Post Pregnancy Makeover - Dr Tavakoli's Philosophy

Regaining your pre-pregnancy figure

New mothers watch the likes of Angelina Jolie, Katie Holmes and Heidi Klum get back into shape with unnerving ease and now it appears many Australian mums are equally determined to get their pre-pregnancy figures back.

A study by UK Mother & Baby magazine found that the joys of childbirth are often soured by the toll it takes onmothers' figures. The study found that 86 percent of women said that they felt less attractive post-pregnancy, while a similar number were unhappy with their weight and shocked by the changes in their body afterwards.

'Women are choosing to have cosmetic surgery to help restore their bodies to their pre-pregnancy state'

It seems these sentiments are similar in Australia and such findings might explain the reason more and more Australian women are choosing to have cosmetic surgery to help restore their bodies to their pre-pregnancy state. In fact Sydney plastic surgeon Dr Kourosh Tavakoli says that up to 30 percent of his female patients see him because they would like to improve their bodies after childbirth.

'These women are not wanting to create something new they want to restore what they had previously,' says Dr Tavakoli. 'They have 50 or 60 years ahead of them and want to look their best.'

According to Dr Tavakoli, the top three procedures that mothers request are breast enhancement, abdominoplasty and liposculpture.

Breast Enhancement

Dr Tavakoli says the degree of change women experience in their breasts depends on whether they have breastfed and the duration of their breastfeeding. 'The more a woman has breastfed, the more dramatic the changes that occur in her breasts usually are,' he explains.

According to Dr Tavakoli, most women opt for a breast augmentation procedure when they want to improve the appearance of their breasts. However, if there is no change to the volume of the breast, a breast lift might suffice. Other women might require both a breast reduction and lift procedure to obtain the shape they desire.

Find out more about Breast Augmentation here

Abdominoplasty

The abdomen is the area most affected by pregnancy,' says Dr Tavakoli. Abdominoplasty, otherwise known as a tummy tuck, is used to restore a woman's tummy to its original shape and position. It is often combined with liposculpture as this can offer a better result.

The procedure is designed to tighten laxity of the abdominal wall, which is the result of stretching, by removing excess fat and skin. 'Abdominoplasty, when combined with liposculpture, can remove excess skin and fat from the abdomen, repair any underlying damage to the abdominal muscles and reposition the umbilicus,' says Dr Tavakoli.

Find out more about Abdominoplasty here

Vaser Liposculpture

In addition to performing liposculpture in combination with an abdominoplasty, problem areas including love-handles and inner- and outer-thighs can be treated with liposculpture alone. 'These could be areas that troubled the patient prior to pregnancy but they may have become more prominent post-pregnancy,' says Dr Tavakoli. 'Most importantly, the area the patient wants treated needs to look in proportion with the rest of her figure.'

Dr Tavakoli stresses that women who undergo an abdominoplasty or liposculpture procedure need to commit to a healthy lifestyle, involving a sensible diet and exercise regime, in order to maximise and maintain the results.

He adds that it is not his policy to operate on a postbaby body until the mother's last child is at least 18 months old. 'I usually advise patients to complete all their pregnancies before commencing surgery. Otherwise results might not be maintained,' says Dr Tavakoli. He also screens patients to ensure they are not suffering from postnatal depression. Once these screenings have been satisfactorily completed, post-pregnancy cosmetic surgery can have a very positive effect. 'As long as the expectations are realistic, I find the overall satisfaction rate in this group of patients is very high,' Dr Tavakoli concludes. acsm

Find out more about Liposculpture here