Mommy Makeovers: What They Fix - Physically and Emotionally

In this episode, we dive deep into one of the most transformative yet misunderstood areas of plastic surgery: the Mommy Makeover. While many think of it as a standard "one-size-fits-all" procedure, Honolulu-based renowned board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Shim Ching joins us to explain why true restoration requires a highly customized approach tailored to every individual's unique journey.

We begin by defining what a mommy makeover actually is—a single surgery designed to rejuvenate both the breasts and the abdomen. But as Dr. Ching explains, the "classic" combination of a tummy tuck and breast augmentation is just the starting point. We explore the vast range of customizable options, from scarless breast augmentations performed through the armpit to the innovative "no scar belly button" technique for tummy tucks. Dr. Ching also discusses often-overlooked procedures that can be included, such as labiaplasty and fat transfers, ensuring that every patient’s specific concerns—whether from childbirth or significant weight loss—are addressed.

In this episode, we also tackle the "Top 5 Common Mommy Makeover Myths," including:

The Exercise Fallacy: Why no amount of gym time can fix the skin laxity or muscle separation (diastasis recti) that often follows pregnancy.

The "Moms Only" Label: How these procedures benefit anyone dealing with abdominal or breast changes, including those who have undergone major weight loss.

More Than Just Cosmetic: The surprising physical benefits of a makeover, such as relieving chronic back and neck pain, improving core strength, and fixing physical discomfort caused by enlarged or drooping breasts.

For those considering the surgery, we get into the essential practicalities. We discuss the ideal timing—why you should wait at least six months to a year after your last child—and what the 1-to-2-week recovery period actually looks like in a modern surgical setting. Finally, we touch on the financial investment, explaining the cost variations in Hawaii and why choosing a surgeon with specialized expertise is critical for achieving natural-looking results.

Whether you are just starting your research or are ready to book a consultation, this episode serves as your comprehensive guide to reclaiming your body and your confidence.

Key Topics Covered:

Why every mommy makeover must be personalized.

Breakdown of procedures: Tummy tucks, breast lifts, and liposuction.

Innovations in "scarless" surgical techniques.

Addressing medical concerns like core weakness and back pain.

What to expect regarding costs, timing, and downtime.

Transcript

Erin: 00:00
Imagine for a second that you're planning this major top-to-bottom home renovation. Like you are completely gutting the kitchen, you're redoing all the aging plumbing and you know rewiring the entire electrical system. Right.

Trevor: 00:15
A massive project.

Erin: 00:16
Exactly. Now, would you ever like hire a plumber to come in, tear up your drywall, do their work, patch the walls back up, wait a full year, and then hire an electrician to tear those exact same walls open again.

Trevor: 00:28
I mean, no. That would be completely absurd.

Erin: 00:31
Right. And then after patching it a second time and waiting another year, you finally bring in a painter to finish the job.

Trevor: 00:37
Of course not. That would be well, it'd be a logistical nightmare. Exactly. I mean the disruption to your life would be immense, the labor costs would be astronomical, and you would effectively be living inside, you know, an active construction zone for three consecutive years. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Erin: 00:53
You would bundle it. You would just bring the whole crew in at once, open the walls one time, do all the structural and cosmetic work simultaneously, and then, you know, close it all up.

Trevor: 01:01
One massive mess, one recovery period, and one completely finished product.

Erin: 01:07
Yeah, exactly. And today we are taking that exact same logic of like supreme efficiency and structural repair, and we're applying it to the human body. So welcome to today's deep dive.

Trevor: 01:19
It's a great topic.

Erin: 01:20
It really is. We're diving into the clinical data, surgical notes, and real patient files from Dr. Shim Ching, who's a uh highly sought-after board-certified plastic surgeon based in Honolulu, Hawaii. Uh-huh. And our goal is to really demystify what a mommy makeover actually entails, like behind closed doors.

Trevor: 01:39
Yeah, and it's a phenomenal subject to dissect because you know it sits right at this intersection of advanced surgical technique, profound anatomical changes, and frankly, just an immense amount of societal pressure. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Erin: 01:50
Oh, totally. The pressure is wild. So our mission today is to pull back the curtain on this. We're going to explore the highly customized surgical combinations being used right now, break down the practical efficiency of bundling these really intense procedures together, and shatter the pervasive, often toxic myths that sort of surround this entire concept.

Trevor: 02:09
Which is desperately needed, honestly.

