Pregnancy Reverses Abdominoplasty Aesthetic Outcome: Myth or Misconception? A Cross-Sectional Study

The common recommendation for female abdominoplasty candidates is to conclude family planning before undergoing the procedure. However, no evidence demonstrates a correlation between aesthetic outcome compromise, risk for fetal complications, or risk for maternal complications when abdominoplasty is followed by pregnancy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate maternal, fetal, and aesthetic outcomes among pregnant females with a history of abdominoplasty.

The authors conducted an online survey among women who became pregnant after having an abdominoplasty. Participants were recruited via social media groups related to abdominoplasty. The survey included demographic-, aesthetic outcome-, and pregnancy-related questions utilizing a score from 1 (no effect) to 10 (worst effect) to assess abdominal aesthetic outcome compromise.

Thirty-two participants completed the online survey, 15 (46.8%) of which reported their pregnancy was unplanned. Pregnancy-related findings included 5 (15.6%) late premature births (between gestational week 35 and 37), 1 miscarriage, and 1 emergency C-section. Compromised aesthetic outcomes following pregnancy included new abdominal stretch marks (50%, N = 16), widened abdominoplasty scar (28%, N = 9), abdominal skin excess (37.5%, N = 12), and abdominal bulge (25.8%, N = 8). A new hernia was reported by 2 participants (6.3%). The average abdominal aesthetic severity score was 2.7 (range, 1-8), and only 3 scores were above 5 (9.3%). Two women (6.2%) underwent abdominoplasty revision, and 18 (56.2%) stated they would recommend others to undergo abdominoplasty before pregnancy (56.3%).

This survey shows there is room to reevaluate whether future pregnancy should be considered a relative contraindication for undergoing abdominoplasty.