Restoring Your Body after Baby, with Cosmetic Surgery

Restoring Your Body after Baby, with Cosmetic Surgery

The phrase “9 months in, 9 months out” has become a guiding principle among moms hoping to regain their post-baby bodies. The logic is fairly straightforward: It took you 9 months to develop a fully pregnant body (and baby human!), it will take at least another 9 months for you to return to your normal self.

Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding create drastic, often unalterable changes in a woman’s body. For many women, the promise that they can (and should) look like they did before having children within a matter of months is not only unrealistic, it’s just untrue. Stretch marks, excess skin, sagging breasts – these are changes that can’t be dieted or exercised away.

Cosmetic surgery is the only solution that can address many of the unchangeable body issues women face after pregnancy. In fact, the term “Mommy Makeover” has come to describe a combination of procedures that are most beneficial for women after having children. While there are a number of ways to customize a Mommy Makeover, some of the most popular options include procedures for the face, breast, and body.

Breast Augmentation
The rapid weight fluctuations during and after pregnancy and throughout breastfeeding are responsible for the look of deflated, sagging breasts post-baby. But that’s not all – hormones can also cause the nipples to change color and the areolas to grow or change in shape. The breasts may also become unequal in size.

According to the website of Dr. Thomas McNemar, a breast augmentation surgeon near Modesto, California, breast implants are a common choice among moms who want to restore fuller, more rounded breasts after pregnancy. Breast implants enhance volume as well as improve symmetry, and additional surgical techniques can be used to improve the appearance of the nipples.

Tummy Tuck
It’s no surprise that most moms are plagued by tummy troubles. Carrying around what is essentially the weight of a bowling ball in your stomach doesn’t come without consequences. Muscles separate to allow for your growing baby, sometimes so much so that they never return to their normal position. Weight gain and loss causes the skin to stretch and sag. And stretch marks make their debut (and typically overstay their welcome for, like, ever).

But Dr. McNemar says that his tummy tuck patients in Modesto experience improvements in all of these areas after surgery. Not only does a tummy tuck flatten the stomach, it removes excess skin (which is often the same skin plagued by stretch marks), and repairs muscle tone. Liposuction is also used during the procedure to remove excess fat and whittle your waistline. The treatment is so comprehensive that many moms have a better midsection after a tummy tuck than they did pre-baby.

Facelift
Okay, one could argue that the face and the body are 2 separate areas. And while you may not think of a facelift as part of a typical post-partum surgical plan, facelift surgery is experiencing resurgence in popularity, and may appeal to those moms who get their “makeovers” later in life. In fact, according to the most current statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons®, facelift surgeries increased 4% from 2015 to 2016, with 131,106 procedures performed last year.

“While there are more options than ever to rejuvenate the face, a facelift done by a board-certified plastic surgeon can give a dramatic, longer-lasting result which is why I am not surprised to see facelifts back in the top five most popular cosmetic surgical procedures,” said ASPS President Debra Johnson, MD, in a recent press release.

With improvements in surgical techniques and less-invasive “quick lift” methods becoming more popular, facelift surgery is appealing to a younger demographic. Moms of various ages can appreciate the rejuvenating effects of facelift surgery, including a more defined jawline, a reduced appearance of jowls, and softened lines and creases around the mouth.

Even the chin and neck can receive some TLC with the addition of a chin implant or liposuction to further refine the profile. For moms who are concerned about scarring, techniques such as incision placement and suturing methods have greatly improved to minimize visible scars. In New York, you may even get chin implants that are placed via a tiny, 1-inch incision made in the mouth, leaving behind no visible scar. When looking for the top chin implants in New York City, make sure to do your research and choose a board-certified plastic surgeon who has experience performing this procedure. While these may not be typical “mommy makeover” procedures, they can still greatly improve a woman’s confidence and self-esteem post-baby. So do not hesitate to consult with a qualified plastic surgeon if you are interested in receiving these treatments.

Finally, if you have any type of surgery planned, make sure you check out my must-have items for after surgery! Some of these may not apply to you, since these were mostly for my neck surgery, but the sponge pops are a must for sure.

Are you considering restoring your body after baby, with cosmetic surgery?

 

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