I went from a pert C to saggy DD boobs I could throw over my shoulder, but surgery put things back in their right place

STANDING in front of the mirror looking at her saggy breasts and rolls of excess skin on her stomach, Alicia Garside recoiled at her reflection.

Three pregnancies had left her with a body she neither recognised, or wanted and no amount of dieting or exercise was enough to fix it.

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Alicia decided to take matters into her own hands.

She did what an increasing number of mums are doing in the pursuit of a dream body - she spent £5k on surgery to get back her pre-baby shape.

Dubbed a 'mummy makeover' Alicia's cosmetic surgery triple op involved a breast lift, tummy tuck and liposuction - and she has no regrets.

Like many women, Alicia says pregnancy and breastfeeding took it's toll on her body, especially her breasts.

She explains: "I breastfed, so I went from a C cup and everything in the right place, to having saggy DD cup boobs I could throw over my shoulder!

"My boobs were deflated, and while I worked out and ate healthily, nothing changed that.

"My stomach stayed the same too, and I had loads of extra skin I couldn't get rid of and had to tuck into my trousers.

"Looking in the mirror, I just wanted to cry."

But while Alicia is thrilled with the results, outcomes can be hugely varied.

"I have three amazing children who I love and cherish so much, but I also wanted to be able to feel good in a bikini."

Alicia Garside

Success stories are interspersed with reports of botched ops, predominantly occurring abroad, causing severe health implications and even death in the most extreme cases.

Demand 'doubled'

According to the most recent statistics, the number of cosmetic procedures taking place in the UK has continued to increase following the pandemic, according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).

Breast enlargement remains the most popular surgery for women, and women account for 93 per cent of all recorded cosmetic procedures.

Demand for mummy makeovers - a term coined to describe a combination of surgeries mums are undergoing to improve their post childbirth bodies - has doubled at the Cadogan Clinic in London since 2019.

Breast surgery and a Brazilian tummy tuck were the most popular combination last year.

"I had three children who all weighed around 10lb, and I just wanted to feel good again - and I have absolutely no regrets."

Alicia

Plastic surgeon Dr Paul Banwell specialises in this area, and says: “The mummy makeover is one of my most popular procedures and is hugely popular amongst patients seeking to reclaim their pre-baby bodies. 

“These procedures can range anywhere from small ‘nips and tucks’ to more major makeovers and there is also a growing number of women who are keen to have labiaplasty surgery [designer vagina] as part of a mummy makeover."

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A word of warning

And with surgery being significantly cheaper overseas in countries such as Turkey and Lithuania, more women are heading there.

However numbers reveal in just three years the number of people needing hospital treatment in the UK after getting cosmetic surgery abroad has increased by a staggering 94 per cent.

In addition, 78 per cent of these corrective operations carried out in the UK have been on those who had aesthetic procedures in Turkey.

Just last year, British mum of four Sara Platt, 32, from Llanharan, South Wales,was left disfigured after losing her right breast and suffering horror injuries after botched surgery in Turkey.

She spent £14,000 on a tummy tuck, breast implants and three other procedures which left her unrecognisable - and psychologically and physically scarred.

Speaking out previously about what happened to her as a word of warning to others, she said: "If I can stop one person from going through what I went through, that's all I care about.

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'I hated the way I looked'

It was when Alicia, now 42, turned 40 in 2021, that she decided to spend her savings on a cosmetic package deal in Lithuania.

Explaining why she decided to go ahead, Alicia, who lives in Gloucestershire with her husband, 52, and their three children 17, 14, and seven, says: "I had three children who all weighed around 10lb, and I just wanted to feel good again.

"Before having kids, I felt good about my body and was fit and healthy - I worked hard to look after myself, playing a lot of sport and going to the gym five days a week.

"As a result, when I had my eldest, Morgan, in my twenties, other than some stretch marks my body pretty much bounced back.

"But then I had two miscarriages, followed by having my youngest two, and it put my body under huge strain.

"I hid my body under baggy clothes and hated the way I looked."

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'Mum guilt' over surgery decision

Alicia spent eight months carefully researching the clinic, and decided to travel overseas with her mum, where she spent 11 days in total.

"After the five-hour surgery, I woke up and felt instant relief and I've had no regrets," she explains.

"There's still a stigma around having cosmetic surgery so women are always reluctant to talk about it, but I think that's changing, which is why mummy makeovers are becoming so popular.

"So many women have approached me to say they're unhappy with their body, and have thanked me for speaking up about having this procedure, and talking about how difficult it is to have a post-baby body you can't fix with exercise alone. 

"I think people have always thought of having a makeover through surgery as vain, and mums always feel guilty for daring to put themselves first, but there's no shame in wanting to feel good about yourself."

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'It's completely transformed my life'

For many, the decision to have surgery can be transformative, for both mind and body.

Like Alicia, mum-of-two Beatrice Blower also opted to go under the knife, and spent £6k on a tummy tuck and breast lift with implants.

Speaking to Fabulous previously, she said: "When naked I could see the excess skin on my belly, my breasts were saggy from breastfeeding - they were just skin.

"When I saw my body [after surgery] for the first time, I burst out crying.

"It's completely transformed my life, and for the first time I'm confident enough to take my kids to soft play and swimming - which I never would have done before."

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'She wanted that body so badly'

However, women have tragically lost their lives in the process of trying to achieve their dream shape.

Mum-of-two Sophie Hunt, 34, died two days after her £4k tummy tuck and liposuction in Turkey in March 2022, with her sister Aimee saying: "She wanted that body so badly and now her children haven't got a mum."

"Surgery needs to be properly planned and undertaken by qualified plastic surgeons in safe, regulated hospital environments."

Nora Nugent, Vice President, BAAPS

Nora Nugent, Vice President at the The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons urges women to do thorough research before considering surgery.

She says: "Choose the surgeon carefully. The BAAPS recommend the following three key criteria before proceeding with cosmetic surgery:

"Is the surgeon listed on the GMC specialist register and affiliated with FRCS (Fellow of the Royal College of Cosmetic Surgeons) or an equivalent professional body? The speciality registered should also be plastic surgery.

"Are they a member of BAAPS or BAPRAS - the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons?

"Is the clinic or hospital Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered?
Ideally the answers to all three should be yes.

"Surgery needs to be properly planned and undertaken by qualified plastic surgeons in safe, regulated hospital environments."

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