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Photographs Courtesy Lexington Medical Center
newsmaker
After-the-Baby Beautiful Helping Moms regain their bodies after babies and the aging process.
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By Dr. Todd Lefkowitz
We caught up with Dr. Todd Lefkowitz of Lexington Plastic Surgery, a Lexington Medical Center physician practice, to discuss several options to help new Moms look and feel their best after the new arrival. In his own words … Motherhood will change a woman’s life forever. Welcoming a baby into the world is undoubtedly one of the greatest experiences we can ever imagine. But while giving birth is a tremendous gift, it often leaves women’s bodies changed forever, too. Pregnancy stretches the skin in the tummy area. During this time, the skin often loses its elasticity like a stretched rubber band. Pregnancy stretches the abdominal wall, too, because the weight and growth of the baby in your belly spreads out the abdominal muscles toward your sides. After pregnancy, no matter how many sit-ups you do, the abdominal muscles might not go back into their original position. While it’s at times possible to regain a flat belly after pregnancy, it’s not a reality for most women. In addition, hormonal changes during and after pregnancy, combined with breastfeeding, can cause breasts to enlarge, then shrink, leaving excess skin and a deflated looking breast. Post pregnancy, many women are back in the gym and
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exercising. Their weight may even be the same as it was before they became pregnant. But they often tell us that they just can’t get their body back. Sometimes, there are certain things only surgery can fix. That’s where a surgical procedure known as the Mommy Makeover comes in. This operation combines a breast lift, tummy tuck and liposuction to address the issues that are common to post-pregnancy bodies. The Mommy Makeover is for women who’ve decided that they are finished bearing children. We tailor the procedure specifically to each patient to help her achieve the best results for her body. First, the Mommy Makeover will restore a woman’s breasts so that they are more similar to pre-pregnancy. This part may include a breast lift, implants or both. Second, the procedure will improve and tighten the tummy to eliminate excess, stretched skin and reorient the abdominal muscles to their normal position. Third, liposuction will help to remove unwanted fat, especially in the love handles. The goal of surgery is to help you regain that body you once had. Sometimes, moms only want to address one particular body part, while others prefer to address the breast and
Dr. Todd Lefkowitz of Lexington Plastic Surgery, a Lexington Medical Center physician practice.
tummy at the same time. We also know that motherhood and long recovery times don’t mix. So, our team works to get patients back to their routine as soon as possible. In most cases, the Mommy Makeover is an outpatient procedure at Lexington Medical Center’s ambulatory surgery center in Lexington. Usually, women will be able to go home in the early evening on the day of their surgery. They are able to return to their normal activities in two weeks. It’s important to point out that the Mommy Makeover is not a weight loss procedure. We recommend waiting at least six months after delivering a baby before having a tummy tuck in order to allow the body to fully recover. Also, patients should wait about
three months after finishing breastfeeding in order to achieve the best results from a breast lift. Further down the road, another popular surgery that many patients choose, often as they reach their late 40s, is a facelift and necklift. After all, your face is the first impression that you make to everyone and the first thing people notice about you. As we age, the effects of gravity, genetics and environmental factors such as sun exposure cause sagging skin in the face and neck, loose jowls and loss of volume that can accentuate wrinkles and folds. In fact, the neck is one of the first places to show the ageing process with sagging skin. During facelift and necklift surgery, the skin is restored to a more youthful position. Usually performed in our outpatient surgery center in Lexington, patients should be able to return home in the evening on the same day of their surgery. They can return to work in approximately 2 weeks and begin exercising again in 4 to 6 weeks. And just like women, men can be ideal candidates for facelift and necklift surgery, too. We usually see our patients twice before surgery to make sure they are comfortable and happy with their treatment plan. Our goal is to give patients a refreshed, rejuvenated and natural look. How we feel about our appearance is important to our overall well-being. Achieving beautiful and natural results is our goal at Lexington Plastic Surgery. ◼ Lexington Plastic Surgery Lexington Medical Park 1, Suite 105 2728 Sunset Boulevard West Columbia, SC 29169 (803) 936-7045 www.lexplasticsurgery.com March/April 2014 | 39