When diet and exercise don’t make a dent in your post pregnancy midsection excess, there is a sure cure. The power of scalpel, surgeon and a lot of liposuction can be harnessed into a “Mommy Makeover.”

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, for the first time in three years, lipoplasty has surpassed breast augmentation as the most popular cosmetic procedure in the United States.  Writing about this subject, Wbtv.com, Charlotte, NC, claims that not only are hundreds of thousands of Mommy Makeovers performed annually on women from 20 to 39, but because of this procedure, middle-class moms undergo more plastic surgery than Hollywood wannabe’s.

A Charlotte plastic surgeon offers a Mommy Makeover, which can typically include a breast lift, implants, tummy tuck and some liposuction. Costs, which are about $15,000, are usually not covered by insurance. He uses the “Body Jet” procedure in which blasts of water break up fat to facilitate fat removal. The basic idea is that less liposuction force means a faster recovery.

Of note, WBTV 3 reports, “Doctors say the most important questions, however, are not about their tools, but about their training.” If you’re looking for a “Mommy Makeover,” WBTV offers this advice:

• Make sure your surgeon is board certified with the American Board of Plastic Surgery.  A board-certified plastic surgeon has completed three to five years of training in general surgery, a minimum of two to three years of training in plastic surgery and has also passed written and oral tests.

• Check the doctor’s credentials and record with your state medical board.

• Make sure you don’t get a procedure included in the package that you don’t need. The more surgery you undergo at one time, the higher the risk.

• Find out how often the doctor has performed the procedure you’re about to undergo.

• Ask if the surgeon has hospital privileges to perform the procedure you will undergo.

The goal of a Mommy Makeover is not a perfect body, but to give you back the body you had before you gave birth.