Plastic Surgery for Moms in Raleigh
Profound life moments, like pregnancy and childbirth, can naturally cause a woman’s body to experience drastic changes.
While everything a woman’s body goes through一and heals itself from一throughout her life is nothing short of miraculous, some parts of the body simply cannot go back to the way they were before children without special assistance.
If you experience sagging skin, deflated or asymmetrical breasts, enlarged breasts, cellulite, or excess fat on your stomach, thighs, or hips after childbirth, it is important to know that you have treatment options!
Synergy Face + Body offers the best plastic surgery for moms in Raleigh. Our mommy makeover procedures help countless women get their pre-baby body back and feel more like themselves.
Keep reading to learn more about our plastic surgery for moms in Raleigh.
How does pregnancy and childbirth affect a woman’s body?
Pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding cause significant changes to a woman’s skin and muscles. They can also cause an accumulation of excess fat that won’t seem to budge, even with a proper diet and targeted exercise.
The most common effects of pregnancy and childbirth we see at Synergy Face + Body include:
- Excess fat on the abdomen, hips, and thighs
- Loose or sagging skin
- Growing (or shrinking) breasts
- Asymmetrical breasts
- Stretch marks
- Diastasis recti (a protrusion of the abdominal muscles)
- Urinary incontinence
- Cellulite
When is the best time to have a mommy makeover?
Though it may be tempting to book your mommy makeover soon after having a baby, there are many reasons why you should wait.
The best candidates for plastic surgery for moms are healthy, non-smoking women who are done having kids, and have waited at least 6 months post-breastfeeding to allow the breast tissue to recover. We also recommend getting as close to your ideal body weight as possible before having plastic surgery.
This helps your surgeon establish a “baseline” for your figure and ensures you get the best results from your mommy makeover.
Important note: If you become pregnant after having a mommy makeover, you risk the return of the concerns you treated.
What steps should I take to prepare for a mommy makeover?
The first step in the mommy makeover process is to schedule a consultation with our Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Duncan Hughes. During your consultation, Dr. Hughes will evaluate your skin and other tissues and ask questions about your goals, areas of concern, medical history, allergies, and more.
This helps us determine if you are healthy enough for surgery and provide recommendations for exactly which procedures will best meet your needs. We will also create a surgical plan to help you understand exactly what will happen while you are under general anesthesia.
Our surgery team will provide you with specific pre-surgery instructions, but some instructions to expect before any surgical procedure are:
- Arrange for a caretaker to drive you home and take care of you for at least one week post-surgery. This includes finding a caretaker for your children and pets as well.
- Cease smoking, nicotine replacement, and avoid secondhand smoke for at least four weeks before AND after your procedure
- Remove nail polish or acrylic nails so we can monitor your oxygen levels while under anesthesia
- Avoid anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin, ibuprofen) and herbal supplements (ginkgo biloba) for 2 to 4 weeks
Which plastic surgeries for moms in Raleigh does Synergy suggest?
A traditional mommy makeover includes a tummy tuck, liposuction, and breast procedure (lift, augmentation, or reduction). Depending on your unique concerns, your mommy makeover may include these procedures, or a combination of these plus other procedures to deliver the results you’re after.
The biggest benefit of a mommy makeover is our ability to treat a range of concerns in just one surgery. This drastically decreases the recovery time compared to performing each procedure separately.
We commonly perform the following plastic surgeries for moms in Raleigh:
BodyTite
BodyTite is a minimally invasive procedure that uses radiofrequency-assisted liposuction (RFAL) to dissolve & remove fat and tighten loose skin in a single procedure. Some patients benefit from pairing BodyTite’s RFAL with traditional liposuction to achieve even more flattering results.
The procedure
The BodyTite system includes a unique handpiece that emits radiofrequency (RF) energy from both an internal probe and an external electrode. We insert the internal probe through a tiny incision in the skin and move it slowly across the treatment area. The probes heat fat tissue and other tissues to boost collagen, liquefy fat, and tighten the skin.
During the treatment, Dr. Hughes will use a combination of local anesthetic and epinephrine to manage pain and facilitate fat removal.
Results & Recovery
The treatment area will feel tender and sore after the procedure, with some lingering swelling, bruising, and redness. Depending on the extent of their BodyTite treatment, patients will experience varying recovery times and may need up to 10 days to make a full recovery.
Some fat-loss results are visible right away, with skin tightening and body contouring continuing to improve over the next 12 months due to collagen production and cellular metabolism.
