If you haven’t heard the phrase yet, you will soon: The “Mommy Makeover” is all the rage these days among middle-age women who have had their share of children and are ready to call it quits with the whole thing reproductive thing. A mommy makeover simply refers to getting several procedures done to help restore a mom’s body back to the shape it was in before she had her first child.
Usually these procedures involve plastic surgery options such as labiaplasty, post-pregnancy liposuction and / or breast augmentation. The true makeover devotee, though, will also toss in a lot of exercise and healthy eating to further propel her body back its more youthful days.
Since I’m a plastic surgeon, I’ll leave the fitness advice to someone else and discuss the cosmetic-surgery end of things. There are several reasons why middle-aged women become interested in makeover cosmetic surgery. Some want to look good again for their husbands. Others have divorced and are interested in attracting another man. Still others just enjoy the confidence that comes from knowing they look their best. Making choices for a woman’s body is a very private matter, and ultimately, all that matters is whether she decides it’s the right decision for her and her lifestyle.
Moms seem to have special concerns about plastic surgery that don’t seem to concern others quite as much. For instance, they have a greater need to recover faster, in order to care for their families. So it’s important that the mom getting plastic surgery discuss her particular situation with her surgeon and find out how much time she can expect to be off her feet. During that time, she should speak with her family about how they can best fill in for her.
Moms also need to understand the different goals of liposuction and tummy tucks, and whether a vaginoplasty is really an essential procedure for her. Sometimes you can’t afford to have the entire “Mommy Makeover,” and have to concentrate on just a couple of procedures that you can afford, putting off the rest for another time.
To decide which procedures will have the maximum impact on your life, speak with your surgeon, but also ask around and find out if your friends have had any “make-over” work done and get their insight. You can never have too much information in making your decision.
