New Initiative Encourages Moms to Take the Time to Feel Great about Their Bodies

My Breasts, My Body, My Turn is a new Allergan campaign that helps women address changes in their bodies brought on by pregnancy

By The LifeMinute Team

June 14, 2016

Many women undergo unwelcome bodily changes during pregnancy including sagging of the breasts and stomach area. Allergan is addressing these concerns head on with a new campaign called My Breasts. My Body. My Turn.

Post-Pregnancy Confidence

Dr. Tenley Lawton, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Newport Beach, California, is a proponent of the My Breasts, My Body, My Turn program. "We're trying to bring awareness to women to let them know that there are procedures available to them to address some of the changes that they've seen during pregnancy." These include a deflated appearance and loss of volume in their breasts and loose skin on their stomach that they can't address through diet and exercise.

Many patients are relieved to hear that there are safe and effective procedures available to address these issues. "We want women to know that there is opportunity to address them, but still get back to their families as soon as possible," says Dr. Lawton.

A Patient's Perspective

Harmony Russell is a patient of Dr. Lawton: "I became a patient of Dr. Lawton after I had three C-sections and nursed each of my children for a year. I found that with each pregnancy my breasts became very saggy and deflated and I had a lot of extra skin around my stomach, which was also saggy. I was very faithful to diet and exercise but it didn't take away all of the sagginess so I wanted to seek out some other opportunities. I met with Dr. Lawton and we addressed some of my concerns. I felt like we were able to tailor my treatment to exactly what I wanted. I didn't want to look overdone and I wanted to make sure the safety aspect was a concern. Really I wanted to get back to where I was.

I was that mom that sat in the chair on a 90-degree day and didn't participate in events. I was the wife that didn't want her husband to see what she looked like and would often shoo him out of the room. And I didn't even want to look at myself. After a lot of thought about this and meeting with Dr. Lawton I felt very safe with her, especially because she is a mommy herself.

I decided to schedule the surgery. I ended up having a tummy tuck, a breast augmentation and a lift. It was a two-week recovery time and I was back to being a mommy in no time. I'm very pleased with the results. I now find that I am the mom who is getting out of the chair and initiating events with my kids. I no longer shoo my husband away. I'm encouraging him to stay in. And I'm looking at myself in the mirror once again. So it's been a very good experience for me."

For more information go to itsmyturn.com where there is a list of questions prospective patients can take to a board certified plastic surgeons to start a discussion. Also a place to read other women's stories as well as a Find A Surgeon tool.