Dr. Elizabeth O’Connor is a plastic surgeon with BayCare Clinic. She joined us on Wisconsin Tonight to talk about “Mommy Makeovers”.
A mommy makeover is a term that has become popular in the last 10 years or so. It refers to any surgical procedure designed to return a woman to her pre-pregnancy figure. It’s usually a combination of breast surgery and body contouring.
The procedures traditionally associated with a mommy makeover include breast augmentation, liposuction and abdominoplasty (tummy tuck).
* Breast augmentation: Restores fullness on top of the breast. After pregnancy and breast feeding, a woman’s breasts may look deflated and lack their original shape. A simple lift can raise and reshape the breast, an implant of varying sizes can be inserted or a breast reduction performed.
* Liposuction: With liposuction, we tighten and tone problem areas. We can shape the abdomen after a tummy tuck, reduce saddlebags on the thighs and restore curves.
* Abdominoplasty: During some pregnancies, the abdominal muscle can be partially or completely separated. The growing uterus can push against the abdominal wall. With more growth and pressure on the abdominal wall, the risk of the muscle separating will increase. It’s common to fix this problem during a tummy tuck.
The mommy makeover can be tailored to an individual woman’s needs. There are no certain surgeries that are necessary as part of this. It’s simply a matter of identifying what you need and packaging a solution for you. It’s definitely an individualized care plan.
A good candidate for a mommy makeover is any woman in good health who is done having children and has finished breastfeeding for at least six months. If you’re planning for more children in the future, it’s better to wait before pursuing a mommy makeover.
Depending on the individualized surgeries and whether the breast, abdomen, or both are addressed, recovery time will vary. Some women go home the same day, some require an overnight stay. Recovery generally takes one to four weeks.
Mommy makeover fast facts:
* An estimated 1.9 million procedures were performed on women in the U.S. in 2015, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
* ASPS statistics show the number of women getting mommy makeover procedures is on the rise. Women had nearly 112,000 tummy tucks in 2010, up 85 percent since 2000; 90,000 breast lifts, up 70 percent since 2000; and 296,000 breast augmentations, up 39 percent since 2000.
For more information, contact BayCare Clinic at 920-288-8240 or visit baycare.net.
