Dr. Grant Stevens, a board certified California Plastic Surgeon, recently attended the 13th annual Congress of the Turkish Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, delivering the keynote speech. His speech involved the presentation of a study regarding the exciting new option available to mothers: the Mommy Makeover.

The Mommy Makeover is a great way for women who have given birth to get their bodies back without undergoing multiple plastic surgery procedures. The Mommy Makeover is a combination breast surgery and tummy tuck procedure that can provide a return to the pre-baby body. Breast procedures typically take the form of augmentations, lifts, combined augmentation/lifts, reductions or implants, depending on the needs of the mommy. The tummy tuck helps to remove the last of the stubborn baby weight.



Dr. Stevens is a graduate of Washington University Medical School. He was trained at Harbor UCLA Medical Center and did a Fellowship in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Washington. The "Guide to Top Doctors" recently named him one of America's Best Physicians.

Stevens conducted his study during a ten-year period, between 1997 and 2007. During this period, he surveyed 268 patients at his Marina Del Ray clinic, Marina Plastic Surgery Associates, who underwent a combined Mommy Makeover Procedure. All of the cases reviewed were performed at the same outpatient center n Los Angeles, and the complication and revision rate was compared to the same rates associated with standard single-procedure surgeries.

Stevens found that the Mommy Makeover was a safe and effective option when performed by the board certified plastic surgeons in Los Angeles. The revision rates were comparable to those of standalone procedures, and, as Stevens says, "What we found, essentially, is that the combined Mommy Makeover procedure was not significantly more risky for the patient than a standalone procedure would be."

Stevens reports that "more and more patients are requesting mommy makeovers because they are more affordable and they deliver a complete makeover with only one recovery period." He expects the popularity of the surgeries to continue to grow throughout Los Angeles and nationally across the United States.

Dr. Stevens hopes that by presenting this study to a respected group of international plastic surgeons, the procedure will become more widespread and offer better results to more women. He referred to his opportunity to present the information as an "honor" and urges that "the increased popularity of combination procedures like the mommy makeover requires research to ensure that they are safe alternatives to undergoing a single procedure."

While Stevens' own findings go a long way towards demonstrating the safety of the combined cosmetic operation, he cautions that "additional studies of procedures performed by other surgeons in a variety of settings are needed to reach more conclusive results about the safety and efficiency of the mommy makeover in particular and combined cosmetic surgeries generally." As the procedure becomes more widespread and popular, these studies will surely follow.