We’ve all seen these ads: beautiful, slim models wearing gorgeous, expensive swimsuits. The catalogs come in the mail; the TV weight-loss ads push swimsuit-clad women touting their amazing results; and women’s magazines, lined up in the candy aisle at the grocery check-out, are chock-a-block with stunning women in bikinis. Inside, we realize that these are hyped up images geared to motivate us to buy: the magazine, the swimsuit, the weight-loss program. But most women also feel a twinge of self-doubt looking at these photos. Perfection is not just offered—the subliminal message is clear: if you don’t have a body like this, you aren’t attractive. I think that’s a shame, as I’ve been working with thousands of men and women all over Michigan for many years, and not a single one of them were unattractive. Sure, they had features they wanted to change, but that was to make them happier with their appearance—not to make them supermodels. There isn’t a surgical procedure that I can perform to change your body into that of the Photoshopped images in the magazines, but there are several that we can think about that will improve your appearance a great deal. Here are some of them.
A Mommy Makeover is a combination procedure that includes a tummy tuck, a breast enhancement procedure, and liposuction. The goal is to help a mom “recover her figure after she has finished bearing her children. It’s also a great procedure for any woman with torso concerns, even if she never had children but has had weight loss/gains and/or has some body sagging due to aging. Depending on the woman, the breast enhancement might be a breast augmentation with or without a breast lift or, for women with overly large breasts, the breast portion of the procedure could be a breast reduction to bring the breasts more in alignment with the rest of her body.
Although a Tummy Tuck is part of a Mommy Makeover, it can be performed alone, too. It sculpts the tummy by surgically reconnecting the muscle (called the abdominus rectus) that runs down the middle of the abdomen. After that, the tummy tissues are pulled down like a window shade to a tighter position and sutured. You even get a new belly button! My Michigan Tummy Tuck patients are ecstatic with their results, because a Tummy Tuck really gets rid of that bulge that is so tough to reduce with diet and exercise, especially after having babies. Also, if you have stretch marks, all or at least most of them can be removed with a Tummy Tuck. Next to liposuction, it’s one of the most popular body sculpting procedures that I do here in my Michigan plastic surgery practice.
Liposuction is also part of a Mommy Makeover and is often part of a Tummy Tuck because either due to pregnancies, weight gain/loss cycles and/or aging, spots of exercise-resistant fat often remain even after a Tummy Tuck. Liposuction can get rid of those little pockets of fat. While it’s not a weight loss method per se, liposuction will definitely make you look like you’ve lost weight. Because I only need a few tiny incisions to insert the liposuction wand (called a cannula), recovery is usually rapid for liposuction patients. It’s great for the tummy, love handles, thighs (inner or outer), back fat and even the area above the knees.
If you’re concerned about the appearance of your body and you’d like some improvement before this year’s swimsuit season begins, call 269-329-0655 and make an appointment either at my Battle Creek or Portage plastic surgery office. If you’re reading this after office hours, click this link to complete an online appointment request form.
