03 March 2023 , 11:23
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A mum who was unhappy with her loose skin after losing weight has splashed out on a 'mummy makeover' – and now looks unrecognisable.
Leah Kitzmiller dropped 8.5st (120lbs) but struggled with the excess skin left behind, so spent $18,000 (£15,000) on a number of different surgeries.
The 30-year-old, a social worker from Salt Lake City, Utah, had a complicated relationship with food growing up and claims she was bullied due to her larger size, with people even telling her she was "too fat" to date.
As she got older, she proved the haters wrong and went on to meet her partner, Bailey, 29, and have two children, but after welcoming their second child, Rosie, in 2018, she was the biggest she had ever been at 20 stone.
After finding that she couldn’t keep up with her children and busier lifestyle, Leah knew she had to lose weight, but after trying "every diet" possible, she settled on having gastric bypass surgery in July 2019.
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She had a complicated relationship with food growing up (Jam Press/@light_by_leah)The surgery helped her shed 7st 8lbs (110lbs) since and has given her a new lease on life, but Leah was unhappy with the excess skin she was left with and turned to Dr Jerry Chidester (@drchiddy), a surgeon known online as Dr Chiddy, famous for his impressive 'mummy makeover' surgeries.
Leah underwent a full abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) with muscle separation (diastasis recti) repair and a breast lift, along with liposuction, costing a total of $18,000, and leaving her in the best shape of her life.
"I have never felt better in my life. Everything has changed. I cried hysterical happy tears when they took the bandages off for the first time," she said.
"It was incredible to see my body and how it looked under all that skin. Before the surgery, I had a large amount of loose skin on my abdomen that hung low and was hard to fit into clothes.
"My breasts also had a lot of loose skin and a lot of lost breast tissue, and I had loose skin on my thighs and lower back, as well.
Leah before starting her weight loss journey (Jam Press Vid/@light_by_leah)
Leah after dropping 120lbs (Jam Press Vid/@light_by_leah)"Seeing the results for the first time was one of the best and proudest moments I've ever had. I worked so hard for years for peace, confidence, and self-love towards my body."
For Leah, having the drastic surgery has affected every aspect of her life, with her mental health benefitting just as much as her physical.
She said: "Getting rid of the loose skin on my stomach has been incredibly rewarding for my mental health. It's difficult to lose 110 lbs and have so much skin hanging.
"I came across Dr Chiddy on Instagram totally by luck. He seemed so genuine and like he actually cared about his patients."
The surgery took five hours and Leah spent six weeks resting and recovering before she could return to the gym.
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She said: "Recovery was actually not that bad. Dr Chiddy and his staff gave me appropriate medication and I had a lot of support.
"The emotional recovery was a lot harder than the physical recovery. Not being in my routine of going to the gym really took a toll on my mental health.
"But it's all a part of the journey. It’s super important to have realistic expectations, physically and mentally.
"I am so pleased with the results – he did a wonderful job."
Dr Chiddy, who performs between 150-175 similar 'mummy makeovers' a year, said: "It is by far, my most popular surgery.
"Leah is a mum and a lot of her restorative surgeries we performed were directly related to having children.
"At an in-person consultation, we discussed her desires and goals and what her priorities were to take back her body after having lost a significant amount of weight.
"I’m definitely pleased with the outcome, but more so, I love to see that she has gained confidence, she is happy with her results and she's living her life to its fullest.
"As a surgeon, there's nothing better than when a patient can be the best version of themselves and we can look from afar and feel that we had a small part in their life's journey."
Leah is passionate about speaking up for weight loss and plastic surgeries, insisting they are "not selfish or vain".
She added: "With good and healthy intentions, it can change someone's entire life as it did mine. You are allowed to do things that make you a better version of yourself and that make you happy."