It is a popular trend in plastic surgery. Women choosing to remake their post pregnancy bodies. Carrying a child and then having a baby can be one of life’s biggest joys, but let’s face it, the experience can change a woman’s body. Those changes often can’t be fixed with diligent gym workouts and healthy eating, many women require a little extra help. Today, women aren’t just choosing to have a Mommy Makeover, they are are electing to time the surgery to fit into their busy work schedules and active lifestyles.
By Dawn Tongish
ThePlasticSurgeryChannel
It was a simple choice for fitness competitor, Candace Harmon. “I looked in the mirror one day and I didn’t recognize my body.” Motherhood had taken a toll on her once tightly-toned body. Harmon tried to fix the flaws in the gym, but nothing seemed to work, even with vigorous workouts and disciplined dieting.
“There were still issues that I couldn’t seem to address with diet and exercise. I couldn’t loose the skin from having a baby.” After her second child and last child, 40-year old Harmon turned to plastic surgery for a Mommy Makeover. “I tried it the all natural way and it didn’t work, so then I tried it this way. The results with the surgery were just awesome. I looked like my old self again.”
Youthful Attitude, Youthful Body
It is a plastic surgery trend that women are turning to in growing numbers. The Mommy Makeover, usually refers to several procedures to improve and restore appearance to the post-pregnancy body, typically with a tummy tuck, breast work and even liposuction. Experts say there is a new generation of women who look and feel young and they want their bodies to reflect that attitude.
“Women shouldn’t feel guilty about wanting to have these things done and get back to looking like they did before they had a child,” says Dr. Stephan Finical, a board-certified plastic surgeon, who practices in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Dr. Finical says the term Mommy Makeover is the most searched term on the practice website. He says women want to preserve the body they’ve had and there are ways to achieve that look. Dr. Finical adds, that besides looking like they did pre-baby, women today want to make sure the timing is right for the surgery and that means planning the makeover to fit into the schedule and routine of life.
“Timing is very important for women in getting the Mommy Makeover. A woman wants to make sure that she can have her family taken care of,” Dr. Finical says. Women want to make sure there will be someone to care for any small children and drive around any older children.
“This is what women want before they sign up for the Mommy Makeover.”
When Is The Best Time To Get A Mommy Makeover?
The post-pregnancy body can leave a woman with sagging breasts and a tummy etched with stretch marks. There’s no wonder most women want to erase the baby battle scars as soon as possible. Doctors advise waiting until the time is right for a Mommy Makeover. Plastic surgery experts say it is best for a woman to wait until she is finished having children and completed breast feeding to have a Mommy Makeover to experience the best results.
“I think it is best to wait until your baby body is recovered,” says Dr. Grant Stevens. Dr. Stevens, who practices in Marina Del Rey, California says women shouldn’t rush out immediately post-pregnancy and try to change their shape. He advises women to try and drop as much baby weight as possible on their own before electing to have a Mommy Makeover.
“Women can try to take care of the extra weight and we’ll take care of the extra skin, the saggy breasts and the muscles that were spread because of the pregnancy.”
Candace is thrilled that she finally decided to put makeover on her calendar. The competitor has now gone “pro” in the fitness world and credits part of that to her awesome new look. She says most people can’t imagine she has given birth. “I have people come up and say they can’t believe that I have had kids.” Candace has only one regret, that she didn’t do her Mommy Makeover years earlier. “I should have done it sooner.”