What are common post pregnancy face and body changes?


After you have given birth, your complexion may take time to return to what you consider your ‘normal’. You may be suffering from pregnancy acne or pregnancy melasma. Additionally your skin may look dull and tired from hormone changes and lack of sleep. Alongside facial changes you will experience a number of body changes in contrast to what you may be used to pre-pregnancy. These can include but are not limited to stretch marks on the stomach, urine leakage, and loose skin.

Common skin and body changes after pregnancy



  • Pregnancy Acne / breakouts - Thanks to hormonal shifts, plus stress, sleep deprivation and less time for skincare, skin can develop acne. 40% of pregnant women are reported to develop pregnancy acne.
  • Pregnancy Melasma - Pregnancy Melasma is facial hyperpigmentation which can form during pregnancy, is a result of an increase in melanin production.The good news is after pregnancy your skin will naturally stop producing so much melanin, and the melasma / pigmentation will stop getting worse or may fade after pregnancy although for a large percentage of women it does not fade sufficiently on its own and they seek treatment to remove pregnancy melasma.Approximately half of pregnant women develop melasma (also known as pregnancy melasma) or hyperpigmentation. Common areas include darkened hyperpigmentation around the mouth (particularly the ‘moustache area’, cheeks, and forehead.
  • Dull, tired looking skin - Additionally, you can develop tired-looking skin following pregnancy, as this is a typical adaptive response due to postpartum anaemia, gestational weight gain, and other factors such as hormone changes and often sleep deprivation.
  • Excess weight after pregnancy - Returning to your pre pregnancy shape can be a challenge for a lot of women and whilst diet and exercise are helpful it can be a difficult and timely process to return to your pre pregnancy shape. If you are struggling with excess pregnancy weight our non-invasive body fat treatments can quickly help remove stubborn fat and help restore your body confidence.
  • C-section shelf - A woman who has a c-section delivery may end up with excess of skin where the incision was made, called a c-section pouch or c-shelf. It is impossible to tell whether a c-shelf will form and if it does if it will naturally fade. While diet and exercise may help women shed excess fat after giving birth, an overall healthy lifestyle will not reduce the appearance of c-section scars and the look of pregnancy bulges. For some women, the c-shelf tends to persist over time, while the c-shelf flattens over time for others.
  • Stretch marks after pregnancy - Stretch marks can form after pregnancy when the skin has expanded rapidly followed by sudden weight loss. This over stretching of the skin causes scar tissue (stretch mark) to form where collagen production in the body has been disrupted.
  • Loose skin after weight loss - The elasticity of a woman’s skin and how much it stretched during pregnancy including how quickly weight loss happens after giving birth contributes to whether a woman develops loose skin. The quicker the weight loss and less elastic the skin, the more likely that loose skin will be present.
  • Stress incontinence - During birth the pelvic floor muscles can weaken which can lead to bladder weakness and a more frequent urge to pass urine and lack of control in holding urine may lead to urine leakage while laughing / coughing / sneezing or running.


How to treat post pregnancy changes?

Dr Leah Clinics have treatment solutions for each of the above changes which occur as a result of pregnancy. Please note that you are unable to have any treatments or prescription products while pregnancy or breast feeding.

