Mommy Makeover
ACHIEVE PRE-PREGNANCY BODY CONTOURS
Your body does some incredible things during pregnancy, and motherhood can certainly be a source of joy. The reality—even with the modern technology and science is that pregnancy and childbirth also put major stress on the body, frequently resulting in damage. One of the most challenging aspects can be the unwelcome changes that may develop, such as sagging breasts, stubborn pockets of fat, weakened abdominal muscles, and stretched-out skin. Unfortunately, even the best diet and exercise routine may not be enough to restore pre-pregnancy body contours. Fortunately, a Mommy Makeover at Philadelphia’s Cross Medical Group can.
A Mommy Makeover with Dr. Kevin Cross or Dr. Jackie Lyons is the ideal procedure for addressing unwanted changes to the breasts, abdomen, and other areas that are altered throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding—especially considering their commitment to customization and precision. Each “makeover” is tailored to the individual for personalized results, sculpting a body that appears fitter, slimmer, and more youthful. As plastic surgeons, Dr. Cross and Dr. Lyons are devoted to listening to a patient's goals, providing a thorough exam, and developing a Mommy Makeover plan to best cater to specific aesthetic desires to help achieve optimal results.
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION
Schedule a consultation with Dr. Kevin Cross or Dr. Jackie Lyons for a Mommy Makeover in Philadelphia and Villanova/the Main Line by calling Cross Medical Group at (215) 561-9100 (Philadelphia) or (610) 688-9100 (Villanova), or send a message online.
HOW DOES THE BODY CHANGE THROUGHOUT PREGNANCY AND AFTER CHILDBIRTH?
It’s common for pregnant women and new moms to wonder how their body will look after childbirth and whether it will return to the way it used to be before pregnancy. Every woman’s experience will be different, but know that growing a baby is difficult for your body, which will go through significant changes.
During pregnancy, various parts of the body stretch and expand to accommodate an ever-growing belly and the baby's needs. Once the baby is born and after milk production eventually stops, some changes may reverse themselves—but many post-pregnancy changes often remain.
It’s likely that your breasts will grow during pregnancy. The breasts are also connected to ligaments and muscles that stretch as the breasts get larger and heavier. Since these connective tissues can’t easily “tighten up” again, the breasts may become droopy, and their shape may change.
It’s common to gain weight, then to lose it after the baby is born. The skin stretches to accommodate this added volume—as well as the growing bump—so there may be loose skin on the stomach area once that volume goes away.
Other patients may find that they gain weight, and then have trouble losing it—or at least pockets of it. Hips may slim back down while a belly or double chin remains.
While some moms are proud of these changes, others may be self- conscious about the physical alterations to their body. When your children are older, you might decide to have a Mommy Makeover to address certain conditions.
WHAT IS A MOMMY MAKEOVER?
First, here’s a simple definition: A Mommy Makeover is cosmetic surgery designed for people who are dissatisfied with the physical changes pregnancy and childbirth bring about. Despite the name, it can also be used by patients who are not mothers, but who have multiple problem areas on the body that can be addressed with surgery.
The goal of a Mommy Makeover is to use Medical Group techniques to restore the body to its pre-baby appearance—or at least to create contours consistent with contours from before pregnancy and childbirth happened. In addition to the physical benefits of a Mommy Makeover, it can also have emotional and psychological benefits, such as restoring self-confidence.
It's important to understand that a Mommy Makeover isn’t just one procedure. It actually involves a combination of surgeries. Multiple components of a Mommy Makeover can be completed at the same time, and Dr. Cross and Dr. Lyons' goal is to achieve as much as is necessary with just one surgical experience.
While almost all Mommy Makeover patients can be treated in one stage, Dr. Cross and Dr. Lyons always follow one basic principle: Safety comes first. They will never allow a patient to do more than she can tolerate or more than is safe. In certain Mommy Makeover cases, they plan a multi-staged approach with the patient.
WHAT DOES A MOMMY MAKEOVER INCLUDE?
A Mommy Makeover can include just about any procedures necessary to help patients achieve the restorative results they are seeking. Typically, Mommy Makeover surgery involves a combination of breast and body techniques, all of which may also be complemented by non-surgical treatments.
MOMMY MAKEOVER TIMING
“How long should I wait to have a Mommy Makeover?”
This is a question Dr. Cross and Dr. Lyons frequently hear from patients who are interested in having cosmetic surgery to enhance their body shape after pregnancy.
While it may be tempting to jump into a Mommy Makeover shortly after the baby is born, your body needs time to heal after giving birth. Patience is important. Mommy Makeover procedures can begin as early as three months after a woman gives birth, but most new moms typically wait until at least six months have passed to ensure that the body has corrected a fair amount on its own.
When your body is fit and healthy, it will heal much better than it would when you’re still recovering from childbirth.
WHO IS A CANDIDATE FOR A MOMMY MAKEOVER?
