Mommy makeovers have become increasingly popular over the past 10 years. This is at least partly due to so many women having children later in life; many are over 35. As such, their bodies may be less resilient than those of their younger counterparts, and the after-effects of pregnancy can be loose abdominal skin, separated abdominal muscles, fat deposits in areas that are resistant to diet and exercise, and droopy breasts. And while diet and exercise can be helpful, in many cases for these patients, plastic surgery is needed to get the kind of improvement that they’re looking for.
“Many of the patients that come to us for mommy makeovers are over 35,” says Dr. Robert Wilke, a board certified plastic surgeon at Edina Plastic Surgery. “Healthy women who are done having children can be excellent candidates for abdominoplasty, liposuction and a breast lift, reduction or augmentation. The overall satisfaction rate for mommy makeovers is very high. Many women have told us that they are delighted with the transformation and their only regret is that they wish they had come in to see us sooner.”
For a typical “mommy makeover”, the board certified surgeons at Edina Plastic Surgery often perform abdominoplasty combined with liposuction, and very frequently the patient also has a breast lift, reduction, or augmentation. Mommy makeover procedures remove extra skin, minimize stretch marks and lift the breasts and body to regain a comparable figure to pre-pregnancy form. Our surgeons listen carefully to each patient and advise them on the most appropriate procedures.
Women are having babies later when their bodies aren’t as resilient.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2000 the average age of a first time mother was 24.9 years. In 2014, that age had risen to 26.3. And although that may not seem to be a big change, it is representative of a trend that women are waiting longer to have children due to a combination of factors including improved birth control, improved fertility treatments and other socioeconomic reasons.
For many mothers; especially those over 35, one of the most challenging aspects of giving birth is regaining their pre-pregnancy bodies. Many plastic surgery procedures are aimed at providing assistance for those looking to regain their svelte physique. Due in part to the popularity of television shows that focus on plastic surgery procedures, requests for multiple procedures done at one time are rising each year.
Multiple procedures; just one recovery period.
Patients appreciate the fact that when having a mommy makeover, they can have multiple procedures performed at once, thereby having a single recovery vs. three separate ones. With the advent of much-improved anesthesia techniques that allow a safer anesthetic with fewer after-effects, combined with the popularity of such shows as “Extreme Makeover”, requests for multiple procedures at one setting are increasing rapidly.
Recovery time for mothers with children must be considered carefully, and the doctors at Edina Plastic Surgery suggest that patients have a support plan in place to make sure that supplemental help is available for household chores and childcare post-surgery for one to two weeks.
