Laser hot mamas zapped into pre baby shape

Plastic surgeons offering makeovers for yummy mummies Like many moms, Adrienne Chevalier tried various creams in hopes of reducing the stretch marks that accompanied her first pregnancy, but other than a natural fade from bright red to shiny white, nothing worked. Like Chevalier, many women these days are willing to go to extreme measures to become laser hot mamas. “We’ve definitely had more moms coming in over the last five years,” says Dr. Arielle Kauvar, clinical associate professor of dermatology at New York University School of Medicine and director of New York Laser & Skin Care. “A lot more women want to correct the problems they’ve developed during pregnancies.”

Those problems can range from stretch marks and loose belly skin to spider and varicose veins to melasma (brown pigmentation on the face from hormonal changes) to milked-out, deflated breasts. And although our mothers and grandmothers had to make do with cocoa butter, thick hose and hefty Cross Your Heart bras, today’s moms (many of whom fit snugly into the “yummy mummy” category) are heading to the plastic surgeon and skin care clinic for breast lifts, tummy tucks and the latest in laser treatments.

At Houston’s Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Center, Dr. Mark Schusterman started getting so many requests for the same postpartum procedures that he created Makeovers for Moms, a program that packages procedures such as breast lifts, tummy tucks and liposuction into one-fell-swoop surgery.

“A lot of these women have worked hard to look good before their pregnancy and afterwards they say, ‘This doesn’t work for me.’ “Hormones alone can wreak havoc on a woman’s body during and after a pregnancy,” says Dr. Joel Schlessinger, a dermatologist in Omaha, Neb., and president of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery. “And many of the changes hit older moms harder. In my practice, we’ve seen a 50 percent increase in the number of women seeking postpartum treatments in the last five years. Ervin’s rejection of the “mother as martyr” mindset is fairly indicative of what author Jessica Denay calls a “hot mom,” a term that has more to do with embracing your sense of self than the surgically enhanced sex appeal of the “Desperate Housewives” set.

“It’s both a culture shock and a body shock.”

And then there’s the sticker shock. The clinic that helped Alabama mom Adrienne Chevalier feel comfortable in her bikini again charges approximately $3,500 for four Fraxel treatments. The Titan skin-tightening procedure Ervin received – which requires five treatments in all — costs about $5,000. Dr. Schusterman’s Makeovers for Moms can run anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000, depending on which procedures are cobbled together.

Postpartum price tag Below are 2006 national averages for surgeon/physician fees for common postpartum procedures, courtesy of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. — Breast augmentation: $3,600

— Breast lift: $4,220

— Laser treatment of leg veins: $400

— Liposuction: $2,750

— Sclerotherapy (spider/varicose vein treatment): $332

— Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty): $5,063

Spotlight on stretch marks Although there’s still no magic bullet for stretch marks, there are numerous new treatments on the market, particularly in the field of laser technology.

“Laser is currently the best way to get rid of stretch marks,” says Dr. Arielle Kauvar of New York Laser & Skin Care.

“Some people’s stretch marks will disappear, but others’ will only mildly improve,” says Dr. David H. McDaniel, assistant professor of clinical dermatology and plastic surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Both doctors agree, however, that for early, red stretch marks, pulsed dye laser (which McDaniel refers to as a “red eraser”) is the most effective, although “it’s best on white fair skin and will leave ‘footprints’ on darker skin.” Older white stretch marks, the two agree, appear to do better with fractionated lasers such as Fraxel or Palomar Lux 1540, which appear to be effective on all skin types. According to McDaniel, this type of laser treats 20 to 25 percent of the skin at a time and requires approximately four treatments.