Anyone considering plastic surgery after child bearing?

[lizzyann]

Don't you need to have breast implants replaced every 10 years or so? Are you willing to take on future surgeries? I saw a surgery where they removed belly tissue and put it up into the boobs. That sounds like a better idea than the bags.

That is a good point Swingirl. I don't know if I would want to commit to that or not.

 

[Dandi]

I work in an operating theatre where we do alot of cosmetic surgery. Lots of abdominoplasties, heaps of augments, and we do the occasional DIEP flap, which is similar to the procedure you mentioned, lovely swingirl! The main drawbacks with those are the anaesthetic time and recovery. It can be massive surgery and can take up to 14 hours, because if the surgeons take a free flap if tissue from the abdo it needs to keep its bloody supply, so lots of microsurgery is involved. The end result is quite remarkable though, especially for poor women who have undergone mastectomies (lots of scarring though).

I'm all for breat augments, if you are prepared to commit to the 'maintenance' for lack of a better word. They do look rather fabulous My girls are DDs that are, fortunately for me, decently shaped and perky - gravity hasn't attacked them yet! However I always envy how awesome these ladies look post surgery!

We also do lots of mastopexies where a small incision is made under the breast and a really heavy suture inside the breast hoists it upwards, so the patient doesn't change her breast size, they are just lifted to where they once were. I reckon that's a sensational prodecure - relatively quick and minimally invasive, and the outcome is invariably good.

 

[lizzyann]

I work in an operating theatre where we do alot of cosmetic surgery. Lots of abdominoplasties, heaps of augments, and we do the occasional DIEP flap, which is similar to the procedure you mentioned, lovely swingirl! The main drawbacks with those are the anaesthetic time and recovery. It can be massive surgery and can take up to 14 hours, because if the surgeons take a free flap if tissue from the abdo it needs to keep its bloody supply, so lots of microsurgery is involved. The end result is quite remarkable though, especially for poor women who have undergone mastectomies (lots of scarring though).

I'm all for breat augments, if you are prepared to commit to the 'maintenance' for lack of a better word. They do look rather fabulous My girls are DDs that are, fortunately for me, decently shaped and perky - gravity hasn't attacked them yet! However I always envy how awesome these ladies look post surgery!

We also do lots of mastopexies where a small incision is made under the breast and a really heavy suture inside the breast hoists it upwards, so the patient doesn't change her breast size, they are just lifted to where they once were. I reckon that's a sensational prodecure - relatively quick and minimally invasive, and the outcome is invariably good.

Thanks for all of the info Dandi! How much "maintenance" is recommended after augmentation? New set every 10 years? You are one lucky girl - DD's!!! That simple lift procedure (mastopexie) sounds like a nice option too. Do you have to have any other maintenance surgeries with that? Or once it's done, it's done? Thanks for stopping by!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

My husband and I talked about this before we even had our son.

I will have my breasts fixed after I finish having children. They were already larger than I preferred before having my son, and now I really can't stand them.

This

 

[Mara]

lol Dandi I like your choice of words.. 'hoist'. I'd be up for a hoist methinks at some point. But I'm also waiting to see what happens with them for now. Maybe by some miracle they'll get a little perkier as they shrink. HA!

 

[Jennifer W]

DandiAndi, I'm intrigued by the hoist procedure! Do they stay up there, or slide again?

What happens to skin? I'm trying to think of a good way to explain what I mean... You know when you see former sun-worshippers over a certain age, with push up bras on, and the girls are hoisted to chin height but the skin is all corrugated to accommodate that? Is that a risk, or does something else happen?

I ask because my friend who had the tummy tuck is also thinking of having this done, and we were speculating about this very issue over a glass of wine last week!

Jen

 

[Dandi]

lizzyann, some women may never need their implants changed, if there's no sign of them displacing or deflating etc. It's really hard to say, but there's no rule of thumb, the maintenance is kind of a 'maybe' thing. The only reason an implant would have to be changed is if it's damaged/leaking, which is very unlikley. I think the 10 year rule came about with older implants that tend to break down alot quicker than the ones manufactured today, which are only ever changed on a need-to basis. So no, implants definitely don't need to be changed religiously every ten years. Yippee!

As far as I know mastopexies are a once they're done they're done kind of thing, unless the woman changes body shape dramatically, ie. huge weight gain. Alot of women have the full mastopexy, where a wedge of skin is removed and the breast is sutured back up, and the nipple moved up north. I think the suture variety that I mentioned is for smaller boobs that still have a bit of volume, and have just headed south Every woman is different, and some procedures may be suited to you, some may not. I guess that's not too helpful, but the only way to know what type of surgery would produce the greatest results for you, is to have a consult with a specialist.

Mara, you just never know!

Jennifer, I've only seen a few of the 'hoist' (sorry, tasteless choice of words on my account ) mastopexies, and they are only really suited to a particular body shape (usually girls on the more petite side with not alot of excess skin). As far as I know once they're up there, they're up there! Revision surgery MAY be needed years down the track where the stitch is replaced, but generally not, providing the boobs have stayed more or less the same size. If there's alot of excess skin, then a formal mastopexy, or 'breast lift' would be needed, where the wedge of skin is taken out, leaving the breast tissue intact, and the nipple moved up. There is some scarring around the areola and vertically downwards underneath it. Kind of like a miniature breast reduction, but it's only designed to change the shape and position of the breast, not its size.

