The term mommy makeover is not a surgical anatomic term but is used to describe the potential body changing effects of multiple pregnancies on the mother’s body. These changes are more exaggerated when there are two or more pregnancies. They include loss of breast volume, loss of breast perkiness and position, stretch marks, and excess skin and fat from the belly button down. Also, the abdominal muscles may be widened and require repositioning. There are other changes but these are the main ones.
The breast procedures include breast lift, with or without implants, or breast reduction/lift. There also may require some volume changes in order to achieve a more balanced symmetrical look. The skin is removed in a very strategic fashion. It is artistically created with or without an implant. This is usually under the muscle to add firmness and volume.
The abdomen will be treated with abdominoplasty or tummy tuck. This procedure has a fairly lengthy scar. It goes from the hip bone to the opposite hip bone. We try to stay as low as possible. We either utilize the C-section scar or preferably to the top of the pubic hair. The entire skin and the fat of the abdominal wall are advanced up to the ribs. This excess skin and fat are removed, skin closed, and a streamlined bellybutton in place.
Mommy Makeover Recovery
I do not find the benefit in using drains for the breast or the abdomen. So therefore no drains are used. Post-op instructions must be followed in order to maximize the optimal postoperative mommy makeover result. Our biggest potential problems postoperatively are bleeding, infection, and scar separation. Excess activity can affect negatively each and every one of these post-operative aspects of the mommy makeover procedure.
The body’s healing capacity is very complex and requires a commitment to maximizing the automatic effort that the body will initiate on its own to heal these incision sites. Rest, minimal stress, moderate activity, nutrition, and other commonsense factors will allow the body to heal these incisions without complication. Furthermore, complications occur primarily because patients are not willing to follow postoperative instructions as outlined.
Traveling is restricted for at least the first 3 to 4 weeks. This is because the body requires approximately this amount of time in order for these incision sites to approach maximum strength. Traveling too early may compromise significantly the results. Reconstructing and re-sculpting the breast and body after pregnancy can be very rewarding for the patient and the medical team caring for her.