Breast Reduction
After pregnancy and breastfeeding, many women’s breasts never return to their normal size. Instead, they remain swollen and enlarged, causing drooping breasts, clothes to fit differently, shoulder & back pain, or a disproportionate figure.
For patients with concerns about sagging and enlarged breasts, we can combine a breast reduction with a breast lift (more on this below) to achieve the desired result.
The procedure
A breast reduction for moms in Raleigh at Synergy Face + Body involves the removal of extra breast fat, skin, and tissue. The exact breast reduction method used by Dr. Hughes depends on each patient’s unique needs and goals. We may place incisions around the areola, under the breasts, or the areolas and down the breast.
You will be under general anesthesia during this 3 to 5 hour surgery.
Results & Recovery
You’ll return home from our private surgical center in a form-fitting surgical bra, bandages, and a drain under each arm. You will feel sore and swollen and need to take off work for at least a week. Most patients are fully recovered and cleared to return to all regular activities within 6 weeks.
Your breasts will be noticeably smaller right away, and all swelling will subside within 6 to 12 months, allowing final results to emerge.
Breast Augmentation
On the other hand, some women’s breasts may appear asymmetrical, smaller, or “deflated” after pregnancy and breastfeeding. A breast augmentation, or “boob job”, allows us to restore volume to the breasts, resulting in more well-shaped and uniform breasts that patients can feel confident in.
We frequently pair breast augmentations with breast lifts to give patients an overall more youthful and attractive physique.
The procedure
You probably already know that a breast augmentation involves inserting an implant either under or over the pectoral muscle. What you may not know, however, is that there are several types of implants we can insert using several methods. Depending on your goals for the shape and size of your breasts, Dr. Hughes will recommend the best approach to your breast augmentation procedure.
While you are under general anesthesia, Dr. Hughes will create a pocket in your breast tissues and place the implants. He will then use both internal and external stitches and skin adhesive to close the skin.
Results & Recovery
After your surgery, your breasts will feel sore and swollen for about two weeks. You will have to wear a surgical support bra and will need to take 5 to 7 days off work while avoiding strenuous activity for two weeks.
You can see the results of a breast augmentation after the skin stretches and muscles relax to accommodate the implants. You’ll notice full results 3 to 5 months after surgery when the implants are fully settled.
Breast Lift
Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and just plain gravity naturally cause a woman’s breasts to lose elasticity and droop or sag. We can perform a breast lift (with or without a breast augmentation or reduction) to raise and tighten the breasts, creating a much more youthful and perky一yet natural一appearance.
The procedure
After discussing your goals and creating a surgical plan that’s tailored to your needs, Dr. Hughes will perform your breast lift. This 2 to 3 hour surgery involves creating an incision around the areola that may continue down the breast if you have significant sagging.
Depending on your surgical plan, after repositioning and lifting the breasts, Dr. Hughes may also reposition the nipples or make the areolas smaller for a more attractive appearance.
Results & Recovery
You’ll return home from your breast lift surgery in bandages and a surgical bra. You will have some bruising and swelling, though many patients report minimal discomfort and only require 5 to 7 days away from work.
You will notice an immediate improvement in your breasts, with 75% of the final results seen after four months. Full recovery and results can be seen about a year post-surgery.
Tummy Tuck
Often, our patients’ biggest insecurity about their post-baby body is permanent changes to their abdomen. Pregnancy and childbirth causes stretch marks, excess skin & fat, and an altogether rounder appearance. Some patients may have also experienced diastasis recti, a separation of the muscles that results in a belly “pooch” no matter how many crunches you do.
A tummy tuck is our most popular plastic surgery for moms in Raleigh who want to get their pre-baby shape back.
The procedure
Though there are several variations of a tummy tuck, it usually involves surgically tightening the abdominal muscles and removing excess skin above and below the belly button. Depending on how much fat is in the area, we may also perform liposuction to achieve the desired results.
As our most extensive mommy makeover procedure, tummy tuck surgery can last up to 5 hours.
Results & Recovery
After surgery, your abdomen will feel tight and will prevent you from standing up straight for about a week. If your mommy makeover includes a tummy tuck, you will definitely need a caretaker to help you get around and take care of household tasks. Most patients require 2 to 3 weeks away from work and social activities to properly heal.
Tummy tuck results are immediately noticeable, with final results after 6 months.
