How to Tighten Loose Skin After Pregnancy

A post-pregnancy stomach can be a source of discomfort for many women. If you’re struggling with loose skin after pregnancy, don’t worry. There are plenty of stomach skin tightening options. Tummy tuck (Abdominoplasty) surgery is an option for treating a postpartum stomach excess skin. This is because it targets loose skin and can medically repair diastasis muscle separation. Yet, there are also non-surgical options that may be worth trying too. This article will explore all options for skin tightening for the stomach after pregnancy.

What Causes Loose Skin After Pregnancy?

Pregnancy hormones and abdominal stretching are the main causes of loose skin after pregnancy. During pregnancy, your body produces a special hormone called Relaxin. This relaxes ligaments in your abdomen so to create more space for the baby to grow. However, it can lead to loose skin post-pregnancy.

As the abdomen expands, the skin also stretches, leading to loose skin around the stomach. After giving birth, loose stomach skin may persist if it isn’t able to ‘bounce back’ post-pregnancy.

As well as loose stomach skin after pregnancy, postpartum women may develop stretch marks after pregnancy. This article will discuss all options to treat these postpartum stomach concerns.

How To Prevent Loose Skin After Pregnancy

The best way to prevent loose skin after pregnancy is by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and consistent weight. Eating nutritious food and exercising regularly helps keep your body in shape. This can reduce the chances of loose skin post-pregnancy.

It’s also beneficial to keep your stomach skin hydrated whilst pregnant. This will help maintain elasticity and improve the chances of loose skin shrinking post-pregnancy. This is especially important if you start to notice stretch marks developing.

Other ways you can prevent loose skin after pregnancy include:

• Wear loose-fitting clothing during pregnancy
• Eat healthy to ensure you don’t put on too much weight during pregnancy
• Eat a diet with lots of healthy fats and proteins (or a collagen-rich diet)
• Develop a cardio and strength training routine with approval from your GP
• Keep hydrated by drinking lots of water
• Exfoliate and use massage oils on your stomach
• Try pregnancy-safe skin-firming creams

In general, to avoid your skin stretching, it’s best to remain healthy and avoid weight gain. However, loose skin post-pregnancy can still occur. If you’re struggling with loose stomach skin following pregnancy, read on to explore treatment options.

How to Tighten Stomach Skin After Pregnancy

There’s a range of skin tightening treatments for the stomach available, both surgical and non-surgical. An Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck) is one of the surgical options for stomach skin tightening treatment for postpartum women.

If you have excess weight to lose as a result of your pregnancy, it’s best that you sustainably do this. Fast-tracked weight loss can increase the chances of developing excess stomach skin after pregnancy.

Non-Surgical Options to Tighten Loose Skin After Pregnancy

There are many non-surgical options available that can help with stomach loose skin. These include:

Diet and Exercise

Eating healthy, drinking plenty of water, and exercising regularly may help improve loose skin post-pregnancy. This is because it can help to promote collagen. You may also choose to adopt a collagen-rich diet by increasing your intake of:

• Bone broth
• Chicken
• Fish and shellfish
• Egg whites
• Citrus fruits
• Berries
• Garlic
• Greens
• Beans
• Cashews
• Tomatoes
• Capsicums

Radio Frequency Skin Tightening

Radio Frequency involves using radio frequency energy to gently heat the deeper layers of the skin. The heat promotes collagen production, which may help to tighten loose skin after pregnancy

Ultrasound Skin Tightening

This treatment also uses heat and energy to target loose skin underneath your skin. Ultrasound waves can reduce loose skin.

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Skin Tightening

This treatment involves using your own platelet-rich plasma, which is in your blood. This PRP is injected into the excess skin around the stomach area to help it tighten and repair its elasticity. This treatment can be suitable for the skin on a postpartum belly.

Creams and Lotions

Certain creams and lotions may help to improve loose skin after pregnancy. These may contain ingredients such as collagen, retinoids, and vitamin C.

These ingredients can help to strengthen skin elasticity and reduce excess skin. Please note, that there is little evidence to support the effectiveness of this in tightening loose stomach skin or tightening stomach skin after pregnancy. Creams may achieve a temporary improvement but are unlikely to remove excess skin in the long term.

