MOMMY MAKEOVER

In Phoenix and Glendale, Arizona

Dr. Paul Angelchik, certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), is known in the Phoenix, Glendale and Scottsdale area for excellence in cosmetic surgery outcomes. His many satisfied patients praise him for his thoroughness and respectful "bedside" manner. Many come to him for body contouring, and specifically, a combination of procedures more casually known as a "Mommy Makeover."

As the name implies, a mommy makeover is designed to help restore a woman's body to her pre-pregnancy, or pre-weight-gain, shape either post-partum or after losing the excess weight. Makeovers are not intended as a weight-loss remedy. While there are some changes that cosmetic surgery can't reverse, there are, according to the ASPS definition, three primary mommy makeover procedures that will reshape the breasts and abdomen.

Pregnancy, and weight gain to some degree, stretch the breast skin and tissues. After you have stopped breast feeding and have lost weight, your breasts may sag and areolas may be larger than you like them to be. The first two of three most common mommy makeover procedures include a breast augmentation and a breast lift. If your breasts are now too large, a breast reduction can bring them to a size that is flattering for your body type. If they are too small or have lost their fullness, a breast augmentation can return them to a shape that you are comfortable with. Sagging breasts can be lifted, and, although not routinely included in the mommy makeover, large areolas can be made smaller.

Likewise, the abdominal muscles and skin are stretched during pregnancy and with weight gain. The third procedure that completes the mommy makeover is abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck. Tummy tuck involves removing the excess skin and tightening the abdominal muscles, leaving you with a flatter stomach. The scars from this procedure are hidden under clothing, and often fade, over time, to be barely noticeable.

Another procedure, liposuction, may be done during the tummy tuck. Liposuction can remove stubborn fat that just didn't succumb to exercise and diet. Liposuction helps contour the body by removing fat from specific locations, such as love handles. Other procedures that you might consider include a lower body lift to reshape the thighs, buttocks and hips using liposuction, and surgical procedures similar to those performed in the tummy tuck.

If you are considering having a mommy makeover, you'll want to wait until you have had your last child, and have attained the your ideal weight, or at least a weight you can, and will, maintain. If you have the procedure done prematurely, subsequent weight gain and pregnancy will, again, stretch your skin and muscles, leaving you fewer options than if you'd waited to have this surgery. Since the procedure involves removing excess skin, the remaining skin will stretch more than during the previous pregnancies and/or weight gain, leaving it less elastic, and more prone to stretch marks.

You can contact Dr. Paul Angelchik through his website and ask questions or schedule an appointment for your personal consultation.