Today, ‘Mommy Makeover’ is the happening arena. Well, people have often dismissed as women opting for mommy makeover to look good for their husbands. However even now, if you take a quick survey on 10 married men across India asking them on 10 things that give them a happy life, their wife may not feature on this list for the majority of them. Reason: We take people and especially our life partner for granted, a reason why many remain in bad marriages. Today women have become independent and headstrong. And it is a woman’s choice to go for the transformational Mommy Makeover and their husbands are happy to support them in this decision.
Mommy makeover is a term that Dr. Thomas coined in 2004 and has now been embraced across the country. While few really know what it means. Doctors and patients are equally guilty in this regard. Fortunately for everybody, vanity rules and so the interest continues and will increase exponentially. If you look good, you feel good is the current mantra.
Dr. Mohan Thomas has seen less than 20 percent of cases of Mommy Makeovers happen because both the husband and wife want it. These are mainly because the men are socialites and want their women looking good and presentable. However, the good trend is that the majority of women who come in for such surgeries do so only because they want it. More so, the numbers are increasing among the regulars and middle-class groups. Even five years back, the surgeries were more popular and common among socialites, mainly celebrities.
Following pregnancy and breastfeeding, the breast, the abdomen, possibly the thighs and the vagina undergo changes. As a result, the following procedures may be indicated-
- Breast Surgery
- Body Recontouring/tummy tuck
- Vaginoplasty (indicated only in vaginal deliveries as a rule)
1. Breast Surgeries:
Breast Augmentation- for small and deflated breasts with minimal droop.
Breast Lift- for droopy breasts (May at times require a breast implant to recover the lost volume).
Breast Reduction- To reduce breasts enlarged further post pregnancy and is accompanied by a lift.
2. Body Contouring
Abdominoplasty-
This procedure has many variants like
- Mini tummy tuck wherein the laxity is only below the belly button and hence a predetermined portion of skin and fat is removed keeping the scar in the panty line.
- With the relocation of the belly button and tightening of the abdominal wall- this procedure is done when there is laxity above and below the belly button, looseness of the abdominal wall with protrusion of the abdomen.
- Pelvic slide often occurs following pregnancies is also addressed at the time of the Abdominoplasty by a pelvic lift.
3. Vaginoplasty
Helps address the laxity of the vaginal canal by tightening it after delivery.
THINGS TO REMEMBER-
- Cosmetic surgeries are not performed on patients with active or chronic medical problems that are not well controlled.
- Mommy makeovers are not recommended until all of the additions to the family are completed and it makes sense. In the event somebody does get pregnant after mommy makeover, it will undo some of the results obtained and may require secondary procedures to fix them.
- Vaginoplasties are generally not required for women who have undergone a C-section for childbirth as it is the natural childbirth through the vaginal canal that makes it lax. Depending on the patients’ needs this laxity can be addressed.
- Additionally, any kind of surgery is not recommended right after the delivery. This is because the mother's body is still recovering from labor and the baby needs 24/7 care, attention, and breastfeeding.
- There is no certain age group for whom these procedures are recommended as it is based on the desire and need of the patient. None of the surgeries that are part of the mommy makeover are medically required but will make the person feel good about themselves. After all, pregnancy, even though maybe desired, causes a significant alteration of the female body particularly in the breast, body and perhaps vaginal areas.
- Between being a new mother, sleep deprivation, breastfeeding and other changes of the body can often be better managed mentally if the patients could visualize the mommy makeover in the future. These procedures are meant to restore the body shape for women after pregnancy.
- The cycle of cosmetic surgery includes a change of lifestyle, calorie restricted diet, and exercise. Postoperatively no other regime is as important as this to maintain the results from any body-recontouring procedure. The change includes sleep hygiene and a life of moderation.
- Dietary regimes that are most successful are not one of abstinence rather calorie restriction per day. Regular exercise of 30 minutes per day is recommended.
- Intense gym activity, swimming, fondling of the breasts and intercourse is not recommended for about 6-8 weeks to ensure a good result however walking even a brisk one can be initiated after a few days of surgery.
- While there is no preferred age group, the benefits can be reaped well if performed early in life. Middle age is not a bad time to go for these type of procedures as this can increase the confidence in women, bring proportion to their body and in several cases leads to a more satisfied and happy marriage.