Patient of the Month for September 2011 - Mommy Makeover - Post Weight Loss Surgery

This month's Featured Patient is a testimony to how a great relationship between a patient and their doctor, combined with the latest plastic surgery procedures, can change a life. It is an inspiring story for both moms who want their figure back, and post-bariatric surgery patients. Our feature patient had worked hard to lose a large amount of weight. While she was proud of her success shedding pounds, she missed the lost volume in her breasts. Diane decided to seek plastic surgery to restore her breast shape, rewarding herself for her dedication to achieving a healthier weight. She hadn’t planned to have multiple procedures right away, but after seeing that Dr. Parker truly listened – and then experiencing a reasonable recovery and satisfying breast surgery results – she decided to further improve her body. Diane’s overall results show how successful combining several newer procedures can be in recontouring the breasts & body. A combination of procedures can be powerful for rejuvenation of patients affected by aging or significant weight loss following pregnancy or bariatric surgery. Treatment of the breasts usually involves restoring lost volume with breast implants and lifting the sagging breasts with a breast lift, or mastopexy. As a combined procedure, this is known as Augmentation Mastopexy. Patients whose nipples have fallen well below the breast fold, or inframammary crease, require a special breast lift, called a circumvertical Mastopexy. This is commonly referred to as a "lollipop lift" because of the shape of the resultant scar. The combined breast lift and augmentation procedure provides the patient with more youthful, fuller, uplifted breasts. Treatment of the torso in weight loss patients, who have lax skin around the body, needs to be comprehensive in order to obtain optimal rejuvenation. For our feature patient, a circumferential procedure was performed. Dr. Parker performed a lipoabominoplasty (specialized tummy tuck with liposuction) anteriorly to address her abdomen and a lateral thigh and buttock lift posteriorly to address the outer thighs and buttocks. Together, these plastic surgery procedures are called by a variety of names: circumferential or extended abdominoplasty, central body lift, lower body lift or belt lipectomy. The combination allows for a significant rejuvenation of the torso with well-healed scars in inconspicuous locations. The procedures were staged, with the breast surgery first and then the torso surgery several months later, after Diane had become comfortable with her plastic surgeon and the whole team at the Parker Center. Our feature patient is pleased with her results from her Parker Tummy Tuck and body lifting procedures. Using the Parker Center's Rapid Recovery program, Diane bounced back from each of these surgeries fairly quickly. She is very pleased with her results – you can read more about Diane’s experience in our blog. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Nurse Educator, Angela, at 201-967-1212 or Read Diane's story on our blog.

• Learn more about Mommy Makeovers.

• Learn more about Post Bariatric Surgery.