When Linda Farley had her second baby last fall, she returned to her exercise program as soon as her doctor gave her the go-ahead. "My job requires me to be in the public eye a lot," she says. "It helps my confidence when I look and feel my best, so losing the pregnancy weight and getting back to my usual size is important to me."

But this time, Farley (38) is finding that her figure is not coming back as quickly as it did after having her first child. "Let's face it," she says. "I'm a little older now and my body is showing more wear and tear. That's why I'm thinking about plastic surgery."

As the rise in of plastic surgery reality television shows demonstrates, plastic surgery is no longer just reserved for the rich and famous. More and more women (and men) are looking into their plastic surgery options.

Dr. Robert Schwartz is a practicing plastic surgeon in Dallas and Fort Worth, TX, and is also host of the radio show Plastic Surgery Today on KLII. He says that many of his patients are relatively young women who have had a baby in the past year and who, like Linda, are frustrated when they begin to notice bodily changes that don't respond to diet and exercise.

"Most people can't work out 3 hours a day every day. It's not really practical when you have three kids at home and maybe a job," says Dr. Schwartz. "For those people who are working out and taking care of themselves, they are the people who get beautiful results. What you're doing is sculpting these last difficult areas."

Farley says this is exactly why she's looking to enhance her physique with a little surgical help. "I do a hundred sit-ups every day and still can't tell a difference," she says. "I still have this poochy little belly that drives me crazy and makes my pants fit weird. And my breasts? Let's just say that they've seen better days."

From Droopy to Dynamite
Postpartum recovery is a big issue for most moms. Many pregnant women worry about whether or not their bodies will ever be the same as they were pre-pregnancy. Some moms-to-be even fear that if they breastfeed their child, they'll ruin their breasts. The truth is that it's not the nursing that makes breasts sag; it's the tissue changes during pregnancy. Most women can also expect a size increase once baby has arrived and the milk has come in.

These drastic changes in breast shape can mean that even if you go back to your previous cup size, your breasts are unlikely to look like they did pre-pregnancy. While the skin remains stretched, the milk glands shrink, leaving an empty "envelope" of loose skin. The result? Drooping, flat breasts with a loss of volume, especially at the top of the breasts.

Dr. Schwartz says that interest in learning more about breast augmentation is what brings most women into his office. "Women who tend to be ... A or B cups usually want to go larger," he says. "Upper C and D cups, they want to restore shape and proportion."

Mastopexy, also called a breast lift, removes the excess skin, tightening the "envelope" and restoring your youthful profile. Nipples once again point out, not down, but a lift alone can't restore the fullness lost from the top of the breasts. Breast augmentation uses implants to fill in the loose "envelope," bringing the restoration of shape that can't be had with a breast lift alone.

While some women choose to come back to their pre-baby cup size, other women - remembering the impressive cleavage they had during pregnancy - choose to increase their cup size.

Tummy Terrific
The other surgery of interest to many postpartum women is abdominoplasty, or a tummy tuck. "I can't tell you the number of women I see walking around with this loose hanging skin and this lower fullness in the abdomen that they've just beaten themselves up over, " says Dr. Schwartz. "They've had trainers and working out and dieting and it's unachievable through those means. You can't fix that by dieting or working out."

The changes your stomach goes through during pregnancy are dramatic. As your baby grows, the skin on your stomach is pulled like an over-burdened elastic band, leaving stretch marks and an extra pooch of belly fat just below the navel. No amount of crunches can tighten up skin that has been stretched too far.

Your stomach muscles, the rectus muscles that make up the coveted 6-pack flaunted by celebrities, also get pulled apart. If your rectus muscles have separated, there is nothing you can do (short of surgery) to bring them back together.

In a tummy tuck, an incision is made just above the bikini line - where a Cesarean section cut might be. The excess fat and skin is pulled down, "almost like tightening the sheets on a bed," explains Dr. Schwartz, and then cut off. Since most women have the majority of their stretch marks below the navel, a tummy tuck restores not just their flat bellies, but also their smooth skin. In other words, wearing a bikini at the beach once again looks like a pretty good idea.

Recovery and Results
Breast lifts, augmentations and tummy tucks are usually out-patient surgery, meaning you're back at home the same day you have the procedure done. However, if you won't be able to get enough rest at home, some doctors will encourage you to treat yourself to a night at a hotel before heading back home.

Your doctor will want you to take it easy for some time after surgery. That means no heavy lifting, no stretching and bending for about a month (in the case of a breast lift) and maybe as long as 2 months if you have a tummy tuck. This means that unless you have help with childcare, you may have to wait until your children are out of the toddler or preschooler stage before heading to your plastic surgeon's office.

The pain of breast surgery is comparable to having a really good work-out at the gym. The tightness and pain will be familiar to any woman who has lifted weights. However, a tummy tuck, says Dr. Schwartz, is "one of the more painful cosmetics surger[ies]."

To help with this, his office uses pain pumps that go home with the patient and administer anesthetics right on the muscle. "Look for a doctor who's using take-home pain pumps," he says. "The first time I [had a patient use] it, I knew I would never do another tummy tuck without one."

More Babies After Surgery?
Most plastic surgeons encourage women to consider plastic surgery after they've finished building their families, because getting pregnant after surgery can undo a lot of the results. However, there is no danger in getting pregnant once you've healed from the surgery, and most women will be able to breastfeed without problems after they have a breast augmentation.

Otherwise, the results are more or less permanent. However, Dr. Schwartz reminds women that plastic surgery "turns the clock back, but the clock keeps ticking." Some women may choose to go in for "touch ups" or to have procedures re-done as they age.

If you decide plastic surgery is for you, be careful about the physician you choose. When you go shopping for a doctor, look for someone who has been certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). ABPS certification means that the doctor graduated from an accredited medical school, completed residency in both general surgery and plastic surgery, then passed additional written and oral exams. For more information, visit the ABPS website.

Most doctors will show you a portfolio of before and after pictures of their patients. When you look through these, bear in mind that you're seeing the doctor's best work. If you're not impressed, look elsewhere.

Do you feel comfortable with the doctor? The best fit for you will be a doctor who listens closely to your concerns and doesn't try to talk you into a procedure you don't want. The first consultation should be a chance to explore your options - not a sales pitch.

A good doctor will also tell you if your vision for what surgery can do for you is unrealistic or unsafe. He or she will be a partner in helping you create a new body.

Ask to speak with past patients and be sure to call them if you're given their contact information. They can give you an idea of how the office really works, what you can expect from the procedure and even tips for recovery.

Once you find a doctor who inspires your confidence and you commit to the surgery, go ahead and get excited. "I can't tell you the number of women who have spent so long [being] unhappy with their bodies and then they come to us," says Dr. Schwartz. "We fix it in one afternoon and their only regret they have is that they didn't do it sooner."