A Mommy Makeover is a way for a woman who has finished childbearing and breastfeeding to improve her appearance. It is a combination of cosmetic surgeries done during one surgical session that focuses on the changes that pregnancy can make to a woman’s body, including sagging breasts, loose abdomen muscles and stretched excess skin. A Mommy Makeover may help improve your self-confidence so you feel good about yourself.
You can customize the procedures you want in order to achieve your expectations. Our team including our cosmetic surgeons will give you the personalized care you need to feel comfortable and confident while you have the procedures necessary to achieve your pre-pregnancy figure.
The Most Important Goals with a Mommy Makeover
Each woman’s body responds to pregnancy differently. For some women, their skin and muscles return to their pre-existing shape a few months after they stop breastfeeding, especially if they have a regular regime of a healthy diet and exercise. This is mainly true after one pregnancy. If you have had one or several pregnancies, there is a good chance your muscles have not bounced back and tend to remain slack and droopy. Some of the things a Mommy Makeover can treat are:
- Restoring volume to breasts and correcting sagging
- Creating breast symmetry
- Removing stretched skin from the abdomen and waist
- Tightening abdominal muscles
- Removing pockets of fat that have not disappeared after diet and exercise
- Improving your figure so you look better in clothing and bathing suits
What Procedures are Included in a Mommy Makeover?
Breast Enhancement
There is no one-size-fits-all breast augmentation. There are hundreds of sizes and shapes of breast implants so the best one for your size and expectations can be selected for you. Implants are either filled with saline solution or silicone to improve symmetry proportion, shape and fullness that may be lost after one or several pregnancies. Even if you don’t breastfeed, your breasts may stretch, sag and lose volume.
If you don’t need breast implants, a breast lift may be enough to return your breasts to their former perkiness. As the name implies, a breast lift lifts the breasts higher on your chest and makes them rounder, firmer and more youthful-looking. The areolas around the nipple may become larger because they are stretched out of shape. This can also be corrected with a breast lift. There are several types of breast lifts and our specialist will help you decide which is the best for you.
Your surgically enhanced breasts may:
- Give you more confidence in a bathing suit
- Be more proportionate to the rest of your body
- Restore fullness and lift sagging
Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck)
The procedure that flattens and firms your abdomen is called a tummy tuck and is one of the most useful surgeries after pregnancy. A flat and firm abdomen is one sign of an attractive figure, and many women lose this after pregnancy.
There are several types of tummy tucks and our surgeon can help you decide which is the best is for you. A mini-tummy tuck is less extensive than a regular tummy tuck, and our professionals can help you determine which one is right for you.
In a regular tummy tuck, the skin is lifted up and the underlying abdominal muscles are tightened. Fat is removed with liposuction if required. Sometimes the abdominal fat is hard to get rid of through diet and exercise. The skin is replaced over the abdomen and tightened. The excess skin is removed. If you have any stretch marks, part of them may also be removed during a tummy tuck.
Liposuction
Liposuction is for removing fat and improving the body’s contours. It can give definition to the waist to improve proportion. Liposuction involves a cannula to suction out the excess fat. If you have been struggling when removing fat in certain areas, this procedure can give you the boost you need. After pregnancy, a lot of women experience stubborn fat that hangs on even after dedicated diet and exercise.
When Is the Best Time to Have a Mommy Makeover?
When you have a consultation with our specialist, you will be asked certain questions to determine when the best time for a Mommy Makeover. Some things to consider:
We usually recommend the procedure after you have fully recovered from childbirth. A Mommy Makeover is major surgery and requires you to be in good health. If you would like any type of breast enhancement, you need to wait several months after you finish breastfeeding so your breasts can return to a stable shape and size. Only then can our surgeon determine the best way to repair them.
If you plan to have more children, you may want to consider non-surgical skin and body contouring options. For a Mommy Makeover, you will get the best, long-lasting results if you are finished childbearing. It is still possible to have more children after a Mommy Makeover, but it will stretch your tightened muscles, which will negate the effects of the tummy tuck.
After Mommy Makeover surgery, you will need help at home for a few weeks after the procedure. You will not be allowed to lift anything that weighs more than five to 10 pounds for a few weeks. This includes other young children you may have. Make sure you plan to have the surgery when it is possible to have help at home.
Who Is a Good Candidate for a Mommy Makeover?
Women who want to restore their appearance to their pre-pregnancy figure are the best candidates for a Mommy Makeover. It is important to have reasonable expectations about the outcome, so you are happy with the results. As with all cosmetic surgery, make sure you are doing it for yourself and not to please someone else.
Smokers need to stop smoking for a number of weeks before and after the surgery. Smoking inhibits tissue healing and reduces circulation so it increases the risk of complications.
A good candidate must be ready to follow a healthy diet and exercise routine after the surgery to ensure long-lasting results. Our surgeon will explain any lifestyle changes or aftercare suggestions that will help your body retain the outcome of the surgery. You should not do any vigorous exercise for at least six weeks after the surgery.
As mentioned above, your body needs to heal completely after childbearing before you can consider a Mommy Makeover. One reason is that only after healing the doctor can see what work needs to be done. The other reason is that you need to be normally healthy to undergo major surgery.
How to Prepare for a Mommy Makeover
Once you are ready to have the surgeries, we will review any medications you are taking. Certain medications such as anticoagulants and some dietary supplements can affect your surgery. You will need to avoid anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen and aspirin as well as certain herbal extracts for two weeks before the surgery date. You may have a full physical and a mammogram before surgery depending on how long it has been since you had one. Along with smoking, you need to discontinue quit-smoking products such as chewing gum and nicotine patches.
You will be allowed to go home after the surgery or by the next day, but you must follow certain instructions. You will need someone to drive you home and stay with you for at least one night. You will receive personalized care from our doctors and other medical caregivers to help make your recovery as smooth as possible.
Immediately after the surgery, you will notice a change in your breasts. There might be some swelling but this will subside in a few weeks. You may be asked to wear a surgical bra for some time until your breasts heal completely. We will inform you when to return to have the bandages removed.
You may return to work after seven to 10 days, but you must avoid strenuous activity for up to six weeks. We will give you some techniques for reducing the appearance of scars. Most Mommy Makeovers are done at one surgical session. However, depending on the places being addressed, we may recommend that you have two sessions.
Be Specific About Your Post-Pregnancy Goals
When you have a consultation with our specialist, it will help if you have an idea of what you want to achieve. This will help the surgeon choose the best procedures to include in your Mommy Makeover. For example, if you believe breast implants are your best option, you should tell the doctor. If you would like the size of your breasts increased or reduced you should tell the doctor.
Since there are several levels of tummy tuck from mini to full, our doctor needs to know your goals in order to suggest the right one for you. If you have scars from a hysterectomy or a cesarean section they may be removed during a tummy tuck. Some women have skin and fat that hangs over another surgical scar. These may be removed and the abdomen smoothed. In addition, if you have a hernia at the belly-button, which is very common in women who have had multiple pregnancies, it can be treated during your Mommy Makeover so you have only one recovery time.
Choose San Diego Plastic Surgeon Dr. Gallus for your Mommy Makeover
The best part about a Mommy Makeover at Restore SD Plastic Surgery is that you can look great after multiple deliveries. The second best part is that all the procedures are done in one surgical session at our office in San Diego with female board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Katerina Gallus, so when you recover, each part of you looks good. If you have finished childbearing and have tried to return to your pre-pregnancy body to no effect, call 858-224-2281 or contact us online today to schedule your consultation!
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