What Moms Are Getting Done ... From a Plastic Surgeon's Perspective
By Dr. Gregory A. Buford, MD FACS, genConnect.com
A few short years ago, having a baby meant giving up your figure. That has all changed … Mothers deserve to look their very best and she can with proper nutrition, exercise, meditation and (for special circumstances) cosmetic surgery.
In many plastic surgery clinics such as mine, we have seen a growing population of young mothers who are living a healthy lifestyle but not seeing the results. They feel as though they look like they threw in the towel after having kids. They are also proud of their families but want to do something for themselves. They want as little recovery time as possible and they simply don't want to look artificial. While their first comment is that they don't want anyone to know that they have had anything done, their next is that they have a literal line of girlfriends waiting to see how they turn out before they also come in.
And so where do most of them begin?
For many of my young mothers, the aging process was unkind to their facial skin. As they entered their 30s and early 40s, they noticed fine lines, wrinkles and loss of that youthful glow. The good news is that for these women, these changes can usually be reversed with very little downtime and almost no discomfort. In most cases, a light chemical peel is often enough to get the process started. Damaged skin layers are gently removed and collagen stimulated from below to yield a fresh, more youthful appearance. From there, these women then begin a medical skincare regimen personally designed for them to not only maintain this new skin but also to reduce effects of environmental aging.
Whatever their age and the condition of their skin, I educate all of my patients on what I affectionately refer to as the "Holy Triad of Non-Surgical Facial Rejuvenation." The first and critical step involves medical skin care and incorporates designing a program individualized to their specific skincare needs. The next step encompasses facial injectables such as the neuromodulators (e.g. BOTOX, Dysport, and Xeomin), as well as fillers and volumizers (e.g.: Juvederm, Restylane, Perlane, Radiesse, and Sculptra). The final step is laser resurfacing. While a majority of my clients benefit from all three steps, the ultimate goal is to identify in which order and to what degree these steps need to be undertaken.
At What Age Were You Happiest? (POLL)
Moving down the body, for those women for whom pregnancy was not so kind, breast enhancement and body contouring may be suggested as well. These steps are obviously surgical and involve a little more downtime and more of a time commitment than their non-surgical counterparts.
After pregnancy, most women experience some degree of volume loss to the upper pole of their breasts. Depending upon how significant this volume loss is, it may be reversed with placement of an implant alone or (when more severe), may require lifting of the breast. In the case of an augmentation, I generally prefer a silicone gel implant placed behind the muscle through a small incision at the base of the breast. When loose skin and a lower nipple position are an issue, a lift can be very effective at reshaping the breast and restoring a more youthful shape and contour. Regardless of the procedure, the good news is that downtime is generally limited to no more than about two to three days and discomfort is generally minimal.
Another common concern is the tummy bulge many women see following pregnancy. Although many women point to this new contour as extra fat and blame themselves, the reality is that the change to their contour often has actually little to do with changes to fat and more to do with separation of the internal muscular corset caused by their little bundle of joy. During pregnancy as the uterus expands, so does the abdominal wall and the point of give is often the tissue between the central muscles. When this happens, the muscles separate and the internal corset is effectively unzipped from top to bottom. The result is a bulging forward of the lower abdominal wall. When this occurs, crunches and dieting simply have no effect. The answer is to address the root of the problem and simply bring the muscle back together.
In a tummy tuck procedure, I generally begin by lipo-sculpting the love handles, then continue this to the abdominal wall. From here, I then re-tighten the abdominal muscles and restore contour. The final step involves removing excess loose skin and closing the access incision. Once done, the downtime is surprisingly short. Most women are back to work in a week and to light exercise in matter of 10 to 14 days.
I have seen patients lose six to seven dress sizes in a matter of weeks and gradually improve their results even more as they return to their normal exercise regimen and move forward with a healthy dietary plan.
Whether you have one, two, three, four, or more children, chances are that you have seen changes related to pregnancy that have simply not gone away (despite how hard you try!). The good news is that technology is improving at a rapid pace and our ability to reverse many of these changes is getting better with time.
Tell us: Will you go the plastic surgery route? Have you had any surgical or non-surgical work done? Were you satisfied with the results?
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