Maximizing Success in Postpartum Bodycontouring

Background

With pregnancies occurring at a later age, multiple births becoming more common, and the advancing age of a population with a keen interest in nutrition, fitness, and a desire to retain a youthful figure, the “mommy makeover” has been born. This report, informed by a review of the literature and the senior author’s practice, explores the postpartum body contouring patient’s goals and offers recommendations to successfully meet her expectations.   

Methods

The senior author’s practice was evaluated to explore patient goals in postpartum body contouring. The literature was then reviewed to assess the state of the art in care required to meet these goals. From these findings, we offer recommendations to safely and effectively maximize the postpartum body contouring patient’s satisfaction.

Results

The postpartum patient desires a return to her pre-pregnancy appearance. While the abdomen and breasts are most visibly affected by pregnancy, numerous aesthetic units of the trunk and surrounding regions are of concern to patients seeking postpartum body contouring. Clear communication is essential in satisfying the patient’s aesthetic goals. Principles to enhance the safety of combined procedures (beginning with careful patient selection and encompassing the pre-, intra-, and post-operative period) are here applied to reshaping the postpartum patient.

Conclusions

While abdominoplasty is central to postpartum body contouring, consideration must be given to the multiple body areas affected by pregnancy. Our experience is consistent with the literature: in the appropriate context, multiple procedures can be safely and effectively combined to address the various regions affected by postpartum changes.  This report offers recommendations to accomplish these goals in a safe and effective manner.