An alarming number of women are cleaning out the family savings account to get a mummy make-over. While some argue that this is a matter of personal choice and even 'empowerment', others insist it's the result of a media environment that places so much emphasis on erasing every single sign of motherhood from your body.
A mummy make-over is a cosmetic surgery procedure involving both liposuction and a tummy tuck to remove excess skin. Many women are adding in a boob lift as well. It's major surgery costing up to $10,000 and involving an 8-week recovery period during which you can't pick up your children. An increasing number of women are flying to Thailand for a 'mummy makeover' which costs 60 per cent less than in most countries. The rest of the cash goes to hair, nails, spray tans, clothes...it's a full reality-TV-show-inspired makeover.
Australian cosmetic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Darrell Hodgkinson says business is booming, with mums flocking to his practice to improve themselves. He told Radio National, "These are quite significant operations carried out by plastic surgeons but they do lead to a lot of satisfaction in that patients can wear the clothes they want, they are more confident in their intimate situations more often. It really is an expanding group of our patients."
He defends mummy make-overs, saying most women view them as corrective procedures, similar to any other corrective surgery. They aren't trying to look better than they've ever looked before, they just want to go back to how they looked before pregnancy.
Dr Hodgkinson admits the surgery isn't to be taken lightly and explained that most of his patients wait until their children are older because they have more time to recover and are less busy. "The mummy make-over generally appeals to that group, the 30-40 year olds when the kids are pretty much beginning to be more independent."