Will having children after a tummy tuck destroy your tummy tuck?

It is usually advisable to have a tummy tuck after you are done having children.  However, life happens and occasionally a patient will get pregnant after having had a tummy tuck.  The tummy tuck should not cause any problems with the pregnancy but the skin and muscles of the abdomen will get stretched out again.  How much skin and muscle laxity occurs will vary from patient to patient.  Sometimes a repeat tummy tuck will be necessary but not always.  

Aloha and thanks for your excellent question. It is best to wait til you are done having children if you want a full tummy-tuck with muscle tightening. However, I have done mini-tucks to help smooth the lower skin in between pregnancies; with plans to come back later for the full tuck. It would be best for you to visit an experienced board certified plastic surgeon for an in-depth consultation to review your options.   Mahalo, Dr D                                              

As other colleagues have posted, it is advised to wait until you are done having children before considering a tummy tuck, but getting pregnant after a tummy tuck is possible and may "undo" the tightening of the previous tuck procedure.  There will be further stretching of the tissues with inadequate "snap back".  A secondary tuck may be considered if this occurs.

Tummy Tuck before having kids is safe and will not affect future pregnancies, however I recommend the majority of my patients to wait until after they are done having children as pregnancies will stretch out your abdominal muscles and skin, changing your results. I would recommend consulting in person with a Plastic Surgeon to further discuss the procedures and your goals. Good luck!

A tummy tuck that includes tightening of the abdominal muscle wall should not be done until the patient has finished having children. However, it is safe to have a tummy tuck that is to remove excess skin such as after losing a lot of weight.

Pregnancy following tummy tuck surgery is possible and is not dangerous, but if you plan on future pregnancies, you should wait to have surgery until you are done having children, since pregnancy will stretch out the skin and abdominal muscles again, usually undoing the repairs that were achieved with the abdominoplasty. In that case, a secondary tummy tuck to repair recurrent muscle laxity or loose skin may be beneficial. Most plastic surgeons suggest that you finish having children before undergoing an abdominoplasty with repair of the stretched out abdominal muscles.
I would suggest that you discuss this and any concerns that you have with your plastic surgeon who should be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and ideally a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).
Robert Singer, MD  FACS

La Jolla, California

Usually a gap of 1 year is recommended between tummy tuck and pregnancy. Pregnancy will stretch the tummy skin again and the amount of laxity will differ from patient to patient.

It is likely that a pregnancy after a tummy tuck will undo the benefits of the tummy tuck. The extent to which it will do so can not be predicted and will vary from one person to another.Best wishes

It is possible to safely carry a baby after having the abdominoplasty procedure. In general, it is in your best interest, to be as certain as possible that no more pregnancies are in your future prior to having the tummy tuck. Pregnancy after abdominoplasty MAY cause changes that will require further surgery to correct. Generally speaking, the “ideal” patient for tummy tuck surgery is one who has completed pregnancies, is psycho socially/emotionally/financially stable, has an excellent social support system surrounding him/her, is capable of arranging enough recovery time, does not smoke and who has reached a long-term stable weight. Having said the above, if you are not planning on pregnancies in the near future, it MAY make sense to undergo tummy tuck surgery now (and hopefully enjoy the outcome of the procedure for many years). Just keep in mind that a revisionary procedure may be necessary after pregnancies are completed.I hope this helps.