Plastic Surgery Options to Tighten Loose Skin After Pregnancy

If loose skin doesn’t improve with the above treatments, plastic surgery may be an option to consider. A surgical procedure to tighten skin on the stomach is a tummy tuck (Abdominoplasty). This procedure can remove excess fat and loose skin from your abdomen.

Stomach Tightening Surgery

Stomach skin surgery (Abdominoplasty) is a more invasive procedure than non-surgical treatments. During this procedure, excess skin is removed from the stomach area and abdominal muscles are also tightened.

All of these treatments have their own pros and cons. It’s best to speak to a specialist plastic surgeon if you’re considering skin tightening treatment for your stomach. They can help you by discussing the treatments and the risks of each treatment to determine which is the best option for you.

Does Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck) Remove Stretch Marks?

As well as removing excess skin after pregnancy, this procedure may also remove stretch marks from the lower abdomen. Please note that this surgery will only remove stretch marks on the excised skin. It will not treat the entire stomach area.

How Long Will the Results Last?

Generally, results from surgery can last for several years. It all depends on your skin elasticity if you maintain a healthy lifestyle and don’t gain excessive amounts of weight. If your weight fluctuates, loose skin may reappear. This is why it’s so important to follow a healthy diet and exercise program post-surgery.

For non-surgical treatments, results may not be considered long-term, so you may need to repeat these treatments. It’s best to consult with an aesthetic clinician for advice about non-surgical options to tighten stomach skin.

Treating Stretch Marks After Pregnancy

Many postpartum women experience stretch marks and excess skin after pregnancy.

Just as with any other scar, stretch marks are permanent, though they usually fade over time. If you find them bothersome, there are treatments that may lessen their appearance. Some possible treatments for stretch marks include:

Laser Skin Resurfacing

This procedure helps reduce the appearance of stretch marks by stimulating collagen production. At Gold Coast Plastic Surgery we have the Laser Skin Centre located within our clinic.

Dermabrasion

This involves exfoliating the skin to remove dead skin cells and stimulate new cell growth. This may help to improve the appearance of stretch marks.

Micro-Needling

This is a procedure that uses tiny needles to create microscopic channels in the skin. This can help to stimulate collagen production, which may reduce stretch marks.

Retinol Creams

Retinol creams can help to reduce the appearance of stretch marks, as they may improve skin texture.

Red-Light Therapy

Red-light therapy is available at Gold Coast Plastic Surgery and has been shown to help reduce the appearance of stretch marks. It does this by promoting collagen production and reducing inflammation.

Please remember that excess skin and stretch marks after pregnancy won’t disappear overnight. But, these treatments can help reduce their appearance. If you are looking for a treatment for stretch marks after pregnancy, it is important to seek advice from an experienced clinician. They can advise on the best options for your individual needs.

Most Helpful Methods For Reducing Loose Stomach Skin After Pregnancy

Loose stomach (tummy) skin after pregnancy is common and can be difficult to improve on its own. There are surgical and non-surgical treatments that can help to tighten loose skin on the stomach.

A surgical treatment option is stomach surgery (tummy tuck) also known as (abdominoplasty). This is because it removes excess skin and also tightens the abdominal muscles. Other non-surgical options may provide some temporary improvement to the stomach skin. However, it’s unlikely they will provide the same results as surgery.

FAQs

Does a Postpartum Stomach Go Away on Its Own?

With time, your postpartum stomach may start to reduce on its own. Although, there are a few things you can do to help the process along. After your doctor gives you the okay, try and include some exercise into your daily routine. Even if it’s just a walk around the block or some light bodyweight exercises.

Will Stretched Skin Ever Go Back to Normal?

If you lose a small to moderate amount of weight, your skin will likely retract back on its own. Using home remedies may also help in this situation. However, if you lose a significant amount of weight (ie. after pregnancy), surgery or other medical procedures may be an option to tighten or reduce the loose skin.

How Long Does Loose Skin Take to Tighten?

It can take weeks to months, and sometimes even years to see results. If your skin is still loose after 1 – 2 years, chances are it won’t get any tighter.

Book a Surgery Consultation

If you’re considering treatment for loose skin after pregnancy, it’s important to speak to a Specialist Plastic Surgeon (Dr Doyle is a Specialist Plastic Surgeon). He can advise you on the best option for your individual circumstances. He will also be able to discuss the risks and benefits of each treatment and help you decide which is suitable for you.