01 Mar Mommy makeover… Or how to get your best figure back after pregnancy.
We are hearing a lot lately about the “mommy makeover”, a trend that translated to our language comes to mean the “renovation, new look or remodeling of the mom”.
This fashion imported from the United States is gaining more and more followers in Europe.
PHYSICAL CHANGES DURING PREGNANCY
It is well known that motherhood brings with it physical and bodily changes that are sometimes undesirable: the skin of the abdomen stretches and becomes flaccid, fat accumulates in the waist, love handles, etc., the breasts lose their firmness, sag and lose their fullness, appearing empty, without turgidity… The breasts during pregnancy and lactation undergo a series of changes aimed at milk production, and are generally a remarkable development of the mammary gland, with an overall increase in size. Subsequently, this same gland atrophies as it no longer has to perform this secretory function. This results in a general loss of volume, loss of firmness and “ptosis” or sagging of the breasts.
The abdomen, on the other hand, stretches to accommodate the baby, so that its skin firmness is lost. The abdominal musculature also undergoes changes, just as the skin distends, so do the abdominal muscles. A typical alteration of pregnancy is that the rectus abdominis muscles (those responsible for the so-called six-pack or chocolate bar) separate from the midline, maintaining this separation even after delivery, which is called “rectus diastasis”, and causes an abdominal protrusion, a kind of belly in the central area of the abdomen, which occurs even in thin patients with good muscle tone.
These physical changes are sometimes difficult to fit into the demanding society in which we live today, where physical appearance, health, being “fit” or in good physical shape, have become some of the most relevant concerns of the population. The combination of these factors means that many mothers, having fulfilled their dream of becoming mothers, do not want to give up their previous physical appearance.
SET OF SURGICAL PROCEDURES TO REGAIN THE LINE AFTER PREGNANCY
The “mommy makeover” is a set of plastic and cosmetic surgery procedures whose purpose is to restore the mother’s previous appearance or to alleviate the body changes secondary to the pregnancy process. First of all, a medical evaluation of the patient must be made, since each patient’s needs will be different and the treatment must be individualized.
The procedures usually included in the “mommy makeover” are abdominoplasty, repair of diastasis of the abdominal musculature, mammoplasty, and sometimes liposuction of certain lipid accumulations.
The purpose of abdominoplasty is to restore firmness to the abdomen, eliminating excess skin and adipose tissue, as well as repairing the “diastasis” or separation of the rectus and restoring the structure and function to this musculature.
The mammoplasty technique differs according to the characteristics of the patient: sometimes it is necessary to increase the breasts, which have become atrophic after pregnancy, usually with prostheses; other patients will require a breast reduction to reshape and reduce the size of your breast, and finally, one of the most popular breast surgeries after pregnancy: mastopexy or “breast lift”, in which the breast is reshaped, getting back its shape and position by lifting and reshaping. The latter technique is often performed with the aid of breast prostheses.
Finally, liposuction varies depending on each patient and the possible accumulations of fat that may have developed during pregnancy and/or breastfeeding, it is a simple and optimal technique to treat in a specific way the aforementioned fat accumulations.
WHEN TO DO IT?
Although in the press you can find news in which it is commented that there are certain procedures such as abdominoplasty that are performed in the same act of childbirth, specifically if it is a cesarean delivery, for most experts and specialists in plastic surgery this is a recklessness for several reasons:
-Increases the risk of postpartum complications.
– The surgeries that make up the “mommy makeover” require rest and a series of strict care afterwards, and the postpartum period is probably not the best time to follow these recommendations, due to the new situation of the mother, who will have to direct her care and attention to the newborn.
– In the postpartum period there is a regression of the anatomical and physiological changes produced during pregnancy, with a progressive recovery of the tissues, so the most reasonable thing to do is to wait a while for all tissues to return to normal, in many cases it will not be necessary to intervene the patient.
– American guidelines recommend undergoing these surgeries once the childbearing season is over, and at least 1 year after the last pregnancy, in order to perform the surgery in physically stable conditions, both physically and psychologically.
If you want information about this procedure do not hesitate to contact me, you can find me at:
Hospital 9 d’Octubre, Valencia.
Contact: 684148979; info@dravillaverde.com
Dr. María Eloísa Villaverde Doménech, Specialist in Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery.
