ABDOMINOPLASTY & BREAST SURGERY SYDNEY: ABDOMINAL AND BREAST STRETCHMARKS

So the little bundles of joy gallivanted into your life, they are adorable and frustrating all at the same time. Adult routines have given way to sleep patterns, feeding cycles and an endless cycle of sleep deprivation but would not have it any other way. Sound familiar ? It should this is the experience of most new parents, and the brunt of this is born by mothers as primary carers for their children.

As the fog of war clears and things take a more or less ordered from the chaotic early days, you start thinking about exercise routines and returning to your pre-pregnancy shape. For many this starts with regaining fitness, losing some weight and returning to shape and form. What to do about stretchmarks is a perennial question one that Sydney cosmetic surgeons like myself get asked regularly.

First lets think about what they are ? Our skin is made of the outer layer the Epidermis and then a foundation layer called dermis. Beneath the dermis in the subdermal plane, there are networks of blood vessels and capillaries. The dermis is made of ground substance, collagen and elastin fibres. Much of the fibres untwirl as they are stretched by the progressing pregnancy like the rest of the tissues. Water may be displaced from ground substance to accommodate the stretch and collagen bundles and elastin fibres may undergo what is termed microfracture or rupture. This may be partly related to genetics as well as the pace of the stretch. With the microfractures or ruptures the subdermal plexuses become visible through the overlying dermal and epidermal layers as the hue of blue associated with stretchmarks.

Cosmetic Surgery Options by our Sydney Surgeon

So what can be done about them as part of this surgery at our Sydney or Canberra clinics? Lets start by saying that part of their appearance has to do with contour changes, resulting in valleys and peaks in an otherwise flat terrain. The optical result of this is that shadows form across this new landscape with light source and makes them more noticeable from viewing distance. One of the most effective ways a cosmetic surgeon can address this as part of your Abdominoplasty & Breast Surgery is re-stretching the skin so that these valleys and peaks are camouflaged. Removal of excess skin or alternatively in breasts we can consider adding volume rather than simply removing skin ( think implant, lift, fat injection, lift and implant, see our other blogs on the topic ) can help with the optical illusion that the stretchmarks have been completely removed.