Motherhood, with its ups and downs, provides the satisfaction of knowing that you have the opportunity to leave a good impression on this planet through the child you raise. However, one universally acknowledged downside of motherhood happens to be the toll it takes on the body. For women who decide that they no longer want to live with the changes resulting from childbirth, there is the Mommy Makeover. The Mommy Makeover procedure consists of several procedures that address changes to the breasts and abdominal areas as the result of pregnancy and childbirth.
Breasts
Breasts can change significantly during the process of pregnancy and breast-feeding. Breasts can get large, stretch out, involute (shrink), or stay the same size. Areolae can stretch out and change shape. Many women complain of a loss of fullness in the upper pole (upper part of breasts). All these changes permanently alter the aesthetics of the breasts. While some of these changes can be camouflaged with bras and clothing, the limitations of these maneuvers mean that women still may have difficulty finding clothes that fit well and that they may still not be comfortable with the appearance of their breasts when naked. Procedures such as breast augmentation with either implants or fat can revolumize the breasts providing fullness and better shape. If the breasts hang too low, a mastopexy or breast lift operation can be performed to tighten the breast envelope placing the breasts higher on the chest wall in a more compact space. A smaller percentage of women end up with large breasts after multiple pregnancies due to the amount of pregnancy hormone exposure. For these women, excess breast tissue can lead to both aesthetic and functional problems. Breast reduction surgery is an incredibly successful option to both reduce the size of breasts and lift/shape them.
Abdomen
The most obvious area of change from childbirth is the abdomen. As a baby grows inside the womb, and the body responds to pregnancy hormones, the abdomen changes by stretching out the rectus abdominus (“6-pack”) muscles and thin out support structures like ligaments, etc. After delivery, most women are left with some amount of loose skin and split musculature. The greater the number of pregnancies, the worse the situation becomes. Unfortunately, all the sit-ups in the world won’t fix this. An abdominoplasty or tummy tuck operation is designed to improve this situation. This procedure involves removal of excess skin of the abdominal wall via an incision low on the tummy and around the belly button. If the rectus muscles are split, then they can be repaired at the same time. Repair of the muscles creates a corset effect tightening lax abdominal wall.
Excess fat
Lots of things happen both during pregnancy and in the years to follow. For many women, the day to day aspects of living often make it so that their needs take a back seat to the needs of others. Stress, poor nutrition, aging, etc. result in changes to the body. The most common change is an increase in body fat. When this can’t be corrected through diet, exercise, and changes in lifestyle, the options of surgical liposuction and non-surgical fat removal are available to those healthy enough for aesthetic intervention. There are lots of options for liposuction and are well-described here.
Stretch marks
Stretch marks are definitely a problem for many women both before and after pregnancy. Hormonal changes and stretching of the skin can result in breaks in the skin called striae, or stretch marks. In the past there were few options for improving the stretch marks. Nowadays, patients have a good number of options to help reduce the appearance of stretch marks. In my practice, we offer the Venus Viva, which is an RF (radiofrequency) microneedling device that can be used to tighten loose skin and rebuild collagen in the broken skin that leads to the development of stretch marks. Several treatments are required, but the results tend to be very satisfying. As you may have surmised by now, a Mommy Makeover is a very personal procedure custom-designed for each patient. Some women will need only one procedure, while other women will need several procedures to achieve their goals. If you would like more information about the Mommy Makeover procedure, give us a call at 303-708-8234 or visit us at http://drmanishshah.com.
* All information subject to change. Images may contain models. Individual results are not guaranteed and may vary.
