Gone are the days of hiding in your home after a facelift or venturing out with dark sunglasses to hide bruising after Botox. Women (and men) have become more comfortable about their injections, fillers and “mommy makeovers.”
Like wearing makeup, exercising or coloring your hair, cosmetic procedures and anti-aging interventions are all part of taking care of yourself. Having “work done” is just another way for people to feel good about themselves and gain more confidence.
Danielle, a 31-year-old mother is a prime example. After being injured in a car accident that seriously hurt her back, she was unable to exercise regularly. Following giving birth to her son, she wanted to feel good again in her own skin.
“There are just things that happen to your body, especially after a C-section,” she said. “There are things that happen to your body that no amount of exercise can fix. I wanted to fix that.”
She underwent a “mommy makeover” including a tummy tuck and liposuction.
“I wanted to go to Clevens Face and Body Specialists because I felt my body needed a makeover, essentially,” she said.
A “mommy makeover” is used to describe procedures designed to restore one’s figure after pregnancy, weight changes, or aging. The most common surgeries involve some form of reshaping the fullness of breasts and restoration of the female silhouette like breast augmentations, breast lift or reduction, tummy tucks and liposuction.
In the U.S., doctors performed over 15 million cosmetic procedures in 2014, a 13 percent increase from 2011. Americans spend $13 billion on cosmetic procedures that are surgeries. Nonsurgical procedures have become even more commonplace. Obviously, Americans feel very comfortable with the idea of cosmetic enhancement.
“It is not taboo to have plastic surgery done and I don’t feel ashamed for doing it,” Danielle said. “I feel amazing now with my body and with the results.”
Amy Ortega, MD is a board certified and double-fellowship trained plastic surgeon with Clevens Face and Body Specialists. For more than 10 years, Dr. Ortega has specialized in cosmetic breast and body procedures. An expert in cosmetic and breast surgery, she is the recipient of national awards recognizing her expertise and compassion.
“As a female-to-female, having someone actually listen to you and relate to what you’re trying to do and she gets it, that was huge for me,” Danielle explained. “I completely trusted her.”
Techniques are often customized and combined to achieve the best results for each patient. More than one procedure can be routinely and safely done in a certified outpatient center that has the same high standards as a hospital.
Cosmetic procedures are now about increasing the self-esteem and self-confidence of women and men. It is a personal choice and should be done for yourself, not to fulfill someone else’s desires or to try to fit an ideal image.
“This procedure and this experience have changed my life tremendously because of the self-confidence issue that I had,” Danielle said. “I just feel so much more confident in myself.”
Clevens Face and Body Specialists
ClevensFaceandBody.com | (321) 727-3223
This article appears in the October 2015 issue of SpaceCoast Living.
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