Tummy Tuck with Breast Lift / Augmentation Information Resource for Southern California including Orange County, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and San Diego.
Welcome to Orange County's best information resource for plastic surgery and, in particular, mommy make over surgery. Dr. Cruise, board certified plastic surgeon, Newport Beach, CA, has filled every inch of this site with the most comprehensive mommy make over information available. Patient education is a priority for Dr. Cruise. With this in mind, he was adamant that the information be highly relevant, easy to understand and, above all, lots and lots of pictures of combined breast and tummy procedures.
To give you a brief overview, here are some of the important topics that will be discussed. This is in addition to the many mommy make over before and after pictures available for your review.
What is a mommy make over? Dr. Cruise outlines the different possibilities when it comes to mommy make over. At its core, a mommy make over is combining abdominal and breast rejuvenation in a single procedure.
Do I need a tummy tuck?
This section goes over in detail when a tummy tuck is necessary or when liposuction alone is recommended.
Do I need a breast lift or will implants alone be OK?
Again, Dr. Cruise goes over in detail the indications for a breast lift. Also outlined are the different types of breast lifts and when they are necessary.
The purpose of the site is to give you the good AND the bad to help you achieve your goal. There is a significant amount of information. Dr. Cruise has structured this section very similar to how he goes through examinations. Hopefully, it will clarify the questions you have and make your plastic surgery journey more pleasant and rewarding.
Overview of Mommy Makeover
Actual Mommy Makeover Patient
Quality plastic surgery makes profound improvements not only on the way people look but, more importantly, the way they feel about themselves. This is especially true with women who have had children. These women are caught in a maternal “catch 22.” They know that, as a whole, child birth is such a beautiful time in a woman's life. Still, the toll that it takes on their body is frustrating.
We frequently hear concerns from mothers of how they feel that there once beautiful body has been taken from them. Usually, they are reluctant to say this because they love their children so much that they do not want to seem ungrateful for what they know is a blessing. This section was created to help mother's deal with the specific issues that surround the physical changes that occur with child birth.
It is important for mothers to know that many of their body changes caused by pregnancy are out of their control. This is especially true for her breasts and her abdomen. Fortunately, there is a way “to have your cake and eat it too.” Properly performed plastic surgery can often restore or even enhance many of the body proportions that were present prior to child birth.
Mommy makeover is not a catch phrase. It is a treatment plan for the normal condition that follows child birth.
Abdominal Changes with Pregnancy
During pregnancy the abdomen stretches considerably. This causes changes to all the organs of the abdomen; not just the skin. Inside the abdomen the uterus enlarges. After birth, it tries to shrink back to its non-pregnant state but usually remains somewhat larger.
In addition, the abdominal muscles stretch to accommodate the increased size of the abdomen. Often, during this stretching process the muscles separate. This causes a permanent weakness in the abdominal wall and makes it almost impossible to regain a flat stomach.
Images source: UnderstandPlasticSurgery.com.
Rectus Muscle before and after Abdominoplasty
Separated Muscles after Pregnancy
Muscles Restored to their
Pre-pregnancy Position
Finally, the skin stretches considerably. In some women (especially younger women) the elastic recoil within the skin's dermis will allow the skin to "snap back" to its pre-pregnancy state. More often, however, the skin is stretched beyond its ability to contract back. This leaves the mother with stretch marks and loose skin. Both of these problems are not correctable no matter how much diet and exercise you do. Click links for demonstration of muscle tightening and tummy tuck procedure .
Mini Tummy Tuck with Umbilicus Release
Patient 39-y-o. Works out frequently. The loose skin and stretch marks cannot be addressed by exercise. A mini tummy tuck was necessary. Three months post-op.
Standard Abdominoplasty
Correction of loose abdominal skin after 2 children and improvement of abdominal contour. Standard tummy tuck on a 28-y-o,
120lb, 5'2, 5 weeks after surgery.
In order to correct the above problems the muscles must be surgically brought back together (muscle suspension) and the excess skin must be removed. The experienced plastic surgeon will do the least amount of surgery necessary to accomplish these goals. In addition, he/she will keep the incision as low as possible on the abdomen and make sure the belly button stays natural looking so that it can be shown off in low rise pants or a bikini and no one will notice it.
Belly Buttons Post Tummy Tuck
Standard way of placing an incision around the opening for the belly button. The abdominoplasty removes the skin and flattens the abdomen, but if the belly button has a scar around it, it is hard to expose it without people noticing it.
Dr. Cruise has modified his way of re-creating belly buttons. It is almost impossible to tell that this patient had a tummy tuck. She can wear a bikini and no one would notice it.
