Mommy Makeover

The Mommy Makeover has recently gotten a lot of attention in the media for Mothers Day and the upcoming summer months.

What exactly is a Mommy Makeover?

Pregnancy can take a toll on two parts of a woman’s body…her breasts and her abdomen. The breasts change shape and size due to weight gain during the pregnancy and breast feeding after baby arrives. This can result in skin laxity and pendulous or sagging breasts. Usually, but not always, a breast lift or mastopexy with implants restores fullness and lifts the breasts back to the level that they started. The incision sites can vary depending on the patient and her breasts. A saline or silicone implant restores volume, although sometimes an implant is not needed if there is enough breast tissue.

The abdomen goes through even more changes. The abdominal muscles can separate during the pregnancy and the skin can be stretched to the point where stretch marks can occur. The abdominal wall, which includes several layers of muscle, fat, tissue and skin sometimes becomes so stretched that it cannot return to its pre-pregnancy state regardless of how much dieting and exercise is done. An Abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck, will tighten the muscles, and remove excess fat and skin. Liposuction is almost always done around the abdomen and flank area in order to achieve a smooth silhouette.

The result of a mommy Makeover should yield an hourglass shape, with full proportioned breasts and a flat stomach.

There are many surgeons who specialize in the Mommy Makeover and do hundreds of these procedures a year. As always, research your surgeon, and make sure that he or she is Board-Certified in Plastic and Reconstructive surgery. Look at before and after pictures, and look at the scars that are left after surgery. A skilled surgeon will leave you with a mildly visible, thin line and a normal looking umbilicus.

The key to any aesthetic surgery is to leave you looking natural and slightly better than where you started.