For women who have had children and want to get their bodies back to what they looked like pre-baby, one option to try is a mommy makeover. But what does a mommy makeover include? Since this procedure is carefully tailored to each patient, the options are endless. It can be a great choice for women who want to take care of multiple concerns in one surgery.
What Does a Mommy Makeover Include? Most Common Procedures
A mommy makeover is a combination of procedures that target the various areas that childbirth, breastfeeding, and child-rearing may have affected.
Tummy Tuck
During pregnancy, the uterus enlarges and could cause the distension of abdominal muscles and other tissues. This could result in irreversible stretching that not even weight loss can help with. You can start seeing sagging skin and stretch marks. To fix this, you can choose to add a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty to your mommy makeover surgery.
A tummy tuck removes loose skin and excess fat from the area while also tightening abdominal muscles. That provides the tighter look you want.
Breast Augmentation and Breast Lift
Breastfeeding takes a toll on your breasts. You can notice some sagging, and there may also be a reduction in size. To address this concern, you have the option of getting a breast augmentation with a breast lift. It’s one of the most common mommy makeover procedures, allowing you to get the look you had before your baby.
You can choose from many types and sizes of breast implants to get the appearance you want. For those who aren’t looking to add any volume but want to reduce sagging, a breast lift can provide the right results. It can reposition the areola and nipple to a more natural anatomical position.
Breast Reduction
In some cases, your breasts can get larger with the hormonal changes you undergo during pregnancy and while breastfeeding your children. If your breast size is out of proportion to the rest of your body or is causing you back pain, breast reduction surgery offers relief.
Liposuction
Pregnancy can leave you with excess fat pockets that you can’t seem to get rid of, no matter how much you exercise. In such cases, liposuction provides a solution. This procedure suctions off the fat, permanently removing it. This isn’t a weight loss procedure, but it does give you the chance to get the body contouring you want.
Vaginal Rejuvenation
Vaginal rejuvenation surgery incorporates lots of procedures to improve the soft tissue structures of your vaginal area. If you have labia concerns you’re unhappy with, for example, a perineoplasty or vaginoplasty can make a difference.
Are You a Good Candidate for a Mommy Makeover?
To be a good candidate for a mommy makeover, you should already be in good general health and at a stable weight. These makeovers can be long surgeries that strain your body, so being in good health beforehand can help prevent complications. It’s also best if you’re done having kids and have no plans to get pregnant again.
Furthermore, good candidates will want to address specific body changes that are caused by a pregnancy, such as abdominal looseness, sagging breasts, and excess fat. If you just want a better body but are not specific in your goals, a mommy makeover may not meet your needs and might leave you disappointed. For the same reason, you should have realistic expectations for the results of the surgery.
This ties into the final quality of a good candidate for a mommy makeover: being emotionally and mentally prepared. The surgery and the recovery process can be difficult if you’re not adequately prepared, which might affect your recovery.
What to Expect From the Procedure
This type of plastic surgery requires lots of medical tests to ensure you’re in good health. Your surgeon will get your medical history and give you a realistic idea of what to expect. They’ll provide instructions on what you should do to prepare for the procedure.
How much does a mommy makeover cost? That’s a common question. The answer will depend on how many procedures you want to have, the kinds of procedures, and even the plastic surgeon you choose. When you go to your consultation, you’ll get a better idea of what to expect cost-wise.
The procedure will involve general anesthesia. Your surgeon will perform a number of incisions to gain access to the targeted tissues, but they’ll always do everything possible to minimize scarring. Once the surgery is over, your care team will monitor you before allowing you to go home. Before you leave, they’ll instruct you on how to care for the incisions and what you can and can’t do.
Mommy Makeover Recovery
The recovery process requires patience because you will need to get a lot of rest, and you won’t be allowed to move too much. It’s a good idea to make meals ahead of your procedure and set up a recovery area where you have everything within reach. Make sure to have someone helping you manage everyday tasks, like getting dressed, and don’t do anything physically strenuous.
You’ll be given pain medication and antibiotics, which you must take as prescribed. Your surgeon may also have chosen to place drains, so you might need to stop by the clinic in a week or two to get them removed. You must also attend every follow-up appointment so that your surgeon can ensure you’re healing correctly.
It’ll take a few weeks before the swelling is gone, but you may be able to resume your full normal life about two months after the surgery. Because of the lengthy recovery period, many mothers choose to have the procedure once school starts so that they have more time to focus on healing.
Transforming Your Body With a Mommy Makeover
If you don’t like the way your body looks after having and raising kids, you don’t need to settle for it. What does a mommy makeover include? It involves any procedure that will boost your self-esteem. A mommy makeover allows you to get rid of unwanted fat, tighten anything that sags, and otherwise improve how you look.
Don’t wait to see if you’re a good candidate for a transformative mommy makeover.