Dr. Kleto typically recommends that you wait until after you’re done having children to get a tummy tuck since future pregnancies can potentially have an adverse impact on your results. During a tummy tuck, Dr. Kleto will remove excess fat and skin from your abdominal region and tighten abdominal muscles to help you achieve a flatter stomach and smaller waist. During pregnancy, this region will stretch again as the fetus develops, which may cause the muscles that were tightened to stretch apart again. In addition, abdominal skin may not have sufficient elasticity after childbirth to return to its pre-pregnancy state. Therefore, you may need to undergo a tummy tuck revision procedure in order to restore your initial results.
Of course, life doesn’t always go as planned. Even if you think you’re done having children, an unexpected pregnancy down the road can always occur. The good news is that a tummy tuck won’t prevent you from having children in the future or adversely impact your pregnancy in any way. However, you should always inform your obstetrician of a prior tummy tuck if you become pregnant so that your doctor is fully aware of your medical history.
During your initial consultation, you should discuss any future family plans with Dr. Kleto so that he can help you determine whether the timing is right for your procedure. In most instances, the best course of action will be to finish having children, put in the hard work at the gym to get your body as close to its pre-pregnancy figure as possible, and then use a tummy tuck to put the finishing touches on your efforts.
Ideally, you should wait six months to a year after giving birth to undergo a tummy tuck. This will give your body sufficient time to recover and restore as much of its pre-pregnancy form as possible. In some instances, Dr. Kleto may also recommend other procedures in conjunction with your tummy tuck as part of a mommy makeover in order to address some of the other areas of your body impacted by pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Please contact Dr. Dean Kleto using the form on this page or call 865.524.2442 today to schedule a tummy tuck consultation. We serve patients in Knoxville, Tennessee.