Liposuction
Often, women come to us to get their pre-baby body back with a tummy tuck or a skin-tightening procedure on their arms or thighs. Then, during their consultation with Dr. Hughes, they find they also need some fat removal to achieve their desired results. This is where liposuction comes in!
Liposuction is a great procedure to pair with almost any plastic surgery for moms in Raleigh because it allows us to eliminate stubborn excess fat while also tightening the skin for incredible and long-lasting results.
The procedure
Dr. Hughes has extensive experience removing fat from the hips, thighs, stomach, waist, arms, and other areas of the body with liposuction. There are several ways to perform liposuction, including suction-assisted, ultrasound-assisted, and laser-assisted. Depending on your goals, Dr. Hughes will make a recommendation for the most effective method.
Liposuction surgery may take as few as 1 hour or up to 4 hours, depending on the area(s) treated.
Results & Recovery
In the weeks after your surgery, the treated area(s) will be very swollen, disguising the results. After about 6 weeks, most of the swelling should subside, with full results seen after 6 months.
As long as you maintain your post-liposuction weight, results are extremely long lasting!
Are all the procedures done at once?
The main advantage of coming to Synergy Face + Body for your mommy makeover is that rather than spacing these procedures out, you save months of recovery time (and money) by having multiple procedures performed at once.
Instead of periodically taking 1 to 2 weeks of downtime throughout the year, you can take 2 weeks off work to heal and be back to almost all your regular activities within 4 weeks!
Where does Synergy perform mommy makeovers?
Synergy Face + Body maintains an accredited operating facility at our North Raleigh location. Our patients appreciate the convenience and privacy this offers.
However, it is important to know that Dr. Hughes also holds surgical privileges at all major Raleigh area hospitals. So, if you require an in-patient surgery with overnight monitoring or any complications arise during your surgery, you can rest assured knowing that you are in safe, experienced hands.
Does Synergy offer any non-surgical med spa treatments for moms that complement plastic surgeries?
We’re glad you asked! There are several procedures at our med spa practice that we suggest as part of a complete mommy makeover.
When paired with the following procedures, we find that our patients experience a more complete makeover that addresses concerns that arise after pregnancy and childbirth that cannot be addressed with surgery alone.
diVa®
All women experience changes to their vagina because of pregnancy and childbirth, including laxity, dryness, or urinary incontinence (urine leaks). A 5 to 8 minute treatment with the diVa® vaginal laser uses the latest fractional laser technology to resurface the surface tissues and encourage collagen production deeper in the vagina.
A series of diVa treatments rejuvenates the tissue and collagen in your most intimate area by tightening the labia and vagina. You can also gain increased control over the pelvic floor, eliminating embarrassing urine leaks.
ZWave™
After having your children, you may notice stretch marks and cellulite on your skin that cause you to avoid bathing suits, shorts, or sleeveless tops. At Synergy, we want you to have a body you can be proud to show off!
Patients who want to eliminate stretch marks and cellulite come to us for treatment with our revolutionary ZWave™ device. ZWave uses radial pulse therapy (RPT) to transmit sound waves into the affected skin, leaving a smoother appearance behind.
ZWave treatments are an excellent option after you have healed from surgery to put the finishing touches on your mommy makeover!
Botox® & Fillers
Let’s face it一kids are exhausting. Between the extra stress and sleepless nights, you may notice fine lines, wrinkles, and hollow areas on your face. Synergy’s injectable Botox® treatments and dermal fillers are the perfect pick-me-up to help you feel refreshed and look your best.
With Botox, we can relax the facial muscles that cause wrinkles between your brows, on your forehead, and around your mouth. Fillers are an excellent way to restore lost volume to the skin, plus address wrinkles not caused by muscle movement. Don’t be afraid to treat yourself to a plumper pout or enhanced cheekbones with fillers, too!
Schedule your consultation for plastic surgery for moms in Raleigh with the Synergy team today!
If you are a momma looking to get her groove back, turn to the experts at Synergy Face + Body for your mommy makeover.
We specialize in plastic surgery for moms in Raleigh, and we are passionate about helping our patients feel confident in their skin.
The first step in the journey is scheduling your consultation with our team to determine the best course of action to treat your concerns.
Take our virtual consultation to tell us about your areas of concern or schedule your consultation today.
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Synergy is a proud Member of Society of Plastic Surgery Skin Care Specialists, American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, International Society of Plastic and Aesthetic Nurses, and Day Spa Association.