Tuck it in

Motherhood ushers in a new era in the lives of women. Pregnancy is an overwhelming physical and emotional journey. The beautiful experience of giving birth does take its toll on women and leaves behind stretched muscles, loose sagging skin and drooping breasts. Earlier women would compromise and dress down in loose clothes to hide their baby weight. But the new age woman seeks more. She wants to wear gym clothes, run marathons and swim in oceans and rock in little black dresses.

Off late there has been a great upsurge in the number of women opting for a ‘Mommy Makeover’.

The goal of a mommy makeover is to restore the shape and appearance of a woman’s body after childbearing. There are many areas of the body that can be addressed, most commonly the breasts, abdomen, waist, genitalia and buttocks.

The following surgeries are usually included in this group—

1. Tummy tuck surgery: Also known as abdominoplasty, removes excess fat and skin and, in most cases, restores weakened or separated muscles creating an abdominal profile that is smoother and firmer.

2. Breast lift: Also known as mastopexy, raises the breasts by removing excess skin and tightening the surrounding tissue to reshape and support the new breast contour.

3. Liposuction: It is a surgical procedure that uses suction technique to remove fat from specific areas of the body, such as the abdomen, hips, thighs, buttocks, arms or neck and is usually complimentary to tummy tuck surgery.  

4. Vaginal rejuvenation: This procedure involves various interventions like vaginal tightening which bring the separated muscles together, and the extra mucosa from the back side of the vagina is removed.

5. Buttock Augmentation: It is also known as Buttock Lift and is performed in conjugation with liposuction by transferring the fat removed from the abdomen and thighs into the buttocks to give it a good contour.

The patient may opt for a combination of these procedures, which is mostly performed in a single stage. However a lot of concerns have been raised of late about the safety of these procedures.

Any surgical procedure carries a potential risk of complications. The risks include bleeding, infection, wound healing issues, thrombophlebitis or at times pulmonary embolism. Any surgery lasting for more than six hours increases the risk for anaesthetic complications.

Not all patients are suitable for undergoing Mommy makeover procedures. The Body mass index (BMI) should be less than 30, the patient should not be smoking and should undergo a thorough clinical evaluation to be deemed fit for surgery. Also, the patient must have completed her family and must be in a sound mental and physical condition to undergo this surgery. A woman’s body undergoes a lot of physiological changes after pregnancy and child birth so it is advisable to wait for at least six months after childbirth to consider these surgical options.

The field of medicine and surgery is not an exact science. One needs to have realistic expectations while undergoing such procedures. Communication and patience is the key to achieving good results.

— Dr Shraddha Deshpande is a plastic and cosmetic surgeon.

Disclaimer: Always check with a specialist before going ahead with this procedure.