 

[Jennifer W]

Wow, that sounds brutal. The hoist (hehe) sounds like a more gentle approach. I don't think I'm a candidate, but I can see the appeal!
Thanks for the info, really interesting.

Jen

 

[Dandi]

You're welcome hon!

 

[lizzyann]

Thanks Dandi! That was really good information! Like Mara said...I think I may need a little hoisting at some point!!!

 

[sugarpie honeybun]

I had breast augmentation surgery in '04 and went from a small B to a full size C. After giving birth to my son last year, my breasts feel more soft and natural (probably because they were stretched during pregnany ) I am still planning to have them "touched up" after I'm done having children, probaby in the next couple of years, and will likely have them removed completely in my later years. So, 3 surgeries total.

All of this is assuming both DH and I are gainfully employed (if you happen to read my earlier thread )

 

[SB621]

Yes yes and YES I plan on having surgery. I'm also a NE girl, and while many people don't talk about it like they do on the West coast I still have many friends that have had face lifts, nose jobs, boobie lifts etc. Before I even had DS I told my DH that surgery wasn't an option after children- it would happen. I had big boobs to begin with so if they sagged it was extremely noticable. I will wait till we have #2 to start seriously looking at surgery but I definitely plan on having it.

 

[lizzyann]

I had breast augmentation surgery in '04 and went from a small B to a full size C. After giving birth to my son last year, my breasts feel more soft and natural (probably because they were stretched during pregnany ) I am still planning to have them "touched up" after I'm done having children, probaby in the next couple of years, and will likely have them removed completely in my later years. So, 3 surgeries total.

All of this is assuming both DH and I are gainfully employed (if you happen to read my earlier thread )

Sugar, thanks for posting! I am curious as to whether you are able to have the opportunity to nurse after having an augmentation? Also, when you say "touch up" what does that entail? A new set of implants? I'm thinking that if I waited until after I was done having children to get small implants, i wouldn't have to touch up or make changes, but who knows right? Also, what is the protocol now on saline vs. silicon? Thanks for the info! And good luck with that new job! I hope it works out for you and they make you an offer you can't refuse!

 

[lizzyann]

Yes yes and YES I plan on having surgery. I'm also a NE girl, and while many people don't talk about it like they do on the West coast I still have many friends that have had face lifts, nose jobs, boobie lifts etc. Before I even had DS I told my DH that surgery wasn't an option after children- it would happen. I had big boobs to begin with so if they sagged it was extremely noticable. I will wait till we have #2 to start seriously looking at surgery but I definitely plan on having it.

Sarah, I live in Mass and I swear I only know people who have had reductions. Unless people just don't talk about it openly, which is a possibility! I wish I knew more people who have had other work done so that I could ask questions and get recommendations on doctors though. I guess I'll wait and see how I feel about this whole topic after the baby making is complete!

 

[kelpie]

I watched a modest breast reduction surgery on tv today, and I can now say there's no way I would ever submit to that! I know women who are quite happy with their results but what they are happy with is how they look clothed. The woman on the tv show still looked awful when naked 3 months later, but yes her clothes fit better. She had the same complexion as me (pale) and ended up with very visible scarring. Not for me. It must take years for those scars to improve. But to each her own of course.

Word. I know people have their own reasons for doing it but once I watched what the surgery entails on TV shoes like DR 90210, I just can't imagine volunteering to go through it. The process itself looks horrific. I knew a girl who got boob jobs every 18 months for several years to stretch the skin up to the insane size she wanted, hard to believe she was willing to go through it so many times. Maybe it's not as bad as it looks?

 

[Dreamer_D]

I don't think I would have a boob list or tummy tuck, but ask me in another kiddo My thought is that shaping garments can help how I look in clothing, and DH seems to love how I look nekkid no matter what (finds me sexy now and found me sexy post baby and 70lbs larger than now!) so I guess I am not too concerned about that.

BUT my pelvic floor really is not what it used to be. I guess birthing a 8.5lb baby vaginally with no tearing at all has its down sides I kegel and all that jazz, but still notice things are not how they should be and bladder control is not 100%. If it is worse after a second kid, I would definitely have that taken care of.

 

[elrohwen]

My husband and I talked about this before we even had our son.

I will have my breasts fixed after I finish having children. They were already larger than I preferred before having my son, and now I really can't stand them.

This

I don't have a kid yet, but I'm in this camp. I'm already a DD, so I'm horrified by the thought of how big (and then saggy) they're going to get.

Though I might be too much of a chicken (and cheapskate) to go through with it.

 

[packrat]

I'd like to fix my wonky boobs. After nursing the kids, one is a little bigger and a different shape than the other. They both have sagged. I went from a AA to spilling out of a C cup when I was nursing..and now I'm a strange not quite B not not A either. They bounce and jounce around when I'm exercising now too-I suppose since they shifted down, and I'd like to duct tape them b/c it drives me nuts and is uncomfortable.

I'd like to lose the rest of this weight and have a tummy tuck. I have some kind of weirdness now where my stomach gains weight above my C section scar, and then it hangs over and..ick. My stomach muscles will never be the same b/c they're split apart, so maybe having a tummy tuck will help that, or while they're in there, they can corset it back up again.

And maybe give me a new belly button. I lost mine when I had my hernia fixed and the whole area looks strange.