What is a Mommy Makeover?
After having a child, many women find their bodies have changed in irreversible ways from the birth itself and the nine months of being pregnant. Some of the most apparent changes include drooping breasts, enlarged areolas, a straighter waist, pockets of fat in the abdomen, stretch marks and a sagging tummy that no amount of exercise and dieting seems to fix. While women in the past used to think this was their fate after having a child, advances in plastic surgery have made it so all of these negative changes can almost entirely be reversed. We can reshape and resize your breasts and tuck your tummy after birth to give you back that youthful vibrance you may be missing, and package it all together as one “Mommy Makeover.”
Am I a Candidate for a Mommy Makeover?
The best candidates for Mommy Makeovers are people who have experienced the symptoms above following their pregnancy. An expanded, stretched tummy and breasts, markers of nearly every pregnancy, are easily reverted with this procedure.
Can I Have a Mommy Makeover if I Have Note Had Children?
The term “Mommy Makeover” came from the fact the surgical procedures included all particularly benefitted women who had children. But you don’t have to be a mom to benefit. If you need breast lifting, shaping and abdominal work all together, you too can take advantage of this procedure.
How Long Does the Procedure Take?
The severity of the procedure will depend on your specific needs. Some people need their breasts augmented or reduced on top of lifting. A lift puts them back into place, but some people need them to be made bigger or smaller based on how they changed size during their pregnancy. Elements like this will play a part in how long your particular procedure will take. Your doctor will consult with you about these specifics. Here are some general time guidelines for the procedures that are involved.
- Breast lift: 1 ½ to 3 ½ hours
- Breast augmentation: 1 hour
- Tummy tuck: 2 to 3 hours
How Long Do I Need Help Taking Care of my Family After a Mommy Makeover?
Following any plastic surgery procedure, there will always be the need for some down time and special care to ensure you heal properly. Again, the specific combinations of procedures you undergo will play a part in determining the recovery time. In general, here are the specific details about recovery for each procedure.
After breast lift surgery, the breasts are wrapped with gauze dressings, over which an elastic bandage or a surgical bra is placed. After a few days, this is replaced with a soft support bra which is worn 24 hours a day for about a month. Breasts will probably be bruised, swollen, and uncomfortable for a few days but this will pass. Numbness in the breasts and nipples should lessen as swelling subsides, although occasionally it lasts for months or even permanently. Stitches are removed after one to two weeks, and many patients return to work then.
For a few days after surgery, the breasts are bound with an elastic bandage or a surgical bra. Stitches come out in a week and the surgical bra must be worn for about a month. A little pain is normal after breast reduction, whether it's mild discomfort, swelling during menstruation, a measure of numbness or sensitivity, or random, shooting pains that may last for a few months. Swelling, bruising, crusting and slight changes in breast size are also common. Most patients return to work in about two weeks, although you should avoid heavy lifting for three to four and only gentle contact with the breasts should occur for six weeks.
Most patients feel tired and sore after breast augmentation surgery, but this usually passes in a day or two, and many patients return to work within the week. After about one week, the stitches are removed, and swelling will decrease naturally over a few weeks.
Recovery time ranges from two weeks to a few months, depending on the individual and the number of changes made during surgery. Once healed, patients will still have a scar across the lower abdomen from hip to hip. We’re careful to make the incision low enough for even a bikini to conceal the final scar.
Should I Wait Until My Family is Complete Before Proceeding with a Mommy Makeover?
We recommend waiting to do this procedure until you are done having children. Much of the work, like breast lifting and tummy tucking, will get reversed by the effects of another pregnancy, which will shift things back.
