Pregnancy can have a very devastating effect on your body especially in the abdomen and breasts. Finally after breast feeding is completed a woman’s body may not have regained the form and tone it once had and she may want to take it to the next level and get surgery to regain her previous self. So for all of you who like Kim Kardashian are planning to REVAMP post pregnancy I had a chance to pick the brain of ASAPS member physician Mark P. Solomon, MD FACS about ” mommy makeovers” and how they can help us recapture that body we once had pre- pregnancy!
1. What constitutes a Mommy Makeover, what areas of the body are altered by pregnancy and could use some help being revitalized with the help of a cosmetic makeover?
A Mommy Makeover treats those areas most affected by pregnancy and childbirth, the abdomen and the breasts. Each of these areas can have a different response to pregnancy in any woman, so the treatment plan will account for changes in the breasts and the abdomen. For example, some women have volume loss in their breasts without sagging and loose skin and muscle in their abdomen. For this woman, an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) combined with breast augmentation using implants will solve both problems in one surgical procedure (and sometimes with only one scar). If changes in the breasts include volume loss and sagging, then a lift with implants is needed, along with a tummy tuck to address changes in the abdomen. Another example is the woman who gains weight from pregnancy and her breasts sag after breast feeding, then a combination of breast lift, tummy tuck and liposuction may be the answer. Each patient will have an individual care plan based upon her needs, goals and anatomy.
2. When is the ideal time to have the Mommy Makeover- aka how many months after a pregnancy ?
Surgery after pregnancy depends upon a woman’s lifestyle. Most important is her child, so if she is breast feeding, surgery is postponed until breast feeding is completed. Don’t stop breast feeding in order to have surgery because your baby needs all the breast milk she can get. Once breast feeding is done, surgery can be planned, as long as you are close to your pre-pregnancy weight and your weight loss after pregnancy has stabilized. This is generally at least 6 months after delivery if you are not breast feeding. If your breasts or abdomen are still changing, you should wait to undergo any surgery until changes have stopped. In addition, you will need to have help at home because most surgeons have restrictions on lifting after surgery such that you may not be able to lift your baby for about 4 weeks after surgery.
3. Can a woman ever regain the tone of her abdomen after pregnancy with or without tummy tuck surgery?
Abdominal tone is really related to several factors. First, there are changes in the abdominal muscles. They stretch during pregnancy. In addition, the two bands of muscle in the abdomen (the “abs”) should be very close together in the midline. Pregnancy can cause disruption of this midline attachment. This is known as a diastasis rectus. No amount of exercise will repair a diastasis. While there is no medical harm from a diastasis, it can be unpleasant in its appearance and it can only be corrected surgically. The second changes in pregnancy are related to the skin. Skin can change quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative change means there is more skin. This excess skin will not go away with weight loss. It must be surgically removed. Qualitative change means that the skin tone is reduced and has stretch marks or feels loose. Surgery does not correct these changes. There are some energy devices that can make changes in the quality of the skin, but these results are variable and depend on the device as well as the person operating the device.
4. What areas of liposuction are frequently necessary after pregnancy?
Pregnancy alone does not create a need for liposuction. However, if there are areas that don’t improve after you have returned to your baseline weight, you may be a candidate for liposuction. Most commonly these areas include the lower abdomen (from belly button to pubis), the hips and the bra line in the back.
5. What can be done for breasts that have lost their form, tone and texture?
There are many options for breast treatment, depending upon the amount of change in each of these areas and the goals that a woman might have. Changes in form and tone can be corrected with implants. If there is considerable sag, then a lift with, or without, implants can be performed. Finally, fat grafting is evolving as a means of correcting form and tone. Fat grafting may be performed with or without a lift. However, due to the nature of fat grafting, it may need to be repeated for a woman to achieve her goals. Unlike lifts or implants, fat grafting is more of a process and takes a longer period of time for you to see the final result.
So we heard it from a very positive and encouraging surgeon Mark P. Solomon, MD FACS who will make you feel like the areas of your body that were affected by pregnancy can be brought back or close to their original form. I don’t know about you but I might just be ready for my close-up!
And don’t forget to check out my other posts on Smart Beauty Guide
SO SO SO INTERESTING (types the woman who adopted :-)).
I can so relate to this post! I have a midlife “midmuffintop” that won’t quit! I have been running for 6 months now, at least 2 times a day! That midlifemuffintop isn’t go anywhere.
Ohhh….I’ve tossed the idea around about a “mommy makeover” since my last was born. This is a great article!
yes yes yes! seriously, i want it all.
Sign me up!!! I still have my pre baby jeans waiting….7 1/2 years later
I go to the gym all the time but there is that one area after two c-sections I need medical help for because no amount of sit ups are going to help Time for a Mommy Makeover!
Oh man I could use one of these BAD!
This mama needs a mommy makeover for sure!
I’m not even a mommy yet I want a mommy makeover. Love It.