Dr Leah Clinic’s best treatment for post pregnancy changes depends on the concern you wish to treat:
  • Pregnancy Acne / breakouts - Obagi Blue Peel Radiance or Obagi skincare - complete our REMOTE SKIN ANALYSIS to find out which treatments or products are suitable for you
  • Pregnancy Melasma - Obagi Nu Derm (Prescription only) is the best Melasma treatment, effective at removing all types of hyperpigmentation including pregnancy melasma. Medical consultation required complete our REMOTE SKIN ANALYSYS
  • Dull, tired looking skin - Hydr02 facial this 60 minute or 90 minute luxury facial will restore your skin’s natural glow and restore its luminosity. Profhilo London – this injectable hyaluronic acid treatment is the most effective skin booster available and is a very effective way to restore the luminosity of a tired, deyhrated complexion
  • Excess weight after pregnancy - Fat freezing is a very popular fat reduction treatment. Fat freezing is a quick and easy one off treatment to reduce fat on stomach, arms, flanks or thighs. This one hour long treatment has no downtime and provides permanent results
  • Loose skin and stretch marks treatment after pregnancy - Mummy Tummy Makeover treatment at Dr Leah Cosmetic Skin Clinics as featured in Mail Online, is a loose skin treatment without surgery, which successfully targets the appearance of loose skin and stretch marks left over from pregnancy or dramatic weight loss. This skin tightening and stretch marks removal treatment can help restore your skin to its pre-pregnancy glory. With this procedure, you can achieve body confidence with a smoother, more taught stomach without the risks and downtime associated with more invasive options such as a surgical tummy tuck. This treatment, as featured in Mail Online, is exclusively available at Dr Leah Clinics and involves a combination of non-surgical treatments offered over 9 appointments (8 treatment sessions). Included in the treatment are microneedling or i pixel laser and radio frequency to help tighten and firm loose skin after weight loss and help with stretch mark treatment. Please note In cases of severe body sagging our body expert may advise that a non-surgical option is not recommended, and the client may be advised to consider a surgical tummy tuck as a better alternative. Dr Leah Clinics do not offer surgery.
  • Pocket of fat above C-section / c section shelf - Aqualyx® body fat dissolving injections is a treatment that is designed to reduce stubborn pockets of fat. It is a great treatment for dissolving the fat pocket which can form above a C-section scar. Aqualyx is performed by our in clinic doctor and clients will require 3 treatments each 3 weeks apart. Fat freezing can be used to target wider areas for fat reduction e.g. roll of fat on stomach
  • Stretch marks after pregnancy - Dr Leah Clinic recommend resurfacing laser for stretch mark treatment – see stretch marks
  • Loose skin on the face and body - Our anti- ageing, radio frequency facial with tighten the skin on face. Our skin tightening treatment or mummy tummy makeover treatment will reduce loose skin on stomach
  • Lax pelvic floor and urine leakage - Dr Leah Clinic treatment to restore the pelvic floor and reduce stress urine leaskage is FDA approved Emsella Chair – this is a highly effective, non-invasive stress incontinence treatment. The Emsella chair strengthens the weakened muscles very quickly and is a stress incontinence treatment which eradicates this condition for good. The Emsella chair is an advanced medical device which simply looks like a chair. The Emsella chair treatment uses electromagnetic technology to stimulate the pelvic floor muscles, which results in tightening of these muscles and restored bladder control. If, like most of us, you struggle to do your pelvic floor crunches daily, fear not as just 1 session on the Emsella chair is the equivalent of 11,000 pelvic floor crunches! You will need to complete the course of 6 treatments within a 3 week period.

Why Choose Dr Leah Clinics To Treat Post Pregnancy Treatments?

We are able to offer a complete in-clinic solution to the changes which occur after giving birth.

We have a range of fat loss treatments and a stomach treatment which we created specifically for loose skin and stretch mark removal on the stomach after pregnancy. The “mummy tummy makeover” has been highlighted in the Mail Online for its transformative results making it a must have treatment for new mums looking for stretch marks treatment and skin tightening on the stomach. We are also one of the few clinics nationally to offer the Emsella pelvic floor tightening – a ground breaking treatment for many new mums struggling to restore their pelvic floor tightness after childbirth.

As an award winning doctor led clinic you can feel reassured you are in safe hands - Our industry leading skin and body therapists are also able to offer unapparelled recommendations and deliver exceptional quality treatments to help you look and feel your best self.
To find out which of our treatments is best for you we offer FREE IN-CLINIC BODY CONSULTATION where our advanced body therapist will be able to review and advise which treatments are best for you.

ONLINE BOOKING - FREE BODY CONSULTATION

Commonly Asked Questions

What is the best treatment for loose skin on the stomach?

In some cases where loose stomach skin is severe surgical options such as a tummy tuck may need to be considered however in the majority of cases non surgical treatments are effective in reducing the appearance of loose skin on the stomach. At Dr Leah Clinic we offer several effective non surgical treatments for loose such as radio frequency skin tightening or the Mummy Tummy makeover treatment which requires no down time unlike stomach surgery.


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*Results may vary from person to person
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Our skin therapist will respond via email within 2 working days with a suitable recommendation for you. Please note that doctor treatments e.g. injectables, aqualyx, thread lift, mole removal consultations are not available via remote consultation and require a face to face appointment. Call 0207 877 5999 to book a consultation with one of expert doctors today.
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