Erin: 02:10
Okay. Let's unpack this by starting with the physical reality of what pregnancy actually does to the human body. Because I mean you really cannot understand the intensity of the fix until you understand the foundational changes, right? Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Trevor: 02:23
Right. You have to look at the baseline.

Erin: 02:24
Exactly. According to the clinical materials, the two most common areas targeted in these makeovers are the abdomen and the breasts. And, you know, we aren't just talking about a little extra baby weight here.

Trevor: 02:36
Not at all. I mean, let's look at the abdomen first, because the physical expansion a woman's body undergoes to carry a child is just staggering.

Erin: 02:45
It's basically a marathon for your organs?

Trevor: 02:48
It is. And it's not merely a matter of skin stretching to accommodate a baby. The actual abdominal wall, the deep muscle layer itself, is physically pulled apart.

Erin: 02:58
Wait, really? Like physically pulled apart?

Trevor: 03:00
Yes, literally. This condition is known as diastasis recti, and it means the left and right sides of your core muscles have separated.

Erin: 03:08
Wait, if the abdominal muscles are literally separated down the middle, wouldn't that completely ruin your posture? I mean, your core is your primary stabilizer. Exactly. So if the front of your body is structurally compromised, your lower back muscles must have to work in absolute overdrive just to keep you upright.

Trevor: 03:24
You've just hit on one of the most critical, under-discussed aspects of this entire topic. The structural compromise is profound. Wow. And we're going to dive deep into the massive functional implications of that later, because it well, it fundamentally changes how we view these surgeries.

Erin: 03:41
Definitely.

Trevor: 03:42
But purely from an anatomical standpoint, yes.

Erin: 03:45
Yeah.

Trevor: 03:45
You have separated muscles, which gives the abdomen a rounded kind of protruding appearance. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Erin: 03:51
Right. The dreaded pooch people talk about.

Trevor: 03:53
Exactly. Combine that with skin that has been stretched way beyond its elastic limit, added subcutaneous fat, stretch marks, and very often deep C-section scars.

Erin: 04:02
So how does a surgeon even begin to address a foundation that is that compromised? I mean, the sources note that while a few patients might be eligible for a mini tummy tuck, they're like the vast minority.

Trevor: 04:12
Right. Very rare.

Erin: 04:13
Almost everyone requires a full tummy tuck combined with extensive liposuction. And it's not just the belly getting lipo, it's 360-degree contouring of the abdomen, the flanks, and the mons pubis.

Trevor: 04:26
Yeah, because to achieve a natural look, you have to treat the entire torso as a single unit. You can't just spot treat.

Erin: 04:32
That makes sense.

Trevor: 04:33
But the real magic happens beneath the surface. To repair that stretched separated muscle layer, Dr. Ching utilizes a very specific technique called a double internal corsipplication.

Erin: 04:45
Okay, that sounds incredibly intense. What is a double internal coursiplic application, like in plain English?

Trevor: 04:52
Right. Uh think of it as internally suturing the separated abdominal muscles back together very tightly, much like lacing up a Victorian corset. Oh wow. But the double part means he's actually folding and suturing that tissue in two distinct overlapping layers.

Erin: 05:06
So it's like extra reinforced.

Trevor: 05:08
Precisely. This creates maximum structural strength and an incredibly flat tension core. He is literally rebuilding the integrity of the abdominal wall from the inside out.

Erin: 05:17
And doing all of that requires incisions, obviously. But the sources talk about a scarless belly button technique. Wait, a scarless belly button and a scarless breast lift? How is that even possible if you're undergoing major five to eight hour surgery?

Trevor: 05:34
It sounds like a total contradiction, doesn't it?

Erin: 05:36
Completely. I mean, you're cutting skin, how is there no scar?

Trevor: 05:39
Well, scarless in modern surgical terms doesn't mean no incisions were made. It means the surgeon is hiding the visible evidence entirely.

Erin: 05:47
Oh, I see.

Trevor: 05:48
So for the belly button, the incision isn't made on the flat skin of the stomach. Instead, the surgeon carefully cuts along the very inside ring of the umbilicus like deep inside the stalk of the navel itself.

Erin: 06:01
Oh, that is wild.

Trevor: 06:02
Yeah, so when it heals, the scar is hidden in the natural shadow and folds of the belly button. You literally can't see it.

Erin: 06:09
That is incredibly clever. It's essentially hiding the seam on the inside of the garment.

