Answers from the Doctor:
What is a Mommy Make-Over?
In its simplest form, a mommy makeover involves rejuvenation of the breasts through breast augmentation, breast lift or a combination of these procedures combined with abdominal contouring by abdominoplasty. Oftentimes, patients are unaware of how a plastic surgeon evaluates these areas for contouring. Pregnancy has many effects on the body including changes in skin tone, muscle tone and fat distribution. These changes are not limited to the breast or the tummy but involve their adjacent structures such as underarm tissue, back fat, hip fat and thigh fat, which may or may not be associated with skin laxity. When the patient presents for a consultation, the surgeon is evaluating the need for appropriate shaping of all these areas as their treatment can have a significant impact on achieving optimal results.
Proportion is also very important both in terms of the size and shape of the breast as it relates to the patient’s body frame and also how it relates to the size and shape of her abdomen. That’s why it is also best for patients to be as close to their desired body weight as possible prior to surgery. These are all considerations which are discussed at length at the time of the consultation so that the patient may have a better understanding of what is necessary to achieve her desired goal.
Typically, the timeline from surgery to beach side is approximately 4 weeks. However, at this time care has to be taken with regard to sun exposure as the surgical areas are very sensitive to the sun’s rays. Full healing for a mommy makeover takes approximately 3 months.