Nip Tuck for Two: Couples Plastic Surgery

Posted in: Blog, Botox, Liposuction, Plastic Surgery in the News | October 4, 2012 | Comments Off

This last month I performed plastic surgery on two sets of couples.  One was a young couple in their early thirties who had recently gotten engaged and wanted to do a little body reshaping with liposuction before their wedding in the spring.  The other couple was a military wife and husband.  The husband had initiated the plastic surgery visit – he had lost a lot of weight and had some extra skin that needed trimming and also wanted gynecomastia surgery.  When he told his wife he was going to come in for a consultation, she also wanted to get something done and had a “mommy makeover” – breast augmentation with tummy tuck.

I’ve operated on many couples who underwent their plastic surgery together.  For most couples, they are able to provide support and understanding through each other’s procedures.  Sometimes they have surgery the same day, but in most cases that they choose different days so they can take turns taking care of each other.  Couples also come in together  for office procedures like botox or filler.  Regardless, couples plastic surgery is becoming increasingly more common as men are having more plastic surgery procedures.  According to the American Society of Plastic Surgery, last year, 9 percent of cosmetic procedures, around 1,194,000 were performed on men.  In my practice, being in Los Angeles, where men are more open to plastic surgery, the percentage is even higher.

I personally enjoy taking care of couples as patients, especially being married myself.  Their overall experience is usually greatly enhanced by sharing it with their partner and it’s a privilege for me to be a part of.

Dr. Catherine Begovic

Plastic Surgery Before or After the Baby?

Posted in: Plastic surgery and Pregnancy | January 5, 2012 | Comments Off

I saw a patient in my office last week who is planning on having a baby soon but wanted to have cosmetic surgery.  She wanted to know if it was better to have surgery before or after her baby.

In general, with any cosmetic procedure, especially when it comes to body contouring, it is best that your weight is stable before proceeding with surgery.  Therefore I tell patients who want to get liposuction or an abdominoplasty that they should wait several months after having their baby.  There is no harm to the baby or the patient to having these surgeries before pregnancy, however, because of weight fluctuations and body changes that occur with pregnancy, they may need a second procedure later.

The same thing holds for breast surgery, especially if you are thinking of having a breast lift or reduction.  Because the breasts expand and then deflate after pregnancy, you may need to have your lift revised after pregnancy depending on how your body changes.  For breast implants, the shape may hold through pregnancy, but it really depends on your anatomy.  I know many women who happened to get pregnant just after they had implant surgery and in most cases they retained a nice shape.  Of course, you should expect that your breasts will expand greatly with pregnancy on top of the increase from the implants.

For other procedures of the face like rhinoplasty, eyelid, or brow lifts, the anatomy varies less with pregnancy so it wouldn’t be a problem to have the surgery before pregnancy.

Dr. Catherine Begovic M.D.

Vaginal Cosmetic Surgery – Labiaplasty

Posted in: Plastic surgery and Pregnancy, Vaginal Plastic Surgery | October 20, 2011 | Comments Off

Last week I saw a few of my patients who recently had labiaplasty.  They really felt so much better after having had their surgery and were thankful their OB-Gyn had made the suggestion they have the procedure done.   A “labiaplasty” involves trimming some of the excessive labia that shows or hangs.  Although it is considered to be vaginal cosmetic surgery, I would argue that in many cases the procedure is more than that – it really improves women’s quality of life.  Now, every woman’s anatomy is variable but in general, most women do not like having their labia minora protrude and hang.  This can become more noticeable after pregnancy.  Sometimes, women are born with significant asymmetry between labia – one is much larger than the other.   Most of my patients cannot wear leggings, workout clothes, or even have pain when wearing jeans.  They complain of discomfort during common activities like exercising or riding a bike.  In many cases, the main complaint is women feeling self-conscious during intimacy.

I know it sounds like a painful surgery, but my patients are usually pleasantly surprised at how quickly they recover. I recently authored a book chapter in the“International Textbook on Aesthetic Surgery” on “Female Vaginal Cosmetic Surgery” which describes in detail the steps of different techniques.  In general, the excess labia is carefully trimmed and shaped.  The surgery takes about 2 hours.  The suture line is hidden along the inner edge of the labia.  All sutures are dissolvable so they don’t need to be removed after surgery.  Most of the swelling goes down in just a few weeks and patients can return to normal activities within a month or so.  For more details please go to the Procedure Section of my website http://www.makeyouperfect.com/procedures/labiaplasty/

Dr. Catherine Begovic M.D.

Get your body back after childbirth!

Posted in: Plastic surgery and Pregnancy | October 17, 2010 | Comments Off

As a female plastic surgeon, many of my girlfriends who have recently had children ask me how they can “get their body back.”  I’m planning on having a baby within the next few years and as a fitness model, I am super body conscious…so trust me ladies – I understand your concerns.  Most of the changes that moms want to correct are the result of the weight gain and loss associated with their pregnancy.  Some of the common complaints are sagging breasts and excess skin and fat around the abdominal area.  Additionally some women feel that they have redundant tissue in their vaginal area, namely increased labial show.

The term “mommy makeover” is often used in the media.  What needs to be “made over” varies from person to person but involves cosmetic surgery to restore some of the changes that occur with pregnancy.

A breast lift or “mastopexy” helps with sagging breasts.  In this surgery, the skin is lifted off the breasts and the any extra skin or fat is removed.  The breast and nipple is then repositioned into a more youthful position and then the skin closed around it.  Sometimes with deflated breasts, an implant is also placed to restore volume.  Each surgery is tailored to the patients’ individual needs.  The scars from this surgery range from being just around the nipple to a “lollipop” or “anchor” depending on the amount of skin that needs to be adjusted.  The scars usually heal well and patients are extremely happy with their new shape.

For excess abdominal skin and fat, a tummy tuck or “abdominoplasty” helps.  In this surgery, the skin and fat is raised off the abdominal wall, pulled down tight, and excess fat and skin removed.  The abdominal wall is tightened.  Liposuction at the sides of the belly and flank is also commonly performed to improve the over all shape.  In many cases, patients only need a “mini-tuck” where there is less elevation of the abdominal tissue.  The scar from this surgery is usually a low horizontal incision that can be concealed by underwear or bikini bottom.  It can be small with the “mini-tuck” or extend from hip to hip if extensive amounts of tissue need to be removed.

Finally, one of the least talked about surgeries is vaginal cosmetic surgery.  A “labiaplasty” involves trimming some of the excessive labia that shows.  Some women complain that the extra labia that hangs causes embarrassment when wearing leggings or tight pants and sometimes discomfort with walking or riding a bike.  The suture line is hidden along the inner edge of the labia.  Post operatively patients are instructed to refrain from sexual intercourse for about a month.

From a physician’s point of view, I always encourage a healthy diet and exercise first before turning to surgery.  I know that after I have my baby, I’m hitting the gym double time!  But if there are a few things that can’t be fixed with diet and exercise, new moms also have some surgical options that can help them regain confidence and help them get back into their pre-baby clothes.

Dr. Cat Begovic