healing circumstance.
Compassionate release of superannuation is sometimes available as a way of helping you to pay for your procedure. We can help you access your superannuation by completing the compassionate release of superannuation forms and explaining the process of application.
