Mommy Makeover

A Mommy Makeover is about reclaiming a woman’s body to her pre-child birth shape. While childbirth can be one of the most gratifying and happy moments in her life, it may permanently change her body to a less desirable shape. Typically the result can be stretch-marks, a protuberant tummy, fat accumulation in unwanted areas; loss of breast volume with sagging and often stretch marks on the breast and abdomen.

Mommy Makeovers must be individualized to address each person’s problem. Regarding the abdomen, treatment may be simple liposuction or may involve a full tummy tuck with tightening of the muscles creating an internal girdle. Procedure variations may be used, such as liposuction with a mini tummy tuck and liposuction of the “muffin tops”, sides, waist, and even back. Often there is weight gain during pregnancy and liposuction of the thighs may be indicated. My preference for a liposuction is the Tickle Liposuction because of shorter operating room and recovery time. With the abdominoplasty I rarely use drains because I use progressive tension sutures internally. This technique eliminates the need for annoying drains commonly used for 7 to 10 days after surgery. Recovery time is faster and with much less discomfort.

For the breast, sometimes an uplift (mastopexy) is needed, and if there has been significant volume loss, breast implants can be inserted or fat grafts may be used. Fat grafting is particularly practical when combined with liposuction of other areas as the fat harvested from the liposuctioned areas is used.

The combination of both breast and abdomen restoration is very gratifying to the patient, their family, and the plastic surgeon. This is the reason the “Mommy Makeover” has become so popular and is among the most common procedures performed by plastic surgeons.