Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

Harley Medical Group report record number of mums turning to cosmetic surgery

Ireland’s leading cosmetic clinic has seen a record increase in post-pregnancy surgery procedures over the past year, as more and more women strive for the yummy mummy look. The main procedures requested at The Harley Medical Group Clinic, which has registered a 20% increase, are liposuction, tummy tuck and breast uplift.

“After pregnancy or substantial weight loss, many people find their abdominal muscles are weak and the skin in that area has become looser,” said Liz Dale of The Harley Medical Group. “Despite exercise and diet, this may be difficult to shift and can cause self-consciousness and anxiety. During the procedure the muscles can be tightened and excess skin removed, leaving a firmer, flatter abdomen. Many of our patients choose to combine a tummy tuck procedure (abdominoplasty) with having liposuction to their waist area to create a new slim waistline.”

Liposuction is the removal of excess fatty tissue to reshape the body. It is not designed as a treatment for obesity, but can trim up the abdomen, hips, buttocks, inner and outer thighs, knees and even a double chin. The operation is performed under a general anaesthetic, or under local anaesthetic with sedation, often as a day case, taking one to 2 hours. A very small incision is used to insert the cannula to extract the fat and sometimes this is closed with a stitch or dissolvable suture.

The tummy tuck procedure takes around 2 hours under general anaesthetic and usually requires a one- to two-night stay in hospital. During the procedure, all loose excess skin and fatty tissue are removed through an incision which extends across the abdomen, usually from hip to hip (across the bikini area) and the damaged abdominal muscles are repaired. A benefit of this procedure is that the entire abdominal muscle wall can be tightened, usually with permanent sutures, to give a firmer result and flatter tummy (even for those without a flat tummy previously).

“Pregnancy and breastfeeding take their toll and a breast uplift can have an uplifting emotional as well as physical effect,” said Liz Dale. “It can restore proportion to someone's body and give more self-confidence. However, all The Harley Medical Group surgeons make sure that post pregnancy patients are in good health and not breast feeding. There will be a time period before a post pregnant woman can have surgery. For example Harley Medical advise all post breast feeding patients to wait 4-6 months for breast augmentation and liposuction and tummy tuck patients to wait until they are closer to their ideal weight.”

Breast uplift involves the removal of excess skin from around the breast to create a firmer, more pert breast. If there's only a small amount of breast tissue present, implants can be inserted during the surgery to improve size at the same time.

The Harley Medical Group, now in its 26th year and its eighth in the Republic, has recently opened a clinic in Belfast to meet the growing demand in cosmetic surgery in Ireland.

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About The Harley Medical Group

The Harley Medical Group is now in its 26th year and is among the most highly regarded cosmetic surgery groups in the UK and Ireland. The Harley Medical Group’s Chairman, Mel Braham, is a member of the steering committee set up to oversee the introduction of new regulations covering the entire cosmetic surgery sector. These UK standards are applied in The Harley Medical Group clinics in Ireland in the current absence of any guidelines for clinics in Ireland.

For further press information, case study or spokesperson interviews or to trial non-surgical procedures at The Harley Medical Group, contact:

Sharon Plunkett
Plunkett Communications
29 Eaton Square
Monkstown
Co. Dublin
Tel: 01 280 7873
www.harleymedical.ie