Trevor: 06:13
Exactly. And that level of detail is critical for Dr. Ching's patients in Hawaii, you know, who spend a significant amount of time at the beach in swimwear.

Erin: 06:21
Oh, sure, year-round bikini season.

Trevor: 06:23
Right. The surgical priority has heavily shifted toward techniques that provide minimal visible scarring. That's why he pairs the scarless belly button with a super low scar on the lower abdomen.

Erin: 06:35
Meaning he hides the main tummy tuck scar too.

Trevor: 06:38
Exactly, intentionally placing it so low that it is completely hidden beneath even the tiniest bikini bottom.

Erin: 06:44
Which brings us to the second major component of the makeover, the breasts. The clinical notes point out that after nine months of pregnancy and, you know, potentially months or even years of breastfeeding, the breasts undergo a massive deflation. Like they shrink, they lose their internal volume, and the skin envelope becomes loose and droopy.

Trevor: 07:03
Yeah, the glandular tissue essentially shrinks down after milk production ceases, leaving this stretched skin capsule. And the surgical fixes for this are remarkably varied, depending on what the patient's specific tissue actually looks like. Right. A patient might just need breast augmentation, you know, using soft-touch silicone implants to replace that loss volume and just fill the skin envelope back out. Or if the drooping is significant, they require a breast lift.

Erin: 07:28
And the sources mention a couple of specific lifts, like there's a halo lift and an anchor lift. What's the difference mechanically between those two?

Trevor: 07:36
So a halo lift is used for milder cases of drooping. The incision goes strictly around the perimeter of the areola, basically creating a halo effect. Okay, got it. The surgeon removes a small donut-shaped piece of skin and kind of acts like a purse string, pulling the tissue tighter and lifting the nipple slightly. But for a more severe droop, a level three anchor lift is required.

Erin: 08:01
And how does that work?

Trevor: 08:02
Well, imagine a tailored dress that has become far too loose. You can't just pull the fabric tight across the front and hope it looks natural, right? It's gonna bunch up.

Erin: 08:10
Right. You'd get all these weird folds.

Trevor: 08:12
Exactly. You have to open the seams, remove the excess material from the bottom and the sides, and literally rebuild the garment shape from its foundation.

Erin: 08:20
Wow.

Trevor: 08:20
That's an anchor lift. The surgeon makes an incision around the areola, straight down the center, and along the breast crease, basically forming the shape of an anchor.

Erin: 08:28
Hence the name.

Trevor: 08:29
Right. This allows them to completely reshape the breast mound, remove significant excess skin, and move the nipple to a higher, much more youthful position.

Erin: 08:39
But just like with the abdomen, the sources highlight a scarless breast lift technique. Again, how do you lift a breast from the inside?

Trevor: 08:47
This is a really fantastic evolution in the field. For patients who have moderate drooping, but you know really don't want the visible scars of an anchor lift. A surgeon can insert an implant through a very discrete incision hidden deep in the armpit.

Erin: 09:02
In the armpit, not even on the breast.

Trevor: 09:04
Exactly. Using endoscopic tools, they create a pocket and place the implant in a way that pushes the breast tissue upward and outward from behind.

Erin: 09:11
That's brilliant.

Trevor: 09:12
Right. The implant itself acts as the lifting mechanism, and the breast skin remains entirely untouched by a scalpel.

Erin: 09:18
The breast itself has zero surgical marks. That is fascinating.

Trevor: 09:22
What's fascinating here is that the surgeon is approaching the patient not with a set menu, but really as a blank canvas.

Erin: 09:29
Yeah, it's not just I'll take the number four combo.

Trevor: 09:32
No, not at all. Dr. Ching notes he is almost never performing the exact same combination of techniques on two different patients. Every single body reacts to the trauma of pregnancy differently, so every surgical plan must be like a highly customized piece of art.

Erin: 09:48
And that customization inherently debunks one of the most pervasive, just toxic myths we see in modern media, right? The idea that you can just exercise your way back to your pre-baby body.

Trevor: 09:58
Oh, absolutely.

Erin: 09:59
Like the snapback celebrity mom who's supposedly doing Pilates and drinking green juice three weeks postpartum and looks like a supermodel.

Trevor: 10:06
The clinical reality is incredibly blunt about this. No amount of exercise, no matter how rigorous, can fix stretched-out skin.

Erin: 10:14
Right.

Trevor: 10:14
It is anatomically impossible to shorten a stretched skin envelope or refill a deflated breast capsule on a treadmill. It just can't happen.

