Motherhood is a transformative journey most often marked with joyous events and amazing new discoveries. However, some lessons women learn postpartum aren’t so thrilling. The physical aftereffects of childbirth on a woman’s body — including the loose skin, drooping breasts, and stubborn pockets of fat some moms experience — can lead to a devastating cascade of negative emotions. That’s why renowned Dallas, TX-based plastic surgeon Dr. Sam Jejurikar, who’s earned a wealth of five-star reviews for his consummate skill in mommy makeover procedures, says it’s so important to understand the correlation between body image and a woman’s overall mental well-being.
Through his vast years of experience, Dr. Jejurikar, a board-certified plastic surgeon and member of the prestigious Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute, has seen time and again how helping his patients regain — or even improve on — their pre pregnancy figures has boosted their self-esteem and given them a more confident outlook that impacts not just how they look in the mirror, but pretty much every facet of their lives.
Dr. Jejurikar Explains What a Mommy Makeover Entails
Diet and exercise may not be enough for every mother to regain a prepregnancy body. “Even the healthiest moms who work hard to get their figures back find that the changes from pregnancy simply cannot be undone and exercised away. Excess skin is left behind as that occurs when the body is stretched and pulled, the swelling and subsequent shrinking of the breasts can leave them flat and sometimes sagging,” noted the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Mommy makeovers combine several surgeries that simultaneously target more than one area of the body. The multifaceted procedures are tailored to address each individual patient’s desired eventual appearance and must also take into account their current state of health, medical history, and specific body type. Dr. Jejurikar says he can’t stress strongly enough that consulting with an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon is crucial to ensuring prospective mommy makeover patients obtain optimal results for achieving their preferred aesthetic goals, as well as safeguarding their physical well-being. (Check patient reviews and don’t be afraid to ask to view and confirm a cosmetic surgeon’s specific training credentials prior to booking any procedure.)
Per the ASPS, mommy makeover operations are generally performed as comprehensive, single-stage procedures. The advantages of undergoing an all-in-one mommy makeover operation rather than booking separate individual surgeries include reducing patient health risks, lowering expenses, and minimizing downtime for recovery.
A mommy makeover can include any of the following procedures:
Tummy tuck: Pregnancy typically involves a sizable weight fluctuation over a relatively brief period of time. Expansion of the uterus may result in stretching the connective tissue (linea alba) that bisects the “six-pack” muscles. Another condition many moms notice after giving birth is saggy abdominal tissue and skin on their lower bellies, which can be accompanied by the unsightly stretch marks that result from tears in deeper layers of the skin. When these conditions can’t be reversed, a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) is often the best solution. During a tummy tuck, excess skin is excised, muscles are tightened, and underlying fatty tissue is removed from the lower abdomen.
Breast augmentation/breast reduction/breast lift: Another area of the body that undergoes substantial change both during and after pregnancy is the breasts. When a woman is pregnant, breasts generally expand in anticipation of breastfeeding. However, when breastfeeding concludes, moms’ breasts often don’t return to their pre-baby shape and may sag. This is true for both large- and small-breasted women. “Due to fluctuating hormone levels and changes in your weight during pregnancy and breastfeeding, your breast skin envelope may stretch resulting in breasts that appear slightly more deflated than prior to pregnancy,” Stanford Medicine reported.
While the size of the breasts before childbirth does have an impact on their eventual post-baby appearance, since the skin and tissue are already stretched out as a result of pregnancy, many smaller-breasted women opt for an augmentation procedure as part of their mommy makeover. “Breast augmentation increases the fullness, size, and symmetry of your breasts,” Stanford Medicine explained. “The procedure is typically performed with the insertion of silicone or saline implants.”
On the flip side, many larger-breasted women seek breast reductions after giving birth to remove excess tissue and enhance the overall appearance of the breast. And, since pregnancy-related sagging can occur in both small- and large-breasted women, reductions and augmentations are often performed in conjunction with a breast lift (mastopexy) to tighten underlying muscles and tissue. To achieve a more symmetrical look, a patient’s nipples and areola may be repositioned as part of the breast lift procedure. In their reviews, satisfied patients report breast lifts gave them a more slender and youthful appearance.
Liposuction: A minimally invasive procedure designed to permanently remove stubborn fat deposits from various target areas including the tummy, neck, back, thighs, buttocks, and upper arms via suction technology, liposuction is less about weight loss and more about contouring the body. Thanks to his expertise in the latest advanced liposuction techniques, Dr. Sam Jejurikar was recently named one of Newsweek’s best plastic surgeons in America in 2023.
Vaginal rejuvenation surgery: Vaginal rejuvenation can address several concerns exacerbated by childbirth. The procedures are aimed at restoring the appearance and function of soft tissue structures impacted by pregnancy. Specific vaginal rejuvenation procedures include clitoral hood reduction, labiaplasty (contouring/restructuring inner vaginal lips), labia majoraplasty (contouring/restructuring outer vaginal lips), monsplasty, and vaginoplasty, which tighten the walls and restores functionality to the birth canal when irreversibly stretched due to vaginal delivery.
Reviews From Real Women: Dr. Jejurikar’s Success Stories
In the course of his practice, Dr. Jejurikar has seen firsthand how a mommy makeover can restore a woman’s self-image and boost her confidence. “Before meeting Dr. Jejurikar, I met with other plastic surgeons,” mommy makeover patient Cecilia I. admitted in her five-star review. “They were all great, but on my first meeting with Dr. J — like I call him — he took all my anxieties away. He answered all my questions, did not rush me out. He made it personal for him.
“I don’t know how I can say thanks to Dr. Jejurikar, he gave me the part of me that I thought was lost. I look better than I did before I had my kids … Thank you Dr. Jejurikar for giving me my confidence and self-esteem back. I just can’t stop looking at myself in the mirror, all my family and friends are just amazed at how great I look.”
While a mommy makeover won’t turn you into a supermodel — unless you already are a supermodel — it will give you a chance to become the best version of your post-baby self. “I’m a new woman,” Texas reviewer kady.lady gushed. “I’ve had three kids, got my tubes tied, and this tired mommy needed a mommy makeover. I’ve never felt more like myself and confident in the last 44 years of my life as I do now … Dr. Sam is an absolute gem and a hell of a plastic surgeon.”
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
