Mommy Makeover Overview

Becoming a mother changes your whole life- including your body! Women who have undergone pregnancy and childbirth can develop loose, sagging skin in their abdomen, as well as breasts that have lost volume (especially after breastfeeding). Many women will also experience the breasts losing their size, or pointing downwards instead of up and out like they did pre-pregnancy.

Exercise and diet can do a little to return the abdomen to its pre-pregnancy state, but no amount of lifestyle changes can reverse loosened skin or change the volume or position of the breasts. If you are unhappy with your post-pregnancy body and want to go back to how you looked pre-baby, you need a “mommy makeover.”

A mommy makeover is a combination of procedures customized to help you look your best again after pregnancy, childbirth, and/or breastfeeding. It can include a tummy tuck and breast augmentation, a tummy tuck and a breast lift, or a mini-tuck and both an augmentation and a lift- or any other combination thereof. Some patients will also add liposuction to the abdomen, hips, legs, or buttocks to the tummy tuck or breast procedures.

Mothers who are considering a mommy makeover should get as close to their ideal weight as possible before the surgery. It will ensure the best results and make the results easier to maintain after the surgery. For example, the tighter your abdominal muscles are from regular exercise before surgery, the flatter your tummy will be after a tuck. In fact, some surgeons will not perform a mommy makeover on patients who are more than thirty pounds overweight. Your body might return to its pre-pregnancy state with the loss of the baby weight, and many surgeons won’t want to risk surgery if there’s a possibility of improvement without it.

You will also need to quit smoking at least six weeks before the procedure, and have someone to help you with the children for at least two weeks after your surgery. You won’t be able to do the normal lifting, driving, and bustling about that generally comes with parenthood!

It is also essential to select a board certified plastic surgeon to advise you on and perform your surgery. Board certified surgeons are trained in the most up-to-date techniques and safety procedures. Your surgeon will help you select which combination of procedures will give you the results you want, and will advise you on the best post-surgery steps to ensure your results are satisfactory.