Erin: 10:21
Yeah, you're not sweating out extra skin.

Trevor: 10:23
Exactly. So when you see a celebrity miraculously snap back to perfect abdominal tightness and full breasts weeks after childbirth, they are either the extreme genetic exception, or far more likely, they had highly skilled surgical assistants.

Erin: 10:39
It's a reality check that is so desperately needed. I mean, women are punishing themselves in the gym for months trying to fix structural damage that a gym simply cannot fix.

Trevor: 10:48
Which is why the psychological toll of this is so heavy, you know, and why the decision to undergo surgery is so significant. But consider the logistics. If you need a tummy tuck, an anchor lift, and extensive liposuction, doing those as separate standalone procedures would be grueling.

Erin: 11:03
Here's where it gets really interesting because the deep dive materials reveal that this makeover bundle is rarely limited to just the stomach and the breasts. Since the patient is already under anesthesia and has already committed to a recovery window, the bundle expands significantly based on their needs.

Trevor: 11:20
For example, we see patients frequently bundling in a labioplasty.

Erin: 11:23
Right.

Trevor: 11:24
It's a reality of vaginal childbirth. Yeah. That intense pressure and stretching during delivery can cause micro tears, elongation, or asymmetry in the labia. And this isn't just cosmetic. I mean, it often causes genuine physical discomfort in everyday clothing, swimwear, or during exercise.

Erin: 11:40
That sounds awful to deal with daily.

Trevor: 11:42
It is. So a surgeon can perform a trim or wedge labiaplasty alongside a clitoral hood reduction to restore that anatomy and relieve that discomfort simultaneously while they're already asleep.

Erin: 11:55
The sources also detail a procedure called thermiva, which is routinely added to these makeovers. It's described as a no-downtime treatment to tighten vaginal tissue.

Trevor: 12:06
Wait, how does a no-downtime treatment actually achieve tissue tightening?

Erin: 12:09
Thermava is actually pretty amazing. It uses specialized probes to deliver radiofrequency energy, gently heating the deeper layers of the vaginal tissue.

Trevor: 12:17
Oh, so it's not a laser.

Erin: 12:19
No, it's radiofrequency. This controlled heat essentially tricks the body into thinking there's been a very minor thermal injury.

Trevor: 12:25
Okay, so then the body rushes to heal it.

Erin: 12:27
Exactly. The body's natural healing response kicks into overdrive, specifically targeting collagen production. So over the following weeks, the body naturally thickens, tightens, and re-libricates those internal walls completely on its own without a single surgical incision. It's essentially prompting the body to repair itself. And, you know, the bundling doesn't stop there. Patients will use the fat hardested from their abdominal liposuction and have it transferred to their buttocks, a BBL, to restore lower body curves.

Trevor: 12:56
Yep. Very common addition.

Erin: 12:58
They'll even have their dermatologist step into the operating room while they're asleep to perform intense facial laser treatments, addressing the melasma and skin pigmentation changes brought on by pregnancy hormones.

Trevor: 13:09
From a purely practical standpoint, condensing three, four, or even five procedures into a single surgical event is just a masterclass in medical efficiency. It really is. The patient achieves a comprehensive, full body restoration, but they only have to endure one induction of anesthesia and one single recuperation period.

Erin: 13:30
And we have to talk about the financial efficiency of that because the numbers are staggering.

Trevor: 13:34
Oh, definitely.

Erin: 13:35
The materials are very transparent here. At Dr. Ching's clinic, Asia Pacific Aesthetics, a comprehensive makeover with his colleague, Dr. Zachary Long, ranges from $27,000 to $36,000. And if you book with Dr. Ching himself, who is, you know, in incredibly high demand, it ranges from $45,000 to $60,000.

Trevor: 13:56
To $60,000 is a massive financial investment by any metric.

Erin: 14:00
It is. I mean, that's the price of a luxury car.

Trevor: 14:02
It is, yeah.

Erin: 14:03
But when you break it down, you aren't just paying for the surgeon's time. You're paying for a fully accredited surgical facility for a five to eight hour block. Right. A dedicated, board-certified anesthesiologist, a full team of surgical nurses, and the consolidation of multiple major surgeries.

Trevor: 14:21
If we connect this to the bigger picture, this bundling approach deeply respects a mother's time, her finances, and really her psychological journey.

Erin: 14:30
Absolutely.

