After three C-sections that left her with a tummy, Cape Town mother Michelle felt frustrated that even the most intense workouts seemed to be ineffective.
“I had terribly low self-esteem and didn’t feel like I was myself. This showed in how I dressed and also acted in social settings. Family would always make bad comments about my weight and when was I going to lose it.”
But this festive season she will do something she had almost given up on — wear a bikini, thanks to the “mommy makeover” surgery (tummy tuck and breast lift) she decided to have seven months ago.
Michelle, 36, who had considered plastic surgery for years, says going under the knife was the only way to regain her confidence after years of exercise and special diets didn’t pay off.
“Working out had little effect, instead my spine was taking a knock. Exercise and diet were not getting rid of the stubborn fat, which was always discouraging and caused me to go back into old habits.”
For Bronwyne, 31, of Cape Town, being able to wear clothes that fit and looking at her body in the mirror with confidence was the motivation to have 360° liposuction and a Brazilian butt lift.
Six months later she is looking forward to showing off her beach body, and to finally sharing the selfies she always feared thanks to stubborn belly fat and folds of fat on her back.
“I hated shopping for clothes because the things that I liked were things that would not look flattering for my body. I hated long mirrors because I did not want to see my whole body. I never had any social media account because I hated taking pictures.”
“I struggled with relationships because I could not do normal things that some people do, like sexy lingerie. I even hated going out to nice restaurants as I felt so insecure and felt like my partner was looking at other women that were in my eyes more good-looking and confident.”
Post-surgery, she says: “I would not spare even a cent to have the self-love that I had always dreamed of.”
Local plastic surgeons say summer is by far the busiest season as people get Christmas bonuses and have money to spend. The long holiday period also provides time to heal from cosmetic surgery.
Johannesburg surgeon Dr Charles Serrurier said: “November and December are traditionally very busy times. People realise that the end of the year is coming up and they want to look good. It often seems to be a bit of a last-minute, dot-com thing, so this time of the year becomes very busy for cosmetic plastic surgeons.”
Serrurier said procedures on the face such as lifts, Botoxing and fat transfers were most common, with breast surgery next in popularity.
“This time of year as we go into Christmas, it tends to be a lot of cosmetic breast work, specifically breast augmentations and reductions. And that's because people have got the downtime to recover after their operation. Most want to look really good for the beach.”
Serrurier said as plastic surgery has become more socially accepted, there’s an increase in men who come for procedures such as eyelid surgery and excess skin removal.
“As people are in the workplace for longer and have to compete with younger people, they often want to look young also. Men who have younger partners are also more open to having cosmetic surgery.”
Cape Town plastic and reconstructive surgeon Frank Graewe said breast surgery, 360° liposuction and Brazilian butt lifts remain the most popular procedures for women across all age groups, and an increasing number of men are having cosmetic surgery.
Liposuction, particularly targeting love handles and the chest, was gaining popularity as more men “want to look more athletic and masculine”.
Graewe said he’s seeing a lot of male clients seeking upper and lower eyelid surgery.
“People want to look younger, fresher and less tired. Next on the list are hair transplants, which have always been popular for men.
“The increase in surgeries is due to better availability of procedures and better surgical techniques available. Important as well is an increasingly competitive environment for men and women at the workplace and the need to look younger, fresher and energetic.”
Graewe said one of the major drivers of body contouring surgery was social media, with influencers and celebrities showing off narrow waistlines and perky derrières.
“We have been seeing more requests for combined procedures like breast lifts and tummy tucks after pregnancies, also known as mommy makeover surgery,” he said
Cape Town plastic surgeon Paul Skoll said his practice was busy in the summer with young people looking for facial cosmetic procedures such as nose jobs.
“In my practice, rhinoplasty is quite common towards the end of the year, particularly among teenagers who have just left school and are preparing to go to university looking their best the following year.
“You know, they say that people only fix their roofs in winter to stop the rain from coming in ... but very few people fix their roofs in summer. And it's the same with some bodywork,” Skoll said.
“The best time to do them is actually in winter so that when summer comes around, you are kind of beach ready.”
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