This dynamic mother and daughter duo are each other’s best critics and strongest supporters.
Mary, 52, and Sophie, 27 (names changed for privacy) are a mother and daughter whose relationship is so close that they can finish each other’s sentences – much like the fictional Lorelai and Rory from the Gilmore Girls television series. The difference – this mother-daughter duo is real.
I recently spoke with them about their recent cosmetic surgery choices, and they impressed me with their positive healthy attitude, appreciation for each other, and mutual respect for the NYC-based plastic surgeon who took care of both of them, Dr. Sachin M. Shridharani.
“It all started with childbirth,” said Mary. “I breast fed two children, and then saw how droopy my breasts became. I wanted to get mastopexy surgery (the plastic surgery procedure for raising sagging breasts), but I was nervous about going under the knife, so I asked my daughter Sophie for advice – she is intelligent and I trust her opinion. I was coming in from the Midwest, so I wanted to stay with Sophie (who lives in New York City) after the surgery to recuperate.”
“She recommended I go to Dr. Shridharani, who had initially been recommended by a friend of hers, so I had a virtual consultation with him where I expressed my concerns. I told him I had been a C or D cup my whole life, and I didn’t want to lose volume from having the surgery. He suggested that I also have breast augmentation through implants for a more feminine shape and fullness.”
After her consultation, Mary scheduled a trip to New York City and had the surgery. “Dr. Shridharani did a great job; he’s an excellent, experienced surgeon,” said Mary. She recuperated at Sophie’s apartment, quickly healing under her daughter’s watchful eyes.
Mary is thrilled with the results.
“It was totally worth waiting twenty years to do it. I don’t have to wear underwire bras anymore, and that’s amazing.”
‘Winning’ The Genetic Genepool
Mother and daughter agree that in their genetic pool, they won the lottery for thick thighs and thin lips.
“Clothes didn’t fit me right,” said Mary. “If I ate a chocolate bar it would go right to my thighs,” she laughs. “And it wasn’t because I didn’t work out. I work out every day.”
Though Mary and Sophie made it a practice to exchange workout and diet tips, slimming down their thick thighs stymied both of them.
I had always wanted to do something about my thighs, but I was nervous,” Mary said. “So, I actually had Dr. Shridharani do an inner and outer thigh liposuction on me at the same time I had the breast mastopexy/augmentation.”
Dr. Shridharani weighs in on that decision. “She was healthy and I determined it was safe to do those other procedures at the same time during her scheduled trip to New York City.”
“I can’t believe I waited that long, but I’m so glad I did it,” said Mary. “Now my clothes fit perfectly.”
When Sophie saw the great results, she knew that she was next.
“I saw how quickly mom recovered from her procedures and how happy she was afterward. I’d also always had a problem with excess fat on my inner and outer thigh areas, despite going to the gym every day, taking swimming classes and running. Even with consistent dieting I wasn’t able to improve those areas. My decision to move forward and get the same exact procedure with Dr. Shridharani was an easy one,” said Sophie.
She got her procedure last year around the December holidays. The downtime was minimal and after a few days she was back to normal. It helped that her mom flew in to return the favor and take care of her as she was recuperating from her liposuction.
Adding fullness to her lips was a less invasive procedure, but just as necessary according to Sophie.
“Dr. Shridharani is very down to earth, patient and informative – and wasn’t forcing me to do anything I didn’t want to do. So I felt comfortable sharing how I felt with him.”
“I told him, ‘I have thin lips. They run in our family.’ Even my grandmother has thin lips and at the time my mom had them, too. Dr. Shridharani suggested Restylane Silk, which is formulated with lidocaine to reduce pain, plus I also applied a numbing cream so it didn’t hurt.”
“I love the results – it’s very natural and doesn’t look like duck lips.”
Her happiness with the filler led her into exploring other anti-aging techniques.
“I asked Dr. Shridharani what I could do to prevent wrinkles, especially since I had grown up worshiping the sun (Sophie is olive skinned and tans easily). He suggested I used Dysport for the eleven o’clock lines in my forehead and my crow’s feet.”
Sophie again loved the results. “The thing I love most is that my friends have no idea that I use injectables. I think it’s because I don’t have that ‘frozen’ look.”
She couldn’t wait to show her mother. “We had always exchanged beauty tips and beauty secrets. For example, I’d use mom’s makeup or facial products. When I saw that mom was using Retin-A skin cream, I started using it, too. So this was just a natural progression.”
It wasn’t difficult to get Sophie’s mother on board.
“Once I saw how great and fuller Sophie’s lips looked, I decided to get filler from Dr. Shridharani too, and loved it,” said Mary, who also ended up having Dysport injected into her frown lines and crow’s feet.
“Now I try to do filler and Dysport every six months,” said Sophie. “My mom has her touch-ups when she comes to visit me, two or three times a year.”
Sophie has an eye toward the future.
“I have noticed that I’ve lost some volume in my cheeks and I’m starting to get folds around my mouth. I think in the future, I will want to use filler to add volume there. At any rate, I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing, because the results are so good – and so natural and painless.”
Mary plans to continue her maintenance visits to New York, where an added bonus is comparison to her youthful daughter.
“We were out shopping the other day, and people were telling us we look like sisters,” said Sophie. “Mom loves hearing that.”
“It’s true,” said Mary. “Before I had the procedures done, I was feeling so old. I would avoid looking at myself in the mirror. Now I don’t mind mirrors any more.”
We were out shopping the other day, and people were telling us we look like sisters. Mom loves hearing that.
Working With Two Generations of Beautiful Women
Dr. Shridharani had the challenging role of validating the concerns of his patients about their similarities (thick thighs, thin lips) while letting them know that he was also dealing with them individually. “They both are very active with similar figures – thin waists with most of the fat residing in their thighs. Still, they are different people and it was important for me to show them I saw that.”
He also took their generational differences into account when deciding on their individual treatment. “For example, Mary had a lower brow, so she needed more of a peak in that area from the Dysport, where Sophie wanted a less aggressive treatment, but asked for fuller lips – in the style favored by her peer group – than her mom wanted.”
Dr. Shridharani also suggests that because Mary and Sophie took turns taking care of each other after their surgeries, it reduced the risk of complications and helped them heal faster.
“You need to have someone in your corner, and they were there to love, comfort and support each other, and that made a huge difference in their recovery.”
