What is a Mommy Makeover?
You adore your children, but you may not feel the same about the ways your body has changed since having them. If you want your pre-mommy body back, we can help.
The mommy makeover addresses body and skin concerns that often occur in women who have carried one or more babies. After having children, many women experience undesirable body changes such as weight gain, skin stretching, and breast sagging. The mommy makeover addresses all of these issues in a single surgery. A classic mommy makeover involves a tummy tuck and breast lift or augmentation, but it can be whatever you want. We can fully customize your procedure, combining whatever surgeries you’d like so long as your surgeon feels they’re safe to do together.
The mommy makeover has no timeline and is enjoyed by new mothers and those whose kids are fully grown. In fact, you don’t have to be a mommy at all to enjoy the benefits of a mommy makeover. The only guideline for the mommy makeover is that you should be done having children prior to the procedure. Getting pregnant after plastic surgery is safe for you and your baby, but the changes your body undergoes during pregnancy could alter your plastic surgery results.
Which specific procedures can be included in a mommy makeover?
Technically, any procedures you want that are safe to combine can be included in a mommy makeover. While the specific procedures included will vary depending on your individual needs and goals, some of the most common ones include:
- Breast Augmentation – Some women find that they have lost a cup size when they stop breastfeeding and their milk supply dries up. A breast augmentation can help reverse this effect.
- Breast Lift – While some women find that their chest shrinks after breastfeeding, other women have the opposite problem. Pregnancy causes weight gain and swelling in the breasts, and sometimes the ligaments are just stretched too far to recover. A breast lift can help put the girls back up where they belong.
- Tummy Tuck – Pregnancy doesn’t just stretch the skin on your stomach—it can also permanently split the muscles of your abdominal wall. No amount of exercise can fix that, but a tummy tuck can. This procedure tightens the abdominal muscles, removes excess skin, and creates a flatter, more toned stomach.
- Liposuction and Lipo 360 – It’s healthy to gain some weight during pregnancy, but it’s nice when it goes away after you deliver. Unfortunately, you may have gained some fat where you don’t want it and it may not be going away. Liposuction can remove unwanted fat from almost anywhere, including the abdomen, flanks, back, and thighs.
- Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) – Pregnancy changes almost everything, and that includes your backside. As your size changed during pregnancy, you may not have exercised as much or at all. Even if you did, you likely changed the exercises you did. Your belly may even have changed the way you walked. All of this can alter the muscles in and shape of your backside. A BBL can give you back some of the curves you may have lost.
These are just some of the many procedures that we can include in a mommy makeover. During your surgical consultation, you can discuss your individual concerns to determine the best combination of procedures for you.
Mommy Makeover Recovery
The specifics of your recovery will depend on which procedures you elect to undergo. Generally, however, patients can drive in one week, walk five miles on a flat surface in two weeks, and run after four weeks. Some women will feel ready to return to work after just one week, but most women need two to four weeks of recovery time before returning to work.
You should not lift more than five pounds during the first three to four weeks after breast surgery, and following a tummy tuck, avoid twisting motions and using your core for four to six weeks.
Compression garments and prescribed medication will be provided to reduce pain and swelling post-operatively. Make sure to enlist support to help with daily activities and childcare, as you will likely be very tired the first few weeks following surgery.
Frequently Asked Questions
A mommy makeover is a great way to combine multiple surgeries. Doing so saves you money as you’ll only have to pay any surgical and general anesthesia fees once. You’ll also only have the downtime and missed work for one recovery period. When your recovery is finished and all of the swelling is gone, you’ll look – and more importantly feel – great. A mommy makeover provides a real confidence boost and can get you feeling like yourself again.
No. Completing all of your desired procedures at once is not required. Many patients choose to do so because it means only one session under general anesthesia and one recovery period. It also means paying any surgical facility fees only once, which can save you money.
Most women are able to breastfeed after breast surgeries but that’s not always the case. If this is important to you, tell your surgeon. This will allow them to focus on techniques that increase the chances of successful post-surgical breastfeeding. This is particularly important if you’re planning a breast lift.
Yes, you can get a mommy makeover without a tummy tuck. Your surgeon can combine different types of procedures based on your surgical goals, creating a mommy makeover that is unique to you.
To qualify for a mommy makeover, patients should be at least 21 years old and in generally good health. You should be a nonsmoker, as well, since cigarette smoke kills red blood cells and significantly interferes with healing.