Trevor: 14:31
The materias share a very poignant testimonial from a patient named Kamel, and her story really reflects the prevailing profile of these patients.

Erin: 14:39
Yeah, that story was incredibly touching.

Trevor: 14:41
It was. These are women who have devoted themselves entirely to their kids and their families, putting their own physical and emotional needs on the back burner for years, sometimes decades.

Erin: 14:51
They become the absolute bottom of their own priority list.

Trevor: 14:54
Exactly. And Dr. Qing notes that eventually there comes a time when the kids are a bit older, the chaos settles, and these women finally want to concentrate on themselves.

Erin: 15:03
Yeah.

Trevor: 15:04
This surgery is a massive psychological milestone. It's about looking in the mirror and actually recognizing the person looking back at you, reclaiming a pre-baby identity, or just achieving a physical state where they feel truly confident.

Erin: 15:19
Which is exactly why the clinics have such strict rules on timing, right? Like the overwhelming recommendation is that a patient should wait until they are 100% finished having children.

Trevor: 15:30
Yes. That is crucial.

Erin: 15:31
And they must be at least six to twelve months post-breastfeeding.

Trevor: 15:35
Right. You don't renovate the house while the earthquake is still happening.

Erin: 15:37
Exactly. You wait until the foundation is completely settled, and then you do a complete one and done reset.

Trevor: 15:43
It ensures the longevity of that sixty thousand dollar investment. But even with all this advanced science, we still have to battle the societal misconceptions. Because whenever plastic surgery is mentioned, especially regarding mothers, people make incredibly rapid and usually unfair judgments.

Erin: 16:00
We've already dismantled the first two major myths. The idea that these surgeries are all just some identical package deal, and that toxic myth that exercise can fix stretched skin. Right. But the sources highlight another major misconception. The idea that this combination of surgeries is only for moms.

Trevor: 16:19
Yeah, this is a big one. While the marketing term mommy makeover is undeniably catchy, clinically, it's just a customized combination of body contouring, muscle repair, and lifting procedures.

Erin: 16:30
Right. It's just a grouping of techniques.

Trevor: 16:32
Exactly. And because of that, the exact same surgical combinations are frequently performed on patients who have experienced massive weight loss.

Erin: 16:39
That makes perfect sense. I mean, if you lose 100 pounds, your physical reality is almost identical.

Trevor: 16:44
Yep.

Erin: 16:44
You have loose skin envelopes, deflated tissue, and stubborn fat pockets that just didn't respond to the weight loss.

Trevor: 16:50
Exactly. The surgical approach to redraping and lifting that tissue is virtually indistinguishable from treating a postpartum patient.

Erin: 16:58
Now, here is a myth that I absolutely believe before reading these files. Given that we're talking about five to eight hours of major reconstructive surgery, bundling tummy tucks, breast lifts, and liposuction, I assumed the recovery was agonizingly long.

Trevor: 17:14
A lot of people do.

Erin: 17:15
Yeah. I pictured a patient bedridden in a hospital for like two weeks.

Trevor: 17:20
That is a very common assumption, but it's really a testament to how radically modern surgical techniques have advanced. The sources confirm that these patients actually go home the exact same day.

Erin: 17:30
Wait, they go home the same day after an eight-hour surgery? Yes. That is wild.

Trevor: 17:35
It is. The days of lingering in a hospital bed on heavy intravenous narcotics for a week are largely behind us. The expected downtime for normal day-to-day light activities at home is just one to two weeks.

Erin: 17:46
Wow, just one to two weeks.

Trevor: 17:47
Yeah. In fact, surgeons heavily encourage light walking almost immediately after the patient wakes up. Getting up and moving is critical to promote blood circulation and prevent blood clots.

Erin: 17:57
Sure, you don't want to just lay there.

Trevor: 17:59
Right. Now, strenuous exercise, heavy lifting, or intense cardio, that does require a strict four to six weeks of waiting.

Erin: 18:07
Makes sense. You gotta let the incisions heal.

Trevor: 18:09
But modern techniques prioritize incredibly careful tissue handling to minimize internal trauma. That significantly limits the bruising, swelling, and severe pain, which fundamentally accelerates the healing timeline.

Erin: 18:24
Which brings us to the final realization of this deep dive. And frankly, this is the specific detail that completely stopped me in my tracks. Oh, yeah. It is the myth that Omami makeover is purely cosmetic. Now, earlier, you and I deduced that separated abdominal muscles would ruin your posture and cause your back to overcompensate, right?

