Mommy Makeover

The “Mommy” makeover is a combination of several cosmetic procedures to help women regain back their pre-pregnancy appearance and restore the effects caused by childbearing. The mommy makeover is a set of surgeries for the breast, abdomen, waist, or thighs and it involves either surgical, non-surgical or both types of procedures.

Each woman can decide and create a personalized set of procedures to be included in a single mommy makeover. The most common procedures involved are, breast augmentation and lifting, tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) and liposuction.

A mommy makeover aims to restore a woman’s desired appearance after one or multiple pregnancies. Most women notice some changes in their body after pregnancy, diets and exercise sometimes are not enough to completely restore their image to what it was pre-pregnancy, thus many women have a mommy makeover to help them achieve their desired image and feel more confident again.

Why Mommy Makeover is done?

The mommy makeover is typically done to help restore the body shape and appearance to how it was before pregnancy and childbirth. It is very normal for the body to change after a pregnancy, as some pregnancy weight might not be that easy to lose, breast size and shape can change (especially after breastfeeding), and there may be some sagging skin created in the abdomen, waist and hips.

The mommy makeover procedures aim to improve the following:

• Reduction of abdominal fat and sagging skin
• Reducing or lifting and restoring breast volume
• Restored stretched or enlarged nipples/ areola corrections
• Tightening stomach wall muscles
• Reducing scars and stretch marks (mainly abdomen)
• Reducing excess fat and skin from the waist, hips, thighs and arms
• Restoring the genital shape and structure
• Enhance the whole-body shape and contour

Who is suitable for a Mommy Makeover?

The patient, advised by the surgeon will decide which procedure is more suitable for their case and if they are ready to have this procedure. The suitable candidate should meet following criteria:

• Fully recovered from childbirth – return to normal weight, allow the breasts to return to normal size after breastfeeding is no longer required.
• Not breastfeeding, as medications, injections and anaesthetics can affect it.
• Not planning another future pregnancy, non-surgical procedures could be more cost-effective even if the candidate is planning another pregnancy.
• Be prepared for the recovery and aftercare with a child to care for
• The candidate is in good physical and psychological condition.
• The candidate has realistic expectations of the procedure’s achievements.

What are the typical procedures done in a Mommy Makeover?

A mommy makeover can include several cosmetic procedures, surgical and non-surgical, to help women achieve their desired body shape and appearance. The most common procedures included in a mommy makeover are the following:

Surgical Procedures

Multiple surgical procedures can be included in one single mommy makeover achieving improvement of multiple areas of the body, these can be:

• Breast Augmentation – Pregnancy stretches the ligaments in the breast causing them to sag. A mommy makeover usually involves breast augmentation to reshape and enhance the volume of the breasts. Breast augmentation surgery is usually done using implants or fat transfer.

• Breast Lift – The breasts can sag after pregnancy and breastfeeding and look “droopy”. In breast lift surgery, excess skin is extracted from around the breast and the breast and nipples are reshaped into a new position, without using implants. A breast lift can be combined with breast reduction and liposuction to reduce volume and fat from the breast area.

• Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)– The main part of the body affected after pregnancy is the abdominal area (stomach), as the skin becomes loose, stretched, and looks saggy. Tummy tuck surgery, also known as abdominoplasty, tightens, reshapes and removes excess or sagging skin. During the surgery, the abdominal excess skin and fat are removed and the muscles are tightened to create a flatter and more contoured stomach.

• Liposuction – Typically, liposuction is combined with abdominoplasty as it is used to remove excess fat deposits to form a more pronounced body shape. Excess fat can be removed from the belly, thighs, hips, waist, arms as well as many other body parts. In this surgery, a thin tube is inserted into the body through incisions removing the fat deposits.

• Feminine Rejuvenation (Vaginoplasty) – After childbirth it is common to notice structural changes in the tissues of the vaginal area. Vaginal tissue laxity can cause functional problems such as pain during intercourse or urinary incontinence. Vaginoplasty is surgery that reconstructs the vagina, usually including labiaplasty. Feminine rejuvenation aims to restore the appearance of the shape and structure of the labia and vagina.

Non-surgical Procedures

Non-surgical procedures can be included in a mommy makeover, these options might be more suitable for women that plan to have more children in the future as they are more cost-effective and won’t be significantly affected by another pregnancy. These procedures include:

• Non-surgical Fat Reduction – Non-surgical fat reduction procedures involve minimally invasive techniques that selectively dissolve fat cells in specific body areas and reduce fat deposits. These techniques involve cry-lipolysis (extreme cold temperature used on the skin to break down fat cells), laser fat reduction (controlled heat), injections (deoxycholic acid substance breaks down fat cells) and red-light therapy (wavelengths of light through skin target specific fat cells).

• Cellulite Reduction – New techniques are used to reduce cellulite and create a smoother and firmer skin texture. These technique options include; laser treatments using a small laser probe inserted under the skin to heat the cellulite tissues, injectable treatments using certain enzyme substances that break down cellulite, mechanical treatments using specific devices such as very thin blades that are inserted beneath the skin through small incisions to dissolve cellulite tissues. Other techniques such as massage and creams can be used with less effective results.

• Skin Resurfacing Treatments – Skin resurfacing treatments aim to remove the damaged outer layers of the skin to restore a healthier, youthful and firmer complexion to the skin. The technique options available for this treatment include; laser, chemical peels (a chemical solution is applied to the skin), dermabrasion (fast rotating instruments or blade removes skin cells precisely), micro-needling (dozens of tiny needles used to create microscopic injuries on the skin to promote natural skin healing process), and IPL photo-rejuvenation (intense pulsed light method restores pigmentation and collagen production).

What happens after a Mommy Makeover?

As with every surgical procedure, the patient after having a mommy makeover needs to be closely and regularly examined by the doctors in the clinic and perform several health assessments. A restricted diet should be followed for a few hours after the surgery and painkillers might be recommended to relieve pain and discomfort.

The recovery time will depend on the number and type of surgical procedures. The recovery could take from 6 to 12 weeks and regular check-ups are required till the 6th week. The results of the surgery can be fully visible about 3 months after the surgery.

What are the risks of Mommy Makeover?

The risks and complications can differ depending on the extent of the surgical procedures. However, there are several common risks of any surgical procedure, these include:

• Infections
• Bleeding or blood clots
• Nausea and vomiting
• Negative reaction to anaesthesia
• Poor healing of incisions
• Scarring
• Loss of sensation or numbness
• Inability to breastfeed
• Unpleased with the results

What is the cost of Mommy Makeover?

The cost of a mommy makeover can vary a lot depending on how many procedures were included in the surgery. Most of the time is cheaper to have all the procedures done in a single mommy makeover as there are cost-effective packages. A mommy makeover’s average price typically starts at £13,900.

Cosmetic procedures are usually not offered by the NHS.