Breast Changes with Pregnancy
Another problem area associated with childbirth is the breasts. This is particularly frustrating because during pregnancy they often enlarge to a size and shape that makes them look particularly sexy. After birth, however, they not only lose the size that they have gained but, often, deflate to even a smaller size. To make things even worse, this loss of volume is combined with stretching of the breast skin. Together, this commonly causes breast sag.
Correction of loss of breast volume is done with breast implants. This sounds simple but it is not. This is because the loss of volume is mostly in the upper and inner part of the breast. Therefore, these two areas have to be specifically addressed to truly obtain the desired result.
Often, minor breast sag can be corrected with implantation alone. The implant will provide enough volume that the nipple will elevate even without a lift.
Correction of Minor Sagginess with Augmentation
Example of a mother of two who has lost a significant amount of breast tissue resulting in sagginess. Her minor sagginess was corrected with an augmentation alone.
When the nipples and breast tissue drop too low a breast lift is needed to regain the youthful shape that they once had. Breast lifting requires considerable experience and talent by the plastic surgeon to obtain a sexy, youthful look. If you are considering breast lifting it is very important to make sure your plastic surgeon does a significant number per year. In addition, make sure he/she can show you before and after examples that show that he/she can do this complex procedure with good results.
Breast lifting significantly improves the shape and look of the breasts that have descended after having children. In the Benefits section, Dr. Cruise outlines the keys to breast lifting and what makes his breast lift predictably successful.
"Breast lifting after child birth requires specific attention to several areas. Specifically, the upper part of the breast is often hollow and needs to be filled out. Midline cleavage needs to be enhanced to regain the youthful appearance. In addition, the hanging breast tissue needs to be elevated and converted into a youthful rounded shape that does not hang below the bottom of the breast. All this needs to be done with minimal incisions that are hard to see." Dr. Cruise
"'Mommy Makeovers' on the Rise"
More than 325,000 tummy tuck, breast augmentation and breast lift procedures were performed on women ages 20-39 in 2006, according to statistics released today by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The 11 percent increase over 2005 statistics in "Mommy Makeover" procedures is more than five times higher than the growth of overall cosmetic plastic surgery procedures (2 percent) during the same time period.
"In this day and age, women are giving birth later, returning to their careers sooner, and have busier schedules than ever before. Many are finding cosmetic plastic surgery to be the answer to returning to a pre-pregnancy shape they are comfortable with," said ASPS President Roxanne Guy, MD.
The "Mommy Makeover" procedures, which include breast augmentation, tummy tuck and breast lift, rank first, fourth and fifth respectively among all procedures performed on women ages 20-39 in 2006. Women in their twenties had 95,500 breast augmentations (up 15 percent), 14,500 breast lifts (up 11 percent) and 13,800 tummy tucks (up 9 percent.) The number of procedures increases in the “30 something” category with 118,500 breast augmentations (up 9 percent), 34,000 breast lifts (up 11 percent) and 49,600 tummy tucks (up 12 percent).
ASPS procedural statistics are collected through the first online national database for plastic surgery procedures, Tracking Operations and Outcomes for Plastic Surgeons (TOPS). This data, combined with the annual survey sent to American Board of Medical Specialties certified physicians most likely to perform plastic surgery, results in the most comprehensive census on plastic surgery procedures.
Top Female Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Procedures in 2008
Teenagers often have plastic surgery to improve physical characteristics they feel are awkward or flawed, that if left uncorrected, may affect them well into adulthood. Teens tend to have plastic surgery to fit in with peers, to look similar. Adults tend to have plastic surgery to standout from others.
“It’s not just women over 50 with high incomes who are seriously considering procedures. It’s the young mom next door, the waiter who served you coffee this morning, even your coworker.”
With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of Restylane ® on Dec. 12, and with other fillers on the horizon, the arsenal of cosmetic plastic surgery treatments to attack wrinkles, furrows and folds continues to grow.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined on Apr. 13, 2005, that the Mentor's silicone gel-filled breast implants are safe and effective for use in breast reconstruction and augmentation patients.
Although television makeover shows are providing exposure for cosmetic plastic surgery, the numbers show, there was'nt exponential growth in people having cosmetic procedures in 2004.
In light of recent media coverage on the topic of teenagers seeking purely cosmetic breast enlargement, the ASPS has adopted a policy that is consistent with the U.S. FDA approval of saline filled breast implants for women at least 18 years old.
A
Florida clinic doctor injected himself and
three assistants with an unapproved and unlicensed
animal research botulism
toxin similar to BOTOX® Cosmetic .
It resulted in total body paralysis of all
four. They are alive thanks to the help of
a mechanical ventilator to breath for them.
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