Behind the Scenes: Filming a “Mommy Makeover” Patient Feature

The above image was taken from Dr. Zuckerman’s office while the plastic surgery video feature filming about Dr. Zuckerman’s approach to “Mommy Makeover Surgery” was in progress.

Mommy Makeover surgery is among the most significant cosmetic surgery procedures that I perform, because it is really a combination of two procedures: one breast and one body. Generally speaking, patients who undergo this surgery have had adverse, irreversible effects from a previous pregnancy(s) and breastfeeding such as excess skin, stubborn pads of fat, deflated or sagging breasts, etc. The surgery consists of a breast procedure, either a breast augmentation, a breast lift, or a breast reduction depending on the patient’s needs, and a body procedure either liposuction only or more commonly a tummy tuck.

Although I’ve now been filmed several to many times for various news programs and television shows, I never find it boring or too easy. It’s still a challenge to speak fluidly without interjections and to make eye contact with a machine! While I am completely at home at the operating table or talking to a patient one on one, I always get a few jitters before going on camera. Here, we are filming a new segment describing the experience of one of my Mommy Makeover patients. The feature follows her from the beginning of the plastic surgery procedure, the consultation, to the end. She described her experience at each step, and I described from a medical perspective how I was going to approach the surgery. This patient underwent two surgeries done at the same time: a breast augmentation to raise breasts deflated after bearing a child and a tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, to remove the stretched out skin and stubborn pad of fat left over from pregnancy. For the feature, she discussed why she wanted the procedure, her expectations of the surgical outcome, and her biggest “must haves”. I then talked about a couple of tricky bits of the surgery particular to this patient and how listening to her desires and questions led me to the approach I will take in the operating room.

If you visit the Mommy Makeover Surgery page, you can take a look at the video as it’s now up!