Indiana Plastic Surgery Blog

What plastic surgeons market as a “mommy makeover” is a series of cosmetic surgeries that are intended to help women regain the body they had before pregnancy. The most common treatments included in the package are the breast lift, tummy tuck, and liposuction.

In the video below, Fox news Charlotte speaks with Dr. Kevin Smith about the risks, benefits, and cost of a mommy makeover. A patient also discusses her satisfaction with the procedure(s).

If you’re interested in a mommy makeover in Indiana, read more about cosmetic surgery on our homepage or contact us.

Breast reconstruction can be performed immediately after mastectomy or as a delayed procedure.  When the circumstances permit, immediate breast reconstruction has several advantages over delayed reconstruction.

1. There’s one less surgical procedure requiring anesthesia.
2. The tissue is supple, allowing for a potentially better cosmetic result.
3. Because the patient goes to sleep with a breast and subsequently wakes up with one (or the beginning of one) present, psychological trauma may be reduced.
4. One recovery period allows the patient to heal from two procedures (mastectomy and reconstruction).

Delayed reconstruction is sometimes necessary.  In some cases, patients know they will need postoperative radiation.  In other cases, the patient is indecisive about breast reconstruction and decides to take time to consider it.

When possible, immediate breast reconstruction is preferred for the reasons I have mentioned above.

The price of an abdominoplasty depends on the setting: will you be at a hospital or surgery center? Because it may take longer, the cost also depends on the need for additional procedures: do you need liposuction as well?  Are you a post-bariatric surgery patient?

A basic abdominoplasty will cost approximately $6000-$7000, including anesthesia, facility and surgeon’s fee.  This price would be for a straightforward tummy tuck without liposuction.  When liposuction is involved or when the patient has lost a significant amount of weight (after gastric bypass for example) the surgery takes longer, may include an overnight stay, and therefore costs more.

Be sure to schedule an appointment with a board certified plastic surgeon who can assess your condition and give you a precise understanding of what your surgery will entail and why it costs as much as it does.

Should I reach a certain ‘goal weight’ before my tummy tuck?

Tummy tuck surgery (abdominoplasty) works best for individuals who have come as close to their goal weight as possible and have been able to maintain this weight for several months.  Abdominoplasty is not a substitute for weight loss and diet and exercise are crucial for maintaining your results.  Abdominoplasty is a rewarding surgery for many people and can help you get over the hump that exercise and diet can only partially provide.

The procedure will not only address any excess skin and subcutaneous tissue you have, but also tighten your abdominal (6 pack) muscles and remove some of your stretch marks.

How long after childbirth should I wait?

I do not recommend having the surgery until you are finished having children.  Doing so would possibly effect the beneficial results you obtained from the procedure.  Although there is no specific time when a tummy tuck should be done following pregnancy, 6 months is considered an appropriate amount of time to wait.  At the minimum, 3 months might be considered safe.

The most appropriate time to have a tummy tuck following pregnancy is when A) you have decided not to have more children, and B) when you have lost your pre-pregnancy weight.

There are a few plastic surgeons (they are definitely in the minority) who will perform a tummy tuck at the same surgical setting as the delivery.  The potential problem with this is the patient has not lost her pregnancy weight and when she does so, may experience less than optimal results.

Can I remove stretch marks with a tummy tuck?

Unfortunately, there is no good solution for addressing stretch marks other than their surgical removal.  The amount of stretch marks that are able to be removed depends on the amount of skin that is able to be removed during a tummy tuck.  Depending on the elasticity of your skin, you may be able to have some of the stretch marks removed that extend above your belly button.

It’s common knowledge among surgeons that healthy patients – with a stable weight, who don’t smoke – see more successful results. That’s why they often decline to operate on a patient who is in a poor state of health as a result of risky habits. Such patients face a greater chance of complications such as delayed healing.

Those interested in cosmetic and facial plastic surgery should first go through a sort of ‘lifestyle makeover,’ modifying their habits until they have reached a goal of satisfactory health. At Indiana Plastic Surgery, we want our patients to have the best surgical experience possible, so we ask them to first focus on being healthy. The ideal patient refrains from smoking or using illegal drugs, has a stable weight, and realistic expectations about cosmetic surgery.

Contact us for a consultation and we can provide more specific information on health and surgery outcomes.

The New York Times reports that medical practices in Prague are offering free surgical enhancements to nurses as an employment incentive.  One nurse  interviewed had opted for breast augmentation and liposuction, free of charge.  

The piece raises some interesting ethical questions: While the procedures could certainly be beneficial to individual nurses in the short term, would such a practice harm the nursing profession as a whole?  

According to reporter Dan Bilefsky, nurses in the region “insist they are under enormous pressure to look good in a society where attractiveness is often as highly prized as clinical skills.”  Critics argue that the incentives could promote an idealized body image for nurses, in a profession already suffering from misconceptions about technical competence.  A spokeswoman from the Czech nurses association suggests that nurses are still perceived as “low level workers” with little to offer besides manual labor.  Nurses after all, aren’t intended to be models, but caregivers that provide an enormous benefit to the medical profession and the public they serve.  A misplaced emphasis on their physical appearance could undermine public perceptions of their competence and value.

Still, others argue that there isn’t any problem with offering incentives through procedures like breast augmentation or rhinoplasty, claiming they’re analogous to employee discounts at a retailer, vacation packages, or other career perks.  

Perhaps the ethical problems brought by these incentive programs aren’t a product of the programs alone, but rather a product of the sexism and discrimination that underlie them.

Indiana Plastic Surgery is pleased to announce a great special on Juvederm Injectable facial filler. Receive $100 rebate from Allergan, the makers of Juvederm, when you purchase a second syringe.

*2nd syringe must be administered at time of appointment.  Offer good through Feb 28, 2009.

To schedule your appointment please contact Indiana Plastic Surgery today through the website or call (219) 513-2100.

Spring time is almost upon us and this is the time when people living in Northwest Indiana and the Chicago, IL area are beginning to come out from under the heavy confines of the clothes they wear during the winter.  Wearing less clothes makes people more self conscious of the appearance and their bodies.   At Indiana Plastic Surgery, Dr. David Robinson is a board certified plastic surgeon who can help you make an informed decision on whether cosmetic plastic surgery is an option for you.  Dr. Robinson has perfected the art of breast augmentation. He is skilled in using both silicone and saline breast implants and has a collection of before and after images of hundreds of very happy satisfied breast augmentation patients.Contact Indiana Plastic Surgery and Dr. Robinson or call our Munster, IN office at (219) 513-2100 or our Valparaiso, IN office at (866) 613-2100 today for your consultation .

Indiana Plastic Surgery is pleased to announce that we have moved to our new location in Munster, IN. We are conveniently located at the Fountain View Professional Building, 10110 Donald S. Powers Dr., Suite 201A, Munster, IN 46321.

We are looking forward to welcoming you to our new center! We will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the services we provide and would love to give you a tour of our new space.

Please don’t hesitate to call our office at (219) 513-2100 and schedule a time that is more convenient to you.

Dr. David Robinson is a board certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience in breast augmentation, liposuction and other body-contouring procedures. He and his skilled, caring staff are well-known for the personal relationship they create with their patients. This has earned Indiana Plastic Surgery an outstanding patient loyalty and a practice that relies solely by referrals.