Patients often ask questions such as, “What weight should I be to get a Mommy Makeover?” when they’re considering the procedure. Having a Mommy Makeover is an extremely personal decision. This is a highly individualized treatment that should only be done for yourself rather than to please someone else or meet some type of ideal image. The patients who decide to have this surgery are not uniform in their needs and goals, so the Mommy Makeover surgery is customized to fit their preferences.
That said, patients will usually be good candidates for a Mommy Makeover if they are at their ideal body weight, in good health, maintain a positive outlook and realistic expectations, and are finished having kids.
You may be an ideal candidate for a Mommy Makeover if you have elongated or deflated breasts, you have a condition called diastasis recti that causes separation of the abdominal muscles, or you have developed stubborn pockets of fat since pregnancy that are resistant to diet, exercise, and other changes to your lifestyle.
HOW CAN A MOMMY MAKEOVER REJUVENATE THE BREASTS?
A new mother's breasts may ultimately increase or decrease in volume, depending on the patient. After pregnancy, the majority of women experience saggy, lax skin on and around the breast area. This is a result of changes to bands known as Cooper's ligaments, which extend from the collar bone down and support the breast from within.
These ligaments determine and maintain breast shape, so if they become stretched out and unable to retract back, the breasts will lose their shape and sag. Unfortunately, there is no exercise or diet regimen that can reverse these changes.
Fortunately, a well-performed reduction, lift, and/or breast augmentation procedure effectively corrects these post-pregnancy changes. Augmentations paired with lifts are quite common and may be performed in conjunction with other Mommy Makeover procedures. Based on a patient's anatomy and goals, the Mommy Makeover patient and Dr. Cross or Dr. Lyons will together determine whether a breast reduction and lift, just a lift, an augmentation, or a lift with an augmentation is required.
In addition to traditional procedures, Dr. Cross and Dr. Lyons implement advanced techniques that include extracting unwanted fat from other regions of the body and injecting it into the breasts. This procedure, known as fat grafting, or the no-implant augmentation, provides a natural breast enhancement and can be incorporated into a Mommy Makeover.
HOW CAN A MOMMY MAKEOVER REJUVENATE THE ABDOMINAL AREA?
As the abdomen stretches to accommodate a growing baby, the skin and tissue encompassing the stomach muscle also expand. While natural elasticity in these tissues allows for some post-birth retraction, damage to the elastin in the tissues typically makes a complete return to prebaby conditions impossible. As a result, women are left with loose skin, stretch marks, and a spreading apart of the abdominal muscles that form a "six pack." Referred to as "rectus diastasis," this widening gap will prevent a woman from achieving a flat stomach after pregnancy, even if her muscles are stronger than they were prior to having children.
Each of these issues in the abdominal region can be addressed with a specific technique, frequently combined into a procedure known as an abdominoplasty or tummy tuck.
A discussion in the Cross Medical Group office will help define which Mommy Makeover options will provide the maximum benefit with the least invasive measures and the fastest recovery time. Dr. Cross and Dr. Lyons now perform "drainless" abdominoplasties for appropriate Mommy Makeover candidates to inhibit post-procedure fluid accumulation and improve recovery.
HOW CAN A MOMMY MAKEOVER REDUCE FAT?
Depending on her physique, a woman's body goes through a variety of changes throughout pregnancy. Most commonly, many women gain significant weight. This increase in volume, which happens relatively quickly, stretches the skin and grows pockets of fat in stubborn areas of the body. There are many liposuction techniques available to reduce these areas. Dr. Cross has literally written the textbook chapter on surgical fat reduction and uses many of the available techniques. An exam and discussion will help patients understand which technique is best for their Mommy Makeover.
HOW WILL A MOMMY MAKEOVER PROVIDE LIFTING AND TIGHTENING?
Weight gain is not the only fat-related problem that pregnancy can cause. A woman's weight also tends to fluctuate quite a bit, causing the midsection and buttock regions to lose their natural shape. A variety of Mommy Makeover options exist to lift and tighten sagging skin for a perkier post-pregnancy look. A thigh lift or lower body lift can restore definition to these deflated regions.
WHAT ARE SOME NON-SURGICAL ALTERNATIVES TO A MOMMY MAKEOVER?
While a Mommy Makeover offers the most dramatic results, non-surgical treatments can be helpful for women who are not yet ready for surgery, but who want to address some of the cosmetic issues caused by pregnancy and childbirth. Non-surgical treatments can also refine the results of a Mommy Makeover. Dr. Cross, Dr. Lyons, and their team can explain what SculpSure® body contouring, Ultherapy skin tightening, Kybella® for double chin reduction, and Cellfina® for cellulite reduction can do.
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION
Contact Cross Medical Group to learn about what to expect from a Mommy Makeover in Philadelphia. Call (215) 561-9100 or Main Line's Villanova at (610) 688-9100. You can also send a message online to inquire about a consultation, or for more information.