Statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons show that postpartum surgery procedures have been on an upward trend since 2000. In 2006, approximately 36% or 325,000 breast augmentation mammoplasties, abdominoplasties, breast mastopexies, and liposuction procedures were performed on women between the ages of 20 and 39. This represented an increase of over 11% compared to 2005 statistics and Australia has similar statistics to this.

In general, the American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS) notes that between 2000 and 2006, breast augmentation mammoplasty, breast mastopexy, and abdominoplasty procedures increased by 55%, 96% and 84% respectively!

The trend in post-pregnancy has increased recently partially because of the growing number of articles highlighting these procedures and the influence of celebrities.

Statistics released by the ASPS for the year 2013 show that women between the ages of 35 and 50 received 40% of all the post-pregnancy surgery procedures. Out of all patients who had post-pregnancy procedures, 55.8% had abdominoplasties, 47% liposuction and 40% had breast augmentation mammoplasties.

There are numerous reasons why plastic surgery for post-pregnancy mothers has been on the increase in recent times. Below are the top 2 reasons why women are increasingly undergoing postpartum procedures:

Postpartum surgery for cosmetic reasons

Pregnancy and motherhood can be a wonderful time. Along with the joys, there can also be many changes that happen to the female body both during and after pregnancy. Gaining weight is natural during pregnancy, along with the stretching of abdominal skin to accommodate the child.

These changes are a normal part of pregnancy, and the body may never go back to the way it was before. In particular, some women may develop cosmetic concerns for which they may seek cosmetic surgery. A post-pregnancy surgical procedure can, depending on the individual patient, remove excess abdominal skin and fat, reposition or reshape the breasts, or change the size of the breasts. Liposuction can also aid the removal of fat that is unresponsive to a healthy diet and exercise.

Postpartum surgery to repair abdominal muscles

Although many women might seek breast surgery or abdominoplasty for cosmetic purposes, surgery on the abdomen can, in some cases, be done for health reasons.

A common effect of pregnancy is the separation of abdominal muscles, the medical name for which is diastasis recti. The abdominal muscles separate to make room for the baby, and, after pregnancy, they may remain separated. While many women are able to restore their abdominal muscles through natural methods, others may experience more severe muscle separation that only surgery can address.