A soldier, wife and busy mom of four children, Symone Verdusco had always been active. She joined the Army after being homeschooled and attending Fayetteville Technical Community, becaming the third generation in her family to serve.
“I live in Fayetteville, but I was born and raised in Spring Lake, the daughter of a soldier who retired at Fort Bragg,” said Verdusco.
Verdusco met her husband at her first duty station. She and Robert were married 2013 and have four children, Javier, age 12; Xander, age 8; Isabella, age 6; and Mia, age 2. She currently serves as a budget analyst for the United States Army Reserves Command.
A consummate soldier with a passion for physical fitness and a daily exercise regimen that starts at 4:30 a.m., Verdusco, 32, seemed an unlikely candidate for plastic surgery, but her pregnancies had taken a toll on her body.
“Physical fitness has been a part of my daily life. My husband and I even owned a gym for a while, but I felt like I could not hit peak performance in my workouts,” said Verdusco, “I was injuring my back, straining it because I wasn’t able to properly engage my core. I had an above-normal gap in my abdominals.”
Through her service, Verdusco had maintained her weight and had stayed generally fit, which helped her. She tried physical therapy to get her body through the challenges she was facing before realizing she might need to seek out medical intervention.
“It was my physical therapist who suggested surgery. I had bad diastasis recti from my pregnancies. He said we could do physical therapy all day long, but this needed to be repaired,” said Verdusco. “The Army has a requirement for me to stay fit and maintain a certain weight, so I didn’t go in seeking plastic surgery because I was uncomfortable. I had a little pooch, extra skin on my stomach and the elasticity had gotten worse with every pregnancy. My children were average weights, but I’m 4’10”. My small frame has been stretched to the max with every pregnancy.”
When she went looking for plastic surgery options, a friend suggested Dr. Leif Nordberg, at Cape Fear Valley Plastic Surgery.
“When I looked at his before and after photos, I knew that I was going to go with Dr. Nordberg. Confirming my decision, he was very thorough in his consultation. His staff, including his assistant Tabitha Strickland, were super friendly. He just knows what he is doing,” said Verdusco.
She ended up having a “mommy makeover” including her diastasis recti repaired, a tummy tuck, skin and a hernia removed, and her breasts enhanced using a fat transfer from her back.
“I wanted the least invasive method so a friend suggested that I ask if I could get like a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) but in my breasts. The BBL is when they take fat from your body and move it to your butt area. I asked Dr. Nordberg if we could do that but with my breasts. He said yes so that’s what we went with. I didn’t want implants, I just wanted to make sure that they looked like I hadn’t breastfed four children like I had,” said Verdusco.
Dr. Nordberg said the mommy makeover is increasing in popularity in his office.
“The mommy makeover is two or more procedures at a time. That can include a breast enhancement, either augmentation or lift with an implant, liposuction, a tummy tuck or any other improvement,” said Nordberg.
As in Verdusco’s case, an abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck, can help patients who have experienced diastasis recti from pregnancy, which stretches and separates your abdominal muscles causing a belly to stick out or bulge postpartum.
“We help tighten those muscles again and flatten your stomach. The effect of having children can be a lot on a body,” said Nordberg.
Dr. Nordberg also emphasized that it is important to be near your ideal weight. He usually sees patients for the mommy makeover after weight loss either by surgical methods or where diet and exercise have left excess skin and the need for other improvements that cannot happen with intervention.
“The best results are going to be when you are at your ideal weight and when the patient is done having children. It’s going to be easier to maintain,” said Nordberg.
Verdusco said she was out of work for six weeks while she recovered from the surgery.
“The first week was the hardest. You can’t shower. You still have drains. But Dr. Nordberg prepared me. He tells you everything to expect especially as you start to move around,” said Verdusco.
She also said the follow-up was amazing. Six months after her surgery, Verdusco said she feels more confident and assured she made the right choice.
“They called me the day after the surgery then I had several appointments over six months to make sure that everything was ok. It’s important to have that constant level of care, just in case you do have an emergency,” said Verdusco. “It far exceeded my expectations. I am in love with the results.”
She also said that staying physically fit is also a priority as she continues to revel in her improved body.
“I went from the safe hands of the surgeon to the safe hands of a trainer. I wasn’t trying to substitute surgery for general health and fitness, but now that I have had it, I can do more,” said Verdusco.
For initial consultations and appointments, call (910) 829-6588. Cape Fear Valley Plastic Surgery is located at 1841 Quiet Cove in Fayetteville.