I am typical Apple body shape. I am concerned I will get severe stretch marks and possibly saggy skin due to where the weight distribution is in my body. Will lipo to the midsection before pregnancy create room for stomach to expand and if the procedure promotes the skin tightening effect and collagen to build up in the lipo'd area would this act as a preventative measure to the effects of pregnancy? I've heard some women 'bounce back' quicker after lipo when compared to previous pregnancy
October 16, 2018
Answer: Lipo is not a preventative measure. Thanks for your question. I can understand your concern regarding body changes with pregnancy. There are many factors that result in body changes with pregnancy and it's not just fat. The skin stretches, the fascia/muscle stretches, and there is weight gain on top of the weight of the growing baby. Liposuction will not affect these factors. Liposuction is a body contouring procedure where fat is removed and that's pretty much it. With liposuction, there can be some skin tightening and collagen formation. However, that will not affect how you recover from pregnancy. So, in your case you say you are a typical Apple body shape. I've seen women with your body shape and all different shapes who have had babies. Some bounce back well and some have changes they didn't like, but their prior body shape was really not the issue. Factors include age, genetics, lifestyle, nutrition, significant unhealthy weight gain, and others. But a history of liposuction was not one of them. You said you heard some women "bounce back" quicker after lipo compared to previous pregnancy. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by bouncing back quicker, because that is not typical. However, if a woman developed a problem area resulting from fat which became apparent after a pregnancy and weight gain, then treated it with liposuction, they then treated the problem area. If that same woman got pregnant again, that problem area would not recur, because it was taken care of. As a result, her recovery, in terms of body shape, would seem better after the second pregnancy. I hope what I wrote makes sense. It can be a bit confusing. Bottom line, liposuction is used to removed fat to create a better body shape. How the body responds to pregnancy is not really related to the fat distribution of the body, so liposuction will not prevent undesired changes due to pregnancy. It can be used to treat problem areas related to fat distribution both before and after pregnancy. Best of luck to you. Dr. Jaime Bastidas
Helpful 2 people found this helpful
October 16, 2018
Answer: Lipo is not a preventative measure. Thanks for your question. I can understand your concern regarding body changes with pregnancy. There are many factors that result in body changes with pregnancy and it's not just fat. The skin stretches, the fascia/muscle stretches, and there is weight gain on top of the weight of the growing baby. Liposuction will not affect these factors. Liposuction is a body contouring procedure where fat is removed and that's pretty much it. With liposuction, there can be some skin tightening and collagen formation. However, that will not affect how you recover from pregnancy. So, in your case you say you are a typical Apple body shape. I've seen women with your body shape and all different shapes who have had babies. Some bounce back well and some have changes they didn't like, but their prior body shape was really not the issue. Factors include age, genetics, lifestyle, nutrition, significant unhealthy weight gain, and others. But a history of liposuction was not one of them. You said you heard some women "bounce back" quicker after lipo compared to previous pregnancy. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by bouncing back quicker, because that is not typical. However, if a woman developed a problem area resulting from fat which became apparent after a pregnancy and weight gain, then treated it with liposuction, they then treated the problem area. If that same woman got pregnant again, that problem area would not recur, because it was taken care of. As a result, her recovery, in terms of body shape, would seem better after the second pregnancy. I hope what I wrote makes sense. It can be a bit confusing. Bottom line, liposuction is used to removed fat to create a better body shape. How the body responds to pregnancy is not really related to the fat distribution of the body, so liposuction will not prevent undesired changes due to pregnancy. It can be used to treat problem areas related to fat distribution both before and after pregnancy. Best of luck to you. Dr. Jaime Bastidas
Helpful 2 people found this helpful
October 16, 2018
Answer: Liposuction before pregnancy My 35 years experience has taught me trying to predict how a pregnancy will affect a woman is impossible! I cannot say that pre-pregnancy SAL will reduce your risks of body changes. I would love to have the money for liposuction (LOL) but an alternative choice might be for you to be within 10 pounds of your ideal weight at conception and strictly follow your obstetrician's recommendations with regards to weight gain during pregnancy. Stretch marks usually come with the combination of hormonal changes and rapid stretching the skin. Sadly pregnancy can be a perfect storm for stretch marks and sagging skin. Wishing all the best a new mother, Ralph W Bashioum MD FACS.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
October 16, 2018
Answer: Liposuction before pregnancy My 35 years experience has taught me trying to predict how a pregnancy will affect a woman is impossible! I cannot say that pre-pregnancy SAL will reduce your risks of body changes. I would love to have the money for liposuction (LOL) but an alternative choice might be for you to be within 10 pounds of your ideal weight at conception and strictly follow your obstetrician's recommendations with regards to weight gain during pregnancy. Stretch marks usually come with the combination of hormonal changes and rapid stretching the skin. Sadly pregnancy can be a perfect storm for stretch marks and sagging skin. Wishing all the best a new mother, Ralph W Bashioum MD FACS.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful