Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Articles

One of the first questions we ask all patients during their consultation is what are you hoping to gain from your procedure. While this may seem like a simple question, it sets the tone for everything to come between Davis Cosmetic Plastic Surgery and you, our patient.

Over the years, when asking this question, we hear various answers. Some patients want to remove a couple of inches, others want to look younger, and many patients want to feel better about themselves and boost their self-esteem.

Whatever the reason be, once we discuss your hopes and reasons, Dr. Davis can recommend the best course of treatment and set realistic expectations. It is incredible how often we sit down during our initial consultation for a specific procedure. Upon further discussion, both parties agree that another procedure is better suited for the patient. 

Many times plastic surgery success is predicated on realistic expectations and the post-procedure commitment to healing. Whatever your reasons for electing to have a plastic surgery procedure, rest assured Davis Cosmetic Plastic Surgery is committed to your success. 

If it’s time to sit down and talk to a board certified plastic surgeon about what you want to achieve aesthetically, please contact DCPS. We are happy to schedule a virtual consult and begin the journey of you looking great and feeling better.

In the age of social media, influencers, and everyone ‘Trying to live their best lives,’ Snapchat dysmorphia is a growing concern on everyone’s mind.

Case in point: you take a selfie, apply your favorite filter that makes your skin perfect, your lips plump and minimizes your nose, and you post for all your friends to admire — but is this the real you.

The perception of beauty is subjective. As social media use grows year after year, the social media dysmorphia trends grow and contribute to poor mental health and stress in many people.

Davis Cosmetic Plastic Surgery understands the want and needs of everyone to look and feel their best. We want you to live your best life and look your best while doing so. Ensuring we do not contribute to the problem while doing in-office or virtual consultations, the DCPS team makes sure to discuss realistic results for any desired procedure.

Setting expectations by using social media and Snapchat filters is a remedy for disappointment. Reality suggests, most filters cannot be replicated to individuals in the same manner they are applied digitally.

Five questions to ask yourself before consulting a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon:

1. What are you hoping to gain from your procedure?
2. Are you willing to potentially go through more than one procedure, if necessary?
3. Can you take time off to achieve a full recovery?
4. Are there any alternative procedures other than surgery?
5. Am I exploring plastic surgery for myself or to fit someone else’s ideals?

These are five valid questions for consideration as you explore your procedural options with Davis Cosmetic Plastic Surgery or any Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon.

We will publish articles about Snapchat Dysmorphia and each of these questions and explore these thoughts together in the next coming weeks.

If you have any questions about our practice or wish to schedule a virtual consultation, please contact our office, and we will get you scheduled.

The “mommy makeover” is an apt term for a fluid combination of procedures performed to restore a woman’s anatomy following pregnancy, childbirth, and nursing—events that cause tissues to stretch, scar, and sag. The most popular blueprint involves breast surgery (an augmentation, lift, or reduction), a tummy tuck, and liposuction.

Googling any of these procedures will yield a wealth of information, but it rarely delves into the practicalities surrounding the experience that women need to know before committing to the surgery and taking a hiatus from the constant multitasking that’s become a way of life for moms in the era of COVID-19. 

So, over the next two posts, I’ll address the real-life issues, from the pragmatic to the personal, on the minds of women mulling a mommy makeover.

How soon can I have a mommy makeover after I’ve stopped nursing?

Whether you’re having a breast augmentation with implants, a breast lift (with or without implants), or a breast reduction as part of your mommy makeover, your plastic surgeon will likely wait to perform the surgery until you’re at least three to six months removed from breastfeeding. That’s done to allow the milk to completely dry up and breast tissues to retract to their new baseline.

In the weeks immediately after nursing, the milk ducts are enlarged and there can be some bacteria lining those ducts. Bacteria in the presence of breast implants raises the risk of complications. There’s a little more flexibility with the timing if you’re just having a reduction or lift.

Can a tummy tuck incision be made over a C-section scar?

The average C-section scar is about a third of the length of a tummy tuck incision, which reaches from hip to hip to allow for maximum skin removal. It’s reasonable, then, to assume the incision can be made over the scar. The trouble is, most C-section scars are a little higher than you’d want for a tummy tuck incision. So rather than repurposing it, surgeons will usually go below it and eliminate it completely.

Can a tummy tuck help with lower back pain?

In a word: Yes. Because the operation typically corrects the abdominal muscle separation (or rectus diastasis) that occurs during pregnancy. When those muscles can’t stretch anymore, they widen and split. And they’re never quite the same again. The front of the core is left weak and the back ends up overcompensating.

During a tummy tuck, those abdominal muscles are realigned and sutured together, corset-style. A 2018 study showed a significant improvement in not only back pain but also urinary incontinence, which women commonly experience after giving birth.

What should I tell my kids about my surgery?

Sometimes women can feel kind of guilty for prioritizing themselves when they’re always in such high demand at home and work. While honesty is always the best way to go, moms tend to feel most comfortable focusing on the restorative nature of the mommy makeover. Maybe explain what happens to the tummy during and after pregnancy and say, “We’re just tweaking it to get it back to where it was.”

In my next post, I’ll get into the nuances of the recovery, including how soon you can pick up your kids again after a mommy makeover.