Trevor: 18:44
We did. Yeah. And this raises an important question about how the medical community and society at large classifies these procedures. Let's look at the actual functional mechanics of what Dr. Ching is doing.

Erin: 18:53
Right, the double internal corset placation, sewing that stretched muscle layer back together.

Trevor: 18:58
When those muscles are separated, your core has zero structural integrity. And a weak core directly leads to chronic lower back pain, pelvic floor instability, and just terrible posture.

Erin: 19:09
Yeah, your back is doing all the work.

Trevor: 19:11
Exactly. By surgically bringing those abdominal muscles back to the center line and tensioning them tightly, the surgeon isn't just flattening the stomach. They are literally restoring the mechanical function of the patient's core.

Erin: 19:23
So the muscles can actually fire and engage properly again.

Trevor: 19:26
Exactly. That is why the clinical notes show patients reporting that they feel vastly stronger, their sports performance drastically improves, and their chronic back pain disappears.

Erin: 19:37
Hold on, people actually experience improved sports performance from a tummy tuck?

Trevor: 19:42
Yes. Because their core is functioning as a solid unit again instead of being split down the middle.

Erin: 19:48
How does cosmetic surgery make you better at sports? Oh, I see, because of the core repair.

Trevor: 19:53
Right. It's not cosmetic at that point. It's functional. And this functional relief applies to the breasts as well. Breasts that have become heavily deflated and droopy or overly large cause significant physical distress.

Erin: 20:06
Oh, for sure.

Trevor: 20:07
We're talking chronic neck pain, shoulder pain, tension headaches, and deep painful grooving in the shoulders from bra straps digging in all day.

Erin: 20:16
So an anchor lift or reduction completely relieves those daily physical symptoms. You are quite literally taking the weight off their shoulders.

Trevor: 20:23
Exactly. It completely changes their daily lives experience. So while it is categorized on paper as a cosmetic elective procedure, the reality is that it is directly addressing serious physical medical concerns that impact a woman's quality of life.

Erin: 20:40
So what does this all mean? When we step back and look at the totality of the clinical data, the surgical notes and the patient files, it really demands a complete reframing of the narrative. That absolutely does. A mommy makeover is not a superficial vanity project, and it certainly isn't a one-size-fits-all package pulled off an assembly line. No. It is a highly customized, incredibly efficient orchestration of advanced surgical techniques, ranging from the structural repair of double internal corsets to the seamless artistry of scarless breast lifts.

Trevor: 21:12
And that reframing is vital. It moves the conversation out of the realm of superficial judgment and places it firmly where it belongs in the realm of advanced restorative medicine.

Erin: 21:22
Definitely. And for you listening, whether you're a mother looking to finally reclaim your body after years of giving to others, someone who's undergone a massive weight loss journey, or just a curious learner trying to understand the realities of the medical field. Grasping the physical truth of these procedures is deeply empowering. Because it completely shatters the toxic illusion of celebrity snapback culture. You know, it proves definitively that real structural physical restoration doesn't happen with magic tees, waist trainers, or endless crunches.

Trevor: 21:51
No, it doesn't.

Erin: 21:52
It takes time, it takes advanced science, and it takes highly skilled medical intervention.

Trevor: 21:57
It is about acknowledging the profound trauma the human body can. Can go through and utilizing the absolute bleeding edge of modern science to repair it efficiently and effectively.

Erin: 22:07
Which brings us right back to our house renovation. If a house has a cracked foundation and a sagging roof, you don't just slap a fresh coat of paint on the siding and pretend everything's fine.

Trevor: 22:17
Right, you'd be crazy to do that.

Erin: 22:18
You bring in the experts to rebuild the structure from the inside out. And that leaves us with a final provocative thought to mull over.

Trevor: 22:25
Okay, let's hear it.

Erin: 22:26
If modern plastic surgery can demonstrably like physically restructure a mother's core strengths, cure her abdominal separation, and alleviate chronic neck and back pain, all currently bundled under the umbrella of a cosmetic makeover, will the broader medical industry and more specifically health insurance companies eventually be forced to redefine what they consider an elective vanity procedure versus a restorative medical necessity?

Trevor: 22:55
Wow. It is the ultimate question of where we draw the line between looking good and fundamentally functioning properly.

Erin: 23:01
Something to think about the next time you see a miraculous celebrity postpartum recovery on a magazine cover. Thanks for joining us on this deep dive.