Beauty & Body Health & Fitness

New You Magazine asks: Looking to Redefine Your Curves With Cosmetic Surgery?

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Yes, we’re tired of hearing about Heidi Montag too. But there’s no denying that it’s a fantastic lead into the topic of combination cosmetic procedures. While she’s been criticized for having too many simultaneous procedures and at too young an age, the fact is that in the real world combination procedures are on the rise. Take, for instance, the so-called Mommy Makeover. You’ve heard the phrase and you probably have a good idea of what it is. According to cosmetic surgeon Michael Kluska, DO, in Greensburg, Pa., the typical “mommy makeover” patient is in her mid-30s to mid-40s, and undergoes breast augmentation with a lift and/or implants, and a tummy tuck with multi-site liposuction.

It is this multiplex of procedures that defines the makeover, getting all of it done at once in a single operating session. It is, consequently, a fairly long operation, but when you’re done, well, you’re done—and this is what makes it so popular.

While the combo contour is called a mommy makeover, to limit the idea of combination procedures that include the breast, abdominal region and overall body area to moms only is short sighted, says Howard Tobin, MD. “To suggest these procedures are just for someone who goes through pregnancy is trivializing,” he says. “We should treat every person individually.”

According to Maurice Sherman, MD, the so-called “mommy makeover” really just is a marketing term used to describe the combination of simultaneous procedures.

Dr. Tobin concurs: “We’ve seen an increase in combining breast augmentation and abdominoplasty—the ‘mommy makeover’—but in that sense, we are seeing more interest [overall] in combined procedures. I think it’s just a reflection of the increasing interest in body contouring [which] is more common today than it was 15 to 20 years ago.”

Simultaneous & Safe

The rise in demand for multiple, simultaneous treatments, including the mommy makeover, is due to several factors. One of the big reasons is that procedures today are more standardized than they were 15 years ago, making time in surgery more efficient.

Take breast augmentation. A combined breast augmentation and lift used to be done separately. “The old traditional, conservative way was not to do this together. It used to be with older techniques to do lifting first and then six months later come back [for the implants],” says Dr. Sherman.

Today the trend is to combine the two procedures into one, thanks to advancing techniques that enable surgeons to create a strong enough pocket during the lift to support the implants at the same time.

“A breast lift with implants and tummy tuck plus or minus liposuction for most women is three to three-and-a-half hours on an out-patient basis, with full recovery within three to four weeks,” says Dr. Kluska.

It is also a less risky operation than it was in the past, thanks to advancing techniques. Dr. Kluska, for example, uses local anesthesia and sedation (via tumescent solution and an IV tube) as opposed to general anesthesia. “We’ve learned a lot about the body and how it responds to local vs general aesthetic,” he says. “Patients don’t need general anesthetic and seem to recover more quickly…it’s easier on the patient, and it’s safer.”

Still, because the procedures are so comprehensive, and so invasive, recovery requires some immediate downtime, and then several weeks of rest and restricted activity. “When you start doing liposuction, breast implants…it’s a major assault on the body,” says Dr. Tobin.

For the first four to five days, advises Kluska, “You’ll need help at home—a good support structure, someone to help with the kids, meals, shopping, all the little things that moms do.”

The good news? There’s not a lot of bruising with today’s combo body surgery. The tumescent solution helps constrict blood vessels, which decreases the bruising—as well as increasing safety “because it limits blood loss,” says Dr. Tobin. And there is usually a marked reduction in both pain and bruising within 24 hours. Still, expect it to take about four to six weeks to be fully functional.

As for long-term recovery, “scars are for the most part standard across the board,” says Dr. Kluska, though scarring can be minimized with the application of topical cream such as Mederma or steroid cream.

A Matter of Time

The one thing that will not bend to improved technology is surgical time limits. For all the improvements in the cosmetic surgery field, experts agree that there is a limit to how much time you should spend in the OR.

“We have a strong feeling that elective surgery should be limited to four hours because studies have shown for four hours surgical risk is steady,” says Dr. Tobin. “We can do a tummy tuck and breast lift within four hours. I would offer a caveat—it can be a dangerous trend to combine procedures when extending operating time into a longer period. I don’t think that is acceptable in cosmetic surgery.”

“You don’t want to be under for more than 4 hours,” says Dr. Kluska. “Under 4 hours, in my opinion, is very safe.”

About New You

New You Magazine is the official consumer publication of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery

(AACS), New You is the first line of communication between cosmetic surgery experts and readers. We are a magazine on a mission to help real people meet their personal beauty goals. As such, we provide our readers with honest information about the latest anti-aging technologies, trends, procedures and products in addition to safety, cost, real patient personal experiences and guidance on how to find the right treatment and the right surgeon.

The AACS is a professional medical society of more than 2,500 cosmetic surgeons dedicated to consumer education and safety. All of the doctors referenced in New You articles are members.

For more information about New You, please visit www.newyoumag.com.

About the author

Lanee Neil