Let’s face it: age and menopause are not topics women talk about enough. Like many women in my age group, I recently started going through pre-menopause. It seems unfair: my youngest child is only nine, and I feel like I just recovered from the changes associated with growing three children in my body. Now here I am in pre-menopause, having internal sauna moments, the heavy then light cycles, the fog, and oh my gosh, the shape change.
What Causes These Changes In Our Bodies?
The changes happen because female sex hormone levels naturally decrease as we get older. The ovaries eventually stop releasing eggs, and periods cease, as does the ability to get pregnant. Most women go through menopause in their 40s or 50s. But that can vary widely. According to data from The Mayo Clinic, the average age for menopause in the U.S. is 51.
Some women may go through “the change” earlier if they’ve had surgery to remove their uterus or ovaries or are undergoing specific treatments for cancer.
Even Rock Stars Aren’t Immune
I saw the most vibrant, beautiful woman give a fantastic concert recently. It was Pat Benatar. She looked fabulous, and yet her silhouette gave away at least part of her age. She had a little extra around the middle, not as much in the behind, thin pretty legs, with a bit of extra around the knees, elbows, and neck. She rocks her life in every way, but for the rest of us mortals, a shape change from your local board-certified plastic surgeon can improve form and visually give you back 20 years in your appearance.
Reclaiming Your Shape: The Menopause Makeover
Gentle liposuction performed in our certified outpatient surgery center removes fat from the areas where you do not want it, for example, the abdomen, arms, flanks, thighs, knees, bra roll, and back. After removing fat from these areas, the fat is immediately processed, in a sterile fashion, into a pure form of your fat.
I then carefully transfer the fat through a tiny tube into places where you do want it, such as the face, earlobes, hands, breasts, and buttocks. I place a light compression garment on the treated areas, and you will be able to go home to recover. Most people should allow a week for recovery. Liposuction is not a weight changer; it is a shape changer. A healthy diet, exercise, and possibly hormones are still required.
The Bottom Line
What steps can you take to get through this change of life? First, have your hormone levels checked. Research supplements and bioidentical hormones. Also, consider gentle liposuction and fat grafting to enhance your contours. You are going through a period of change. Let’s make the transition a positive one.
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