Dr. Nicholas Howland was recently published in Utah Valley Health & Wellness November/December 2017 issue about redefining the term mommy makeover in Utah. Read a snippet of the article below or click here to read the full article.

Redefining the Term “Mommy Makeover”

by Nicholas Howland, MD

I frequently hear the term “mommy makeover” in my line of work. Patients request a “mommy makeover“, doctors advertise their particular skill in providing a “mommy makeover”…it has become engrained in the culture of plastic surgery. I think this is a mistake. The term by itself excludes so many people who could benefit from these procedures. A “mommy makeover” is not only for women who have seen their body change through pregnancy, but is applicable to all women and changes seen not only through pregnancy and childbirth but also cycles of weight gain/ weight loss and just aging in general. Furthermore, the procedures offered through a “mommy makeover” are just as applicable to men!

Our skin is the largest organ in the human body. It can undergo some pretty drastic changes in order to accommodate a new life growing inside of us or even an entire pizza during a night of binge eating and watching “Friends” reruns. Life and gravity also have a way of drastically changing our skin – fat deposits in troublesome areas, breasts start to droop away from their once perky position, and stretch marks form just as a permanent reminder of it all. these are the things that diet and exercise and all the healthy living just aren’t going to fix. That’s when patients come into my office. The biggest complaint I get is about sagging breast tissue and breasts that are now smaller than they were before pregnancy. Just behind that are the loose abdominal skin and stretch marks. “I go to the gym every day. I do nothing but crunches and ab workouts and I just can NOT get this looking better.” This is a story I literally hear every single day.

The options available to fix these problems are many. Most commonly, a breast lift with or without a breast augmentation (breast implants) is done to treat the breasts. For the stomach, there is usually loose skin as well as abdominal muscles that have been stretched. This is called “rectus diastasis” and will certainly NOT improve without surgery, no matter the number of crunches one does. An abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) is done to fix these problems. This removes the excess skin while at the same time the stretched out stomach muscles are tightened on the inside with a layer of permanent sutures.

Often times, liposuction is added to these procedures to better shape and contour the abdomen. These are not the only procedures available to fix these problems. There are many other treatment options, both surgical and non-surgical, depending on the problem area as well as the extent of the problem.

The moral of the story here is don’t just assume that the “mommy makeover” is just for mommies! Diet, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle are always the best starting place for some of the problems we face with our skin and our own personal body image; however, sometimes diet and exercise and a healthy lifestyle are simply not enough. If you are a mommy or a daddy, or just someone wanting to feel a little better about themselves, come in to see Dr. Howland at Howland Plastic Surgery for a free consultation!

About the Author

Dr. Howland was born and raised in Murray, Utah. He recently has returned home after ten years of training plastic and reconstructive surgery at the hands of some of the very best mentors and leaders in the field. He is now based out of Draper, partnering with Premier Plastic Surgery to provide a full range of cosmetic surgery services as well as reconstructive plastic surgery.