Christie's Got Her Body Back

As a very happily married mother of three beautiful girls, living the Southern California lifestyle, Christie has it all: the chance to be a stay-at-home mom and raise her children, time to work out and take care of herself, activities with friends. Unfortunately “having it all” for Christie included sagging breasts, loose tummy skin and a poor body image—at least until a few months ago.

After giving birth and breastfeeding three times, Christie says she felt “very dissatisfied” with her breasts. She remembers thinking she would need a breast lift even after her first child as she saw significant changes taking place. According to Christie, her breasts looked, “worse and worse after each daughter was born.”

But the notion that a breast lift alone would bring her body back went by the wayside as Christie eventually began to research Los Angeles breast enhancement options. She quickly learned that a lift would subtract even more tissue from her already empty breasts, and she wasn’t excited about being smaller than her pre-pregnancy size C. Christie realized she needed breast augmentation as well as a lift, and she decided she wanted to address the loose skin on her tummy that her workouts couldn’t fix. In short, Christie decided she needed a mommy makeover.

Planning the Makeover

Christie’s research led her to Marina Plastic Surgery Associates. She felt good about the surgical innovations Marina Plastic Surgery Associates is known for and was impressed with the surgeon’s techniques. She scheduled a consultation with him and she and her husband drove in to meet the Los Angeles plastic surgeon.

“At the consultation, I told him I thought I needed a breast lift, augmentation and a tummy tuck,” Christie recalled. “He agreed.” The young mom also told the surgeon she wanted to have size D breasts. “As long as I was going to ‘go under,’ I decided I wanted a bit more volume.”

Christie remembers thinking she had devoted ten years to being a mom and putting her children first. She was ready to fulfill her own needs, and she wanted to feel a little more voluptuous and sexy. Prior to surgery she remembers she “didn’t feel comfortable.in my own skin.” She looked to Marina Plastic Surgery Associates to help her change all that.

A Sudden Setback

Just a couple days after her Los Angeles breast enhancement and tummy tuck discussion, she noticed a skin irritation. Several days later her dermatologist broke the news, Christie had psoriasis.

Christie had trouble deciding what to do. On one hand, she wanted to move forward with the procedure she and the surgeon had planned. On the other hand, she had more to worry about. “There wasn’t really any health risk,” she explained. “But while the condition is active, there’s a greater chance of scarring.”

While she researched this new challenge, Marina Plastic Surgery Associates’ specialist helped her to understand the significance of her new skin condition. He talked with Christie’s dermatologist and he spent time with Christie on the phone after hours. In the end, the night before surgery, the surgeon was the one to recommend rescheduling the procedure. Even though Christie had been leaning toward proceeding, the surgeon could tell she was anxious. “He said he didn’t want me to ‘go under’ feeling that way.”

The Right Call

Today, Christie feels her plastic surgery experience unfolded just as it should have. The surgeon made the right decision to delay the surgery date. “I really needed time to deal with it all emotionally. Psoriasis is a skin disease. I had to learn to cope with it and treat it.”

Christie appreciates the care the Marina Plastic Surgery Associates surgeon devoted to her special case. She’s glad he took time to explain in detail about psoriasis to help her make decisions. “He was really there for me.” And according to Christie, “His style is to be very informative and make sure you understand and consider all the risks. He’s conservative and realistic in what he wants to achieve.”

After about six weeks Christie’s outbreak cleared and she went ahead with her mommy makeover.

A Customized Surgical Strategy

The plastic surgeon at Marina Plastic Surgery Associates designed Christie’s mommy makeover to fit her individual needs. To improve her breasts, she says her surgeon focused primarily on the lift. “He adjusted his lift technique to accommodate the size implant I wanted,” she explains. He encouraged Christie to choose gummy bear breast implants filled with cohesive silicone gel. He told her that in going a little larger, it was more important than ever to achieve a natural look. He felt gummy bear implants would accomplish that for her.

The surgeon also customized Christie’s tummy tuck. Despite the three children, her abdominal muscles were in pretty good shape and the surgeon planned to leave them untouched. Christie later theorized that this enabled her to recover with minimal abdominal pain. She was very concerned about her extensive stretch marks, and the surgeon’s abdominoplasty eliminated almost all of them.

She knew what recovery would entail as all three of her daughters were born via C-section: pain medication and lots of rest for about a week to week and a half. She expected minor back discomfort due to being hunched over for a few days. The hardest challenge she would face was not being able to pick up her youngest child for a while.

Self-Confident Instead of Self-Conscious

Four months later Christie says she is pleased. No, make that “very ecstatic!” She’s very happy with her gummy bear implants. “I feel like they’re more natural than saline, “she says.”I really feel like I don’t have implants inside me. They look natural and feel natural.”

She says the scars on her breasts and lower abdomen are minimal, lighter than she expected. And she feels sexy again, and self-confident instead of self-conscious.

Christie is happy to share her good experience with other moms considering a makeover. “Before surgery, my self-esteem was low. I was down on my body. It affected my relationship with my husband—not because he was unhappy with me, but because I was unhappy with myself.”

Christie says firmly, “I take care of myself and my children. I felt like I deserved it. “To others she might say, “You’re worth it too.”

If you’d like to talk one of the board certified plastic surgeons at Marina Plastic Surgery Associates about whether a mommy makeover in Los Angeles – breast enlargement, tummy tuck and perhaps liposuction – is a good choice for you, why not request a consultation now with our handy form to your right?