Mommy Makeover

Mommy Makeover

Restore the Body and Breasts to the Form and Function Enjoyed Before Pregnancy in Chicago and Winnetka

Although pregnancy impacts all aspects of a woman’s body, the two areas that experience the greatest change are the breasts and the abdomen. Very often, plastic surgery for these areas can be combined into a single procedure that is often referred to as a Mommy Makeover. At Chicago’s Whole Beauty^® Institute, the specific Mommy Makeover surgery plan varies from one patient to the next, since different bodies change in different ways, and different women have different goals and priorities.

One of the best things about Mommy Makeover surgery is that it can remove a negative feedback cycle that can demotivate people from healthy habits of nutrition and exercise. Many of Dr. John Q. Cook‘s Mommy Makeover patients tell him that they were in superb physical condition prior to pregnancy—and it was fairly easy to lose weight and restore a fit contour to the body after that first pregnancy. However, with additional pregnancies, the process became more difficult.

Contact the Whole Beauty^® Institute for more information about Mommy Makeover cost in Chicago or Winnetka, as well as recovery and other details. Call 312-751-2112 or send a message online to arrange a consultation.

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Women who have had multiple pregnancies tend to find that—despite hours with the trainer, yoga classes, and all types of exercise—their tummy is loose, their waist is wider, and their breasts are empty and settled. As a woman dealing with these changes looks at herself in the mirror, she can become frustrated. In some cases, she may conclude that exercise and nutrition are no longer worth it, since they don’t really affect the areas that frustrate her. For someone like this, Mommy Makeover surgery can bring the body back to where it was before pregnancy, which is a powerful motivator for good habits.

How Does Pregnancy Impact the Breasts and Body?

There are three areas of the body most impacted by pregnancy, all which may be addressed with Mommy Makeover surgery: the breasts, the abdomen, and the fatty zones of the mid-body and legs. These areas change in different ways in different people and tend to follow patterns determined by genetics.

How the Breasts Can Change After Pregnancy

There are several ways the breasts change after pregnancy, prompting women to seek a Mommy Makeover. The three key considerations are volume, position, and balance.

How the Abdomen Can Change After Pregnancy

The most obvious change in the abdomen after pregnancy is often a loosening of the skin. Skin that was previously tight may now have folds and wrinkles, sometimes to the degree that the skin overhangs the umbilicus. If there is a C-section scar in the lower abdomen, this may produce an indentation with loose skin above. The precise location of the skin looseness will affect the design of any corrective surgery via a Mommy Makeover that we recommend.

How Fat Distribution in the Mid-Body and Legs Can Change with Pregnancy

Women have deep fat compartments in several zones: the outer thigh, the inner thigh, the inner knee, the hip, the flank and the abdomen. Some women have a genetic tendency to accumulate more fat than expected in one or several of these zones. If this is the case, plastic surgeons performing a Mommy Makeover can use various techniques of liposuction to reduce the fat in these areas.

What Procedures May Be Included in a Mommy Makeover?

The Mommy Makeover is a spectrum of possibilities, rather than a specific operation. The goal is to restore and refine the contours of the breast, abdomen, and the lower body that have been changed by pregnancy.

A Mommy Makeover can involve Dr. Cook performing any of a number of procedures. Breast surgery options include breast reduction, breast lift, breast augmentation, and breast augmentation with lift. Body surgery options include several variations of tummy tuck (high lateral tension, superficial, lower combined with fat reduction, and abdominal combined with non-invasive skin tightening) and liposuction (classical, Vaser^®, SmartLipo^®, SlimLipo^®, BodyTite^®, and arm contouring).

We will design a plan for your Mommy Makeover surgery that is well suited to your goals, lifestyle, and aesthetic preferences. This starts with a detailed and individualized evaluation. The process is at the heart of everything we do, and this is particularly true when it comes to the Mommy Makeover. Because of our extensive experience, we can guide you to choices that make sense given your artistic preferences, as well as the practicalities of lifestyle and time available for recovery.

How Does Mommy Makeover Surgery Make Artistic Sense?

Artists have long recognized that the breasts and abdomen form a key aesthetic region of the body. Many of the greatest works of classical art celebrate the interplay between these two areas. It makes perfect sense from an artistic perspective to enhance the beauty of both areas at the same time with a Mommy Makeover.

How Does Mommy Makeover Surgery Make Practical Sense?

In contemporary life, time is a precious commodity. This is particularly true for a woman who now adds “mom” to her other job descriptions. Rather than two recoveries from surgery, a Mommy Makeover’s combined surgery of the breast and abdomen allow for a single recovery period.

What Are the Physical Benefits of a Mommy Makeover?

For many women, the changes that occur in their bodies as a result of pregnancy have a significant impact on body mechanics and comfort, prompting them to consider a Mommy Makeover. Often, as a result of pregnancy, the deep support of the abdomen is diminished. This is because the main sit-up muscles lose their anchor at the midline of the body and drift out to the sides. It may become difficult for a woman to maintain control her abdominal tone, and the tummy may actually bulge forward. Exercise may do little to improve the situation, since the muscles are no longer in proper position, and all the exercise in the world will not help this.

For some women, pregnancy causes the breasts to settle to a lower position on the body. This changes the center of gravity of the body and affects motion and posture.

If both the abdomen and the breasts are changed in these ways, there can be a double effect on body mechanics. Posture may change, with an exaggerated curvature of the spine, and back pain may become a problem.

It is a wonderful experience when one of the Dr. Cook’s Mommy Makeover patients tells us that not only is she pleased with the beautiful lines of her body, but she feels much better, too.

What Is the Whole Beauty^® Institute Difference When it Comes to a Mommy Makeover?

Mommy Makeovers cover a wide range of surgical combinations, some of which require a relatively easy recovery, and some of which require a longer recovery. With the larger procedures—for example, breast reduction combined with abdominoplasty—Dr. Cook carries out the surgery in an accredited outpatient surgical center rather than in the office.

This is a busy center, where a number of leading surgeons operate. As a result, on a typical day, four or five board-certified anesthesiologists, 10 RNs, and a host of support personnel are working at the center. In the very unlikely event of a medical issue developing during Mommy Makeover surgery, Dr. Cook believes that this concentration of talent is very much to the patient’s benefit and cannot be equaled in an office-based facility. This will make the Mommy Makeover surgery more expensive, but as they say: “Safety isn’t cheap.” The surgical facility is also just a few minutes away from two of Chicago’s leading medical centers: Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Rush University Medical Center.

Dr. Cook also offers patients who will benefit from BodyTite^® and other forms of liposuction the possibility of surgery under local anesthesia in our Chicago and Winnetka offices. Many patients comment favorably on the local anesthesia experience.

What Happens After a Mommy Makeover?

With larger operations, Dr. Cook’s patients spend one or several nights at a luxury hotel connected to the surgicenter. A highly experienced nurse will provide you with one-onone attention. We believe this overnight stay offers a significant benefit in terms of safety. We will work with you closely in the planning of the recovery process, so that it will be as smooth as possible.

Because of our extensive experience with various Mommy Makeover operations, we have a good idea of what the recovery is like from each combination and we will educate you as to the proper steps you should take in advance to make the recovery optimal.

If you would like to have a consultation regarding Mommy Makeover in the Chicago, Hinsdale, and Winnetka areas, or if you have questions for our team, please call 312-751-2112 or contact us online.

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