The Mommy Makeover is a combination of cosmetic surgeries that can help women who have been pregnant restore their pre-pregnancy bodies. Having kids is one of the greatest experiences you will ever encounter, but pregnancy is not always kind to your body. Extra hormones change your mood and your appetite. Carrying a baby inside you causes your tummy to stretch and lose its shape. Being pregnant and breastfeeding after your child is born changes the shape and size of your breasts. Even after you’re done being pregnant, taking care of toddlers and kids for years still has an effect on the condition of your body.tes
Some women are able to get their bodies back fairly well after pregnancy, but for most women, even returning to the right dress size seems impossible.
Why a Mommy Makeover?
Your entire body can be affected by your pregnancy, but most of the issues addressed in a Mommy Makeover are related the changes in your breasts and abdomen.
Breasts can go through a myriad of changes which vary from woman to woman. Hormones cause the breasts to grow to accommodate the extra milk production. The areola may also grow during this period. The extra weight can cause the breasts to sag or just hang lower on your frame. After you have finished your pregnancy, your breasts may shrink or they may just stay at their increased size. Breastfeeding also affects the breasts. When you have finished breastfeeding, your breasts may deflate and be a little uneven.
Your abdomen grows as your child grows, causing your skin to stretch very quickly in a short amount of time. This causes stretch marks and creates pockets for extra fat cells to hide. The changes to your tummy aren’t just external; the inside of your abdominal wall is also affected. The muscles are pushed from the inside out, causing them to separate and stretch, which is very difficult to repair after pregnancy. All the sit-ups in the world may not help your abdominal wall get back to normal.
Other changes to your body usually involve the buildup of extra fat deposits around your hips (giving you a “muffin top” or “love handles”) and thighs. Being pregnant doesn’t mean that fat cells only go around your middle; they can settle at any point around your body.
A Mommy Makeover can address these and other issues that happen to your body during and after your pregnancy.
What Procedures Make Up a Mommy Makeover?
Breasts
Breast reduction – This is one of the more common choices for Mommy Makeover patients. If your breasts grew significantly during your pregnancy and you would like them to be smaller again, a breast reduction is a good option. This procedure involves making an incision along the underside of the breast and around the areola, then removing the excess breast tissue and reshaping the breast to the right size and proportions.- Breast lift – Breasts can also hang looser on your frame even if they are a size you’re happy with. The extra skin and stretching that happens when your breasts grow causes them to sag following your pregnancy. The breasts can also lose their firmness or become less perky when they sit lower on your chest. A breast lift doesn’t drastically change the size of your breasts, but will make some adjustments so your breast sits higher and has a more youthful feel.
- Breast augmentation – For some women, their breasts can become a little deflated after pregnancy, especially if they have been breastfeeding. The extra hormones and milk production are no longer needed, so your breasts don’t need the extra space. As they shrink, they can begin to appear deflated or just be a smaller size than you would prefer. A breast augmentation will increase the size of your breast and give them a rounder, fuller appearance. This is accomplished by placing an implant inside the breast during the procedure.
Abdomen
Tummy tuck – This procedure is designed to repair your tummy on the inside and outside. Your baby stretches your skin while it grows, leaving you with stretch marks and extra soft tissue around your middle. It also causes your abdominal muscles to separate and stretch. With a tummy tuck, all this change can be fixed. Dr. Steinbrech makes an incision that travels from hip to hip over the tops of your thighs and over your pubic bone. The skin can be lifted up so the muscles can be repaired and pockets of extra fat can be removed. The extra tissue is trimmed away before the skin is pulled back down to the incision site and secured in place with stitches. This procedure will give your middle better contouring, plus removing the excess tissue will reduce or eliminate the amount of stretch marks.- Liposuction – For a little extra contouring around your tummy and hips, liposuction is a way to remove lurking fat deposits. The procedure is very versatile. It can be the main focus of your Mommy Makeover or as a booster for other procedures. Liposuction gets rid of the fat by sucking it out through a small hollow tube that is inserted through a small incision. The incisions can be made at different areas around your middle or other parts of your body as needed to give your body a little extra slimming and contouring.
Other Body Procedures
Removing excess skin tissue and fat deposits can be done around the rest of your body with other lift procedures, including:
- Body lift – This targets the torso and upper legs to give these areas better definition and improve your figure. It isn’t used as often in Mommy Makeovers as other procedures, but it can still be a viable option for you.
- Arm lift – The upper arms are a prime location for extra fat deposits to settle, making it hard to wear certain tops or dresses without feeling self conscious. An arm lift is somewhat similar to a tummy tuck. An incision is made on the back of the arm towards the armpit, then extra fat and soft tissue are removed before the skin is lifted and tightened at the incision site.
*Each patient is unique and individual results may vary.
How Do I Know Which Procedures to Have?
The beauty of the Mommy Makeover is that is a combination surgery, which means that it can use any combination of whatever procedures you want. You can get only body procedures or only breast procedures or even include face procedures. Most Mommy Makeover patients decide on at least one breast surgery and at least one body procedure, but every woman’s body has a different reaction to being pregnant. What works for you may not work for someone else. You can get as many or as few procedures as you need to get your body to look the way you want.
If you aren’t sure what surgeries your body needs, you can discuss your general concerns with Dr. Steinbrech during your Mommy Makeover consultation.
How is the Mommy Makeover Recovery Different from Other Surgeries?
Since you are getting multiple procedures done at the same time, you will be spending more time in recovery than you would if you were getting only one procedure. Recovery times will vary depending on how well your body heals as well as the type of procedures. You should plan for a recovery period of at least two to four weeks. There is also a possibility that you will experience more swelling, bruising, and tenderness than you would for an individual procedure.
On the flip side, if you were to get each of your Mommy Makeover procedures done individually, your total recovery from all the procedures would be significantly more than your one Mommy Makeover session. Getting all your procedures done at once saves you time and money compared to doing each surgery separately.
When Should I Get My Mommy Makeover?
Any of these surgeries could be undone by additional pregnancies or breastfeeding, so it is recommended that you wait to get your Mommy Makeover until after you’re done having children. You don’t have to wait until you’re too old to get pregnant, but you should have measures in place to prevent future pregnancies.
Learn More about Mommy Makeovers with Dr. Steinbrech
Schedule a patient consultation with Dr. Steinbrech for a Mommy Makeover surgery by calling (212) 750-0070 or filling out the contact form in this page. Dr. Steinbrech will use the consultation to get to know you as a patient, assess your body and its needs, and discuss your surgery goals for your body. From there, Dr. Steinbrech will create a plan for your Mommy Makeover complete with the appropriate surgeries. He will also go over each procedure, discuss the risks associated with each one, and give you recommendations to prepare for your Makeover. You can use your consultation time to learn more about Dr. Steinbrech ask him questions about the various procedures, discuss any concerns you may have, and check out some before and after images of previous Mommy Makeover patients.
Reviews from Patients
Click here for more information on Mommy Makeover