Definition

A mommy makeover is a series of different plastic surgeries tailored to the patient’s preference. These procedures are most common in women after giving birth, usually to regain their pre-baby body. Mommy makeovers can include:

• Tummy tuck
• Breast augmentation
• Breast lift
• Buttock augmentation
• Liposuction
• Labiaplasty
• Thigh lift
• Hair restoration
• Dermal fillers
• Scar revision

Description

A mommy makeover is a cosmetic surgery or different kinds of surgeries for body contouring purposes. Usually, women who have completed childbearing do a combination of these as one reconstructive surgery.

If desired, all these mommy makeover procedures can be done in one day, taking up to four to six hours. Although a mommy makeover surgery can take many hours to complete if done all at once, and the recovery time may be longer, it will only be one surgery and one recovery time.

If you are planning on undergoing many mommy makeover procedures at once, you can expect to lose 5-15 pounds.

Why is this procedure(s) performed?

These procedures are usually done to address some of the physical changes a patient’s body can go through after giving birth, commonly addressing areas like:

• Breast
• Abdomen

Sagging breasts can be altered with a breast surgery by adding breast implants, breast implant revision, breast revision, breast lift, breast reconstruction, fat transfer breast augmentation and sometimes a breast reduction. Often women will have a breast augmentation.

While the abdominal area tends to have excess skin with stretch marks after giving birth, women usually get a tummy tuck or some form of liposuction or lower body lifts.

Risks

Risks from having surgery in general:

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Poor healing incisions
• Hematoma
• Seroma
• Unfavorable scarring

Risks of a mommy makeover surgery:

• Loss of nipple sensation
• Inability to breast feed
• Implant leak
• Capsular contracture
• Anaplastic large cell lymphoma
• Recurrent looseness of skin

Before the procedure

After receiving a mommy makeover consultation from your plastic surgeon, there is a high possibility that you will need to take new medications or adjust the ones you already have.

If you are a smoker, you will have to stop smoking and avoid taking any anti-inflammatory drugs or supplements as they can increase bleeding.

A mommy makeover procedure is typically done in a hospital or ambulatory surgery setting, most likely using general anesthesia.

After the procedure

No matter what body contouring procedure you get, some after care instructions will be:

• Avoid scratching or rubbing your incisions
• Always keep your incisions dry
• Take medications to aid healing and reduce the risk of infection
• Follow up with your plastic surgeon

Outlook (prognosis)

A mommy makeover may take up to several months after surgery to fully heal. This is only if the patients remain at a healthy weight and follow their physician’s instructions.

Implants will settle and scar lines will improve over time, but they will never disappear.

Following your physician’s instructions will be the best way to recover from your cosmetic surgery.

• Illustrated procedures

References

Hamra ST, Small KH. Cosmetic Body Lift. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2016 Feb;137(2):453-461. doi: 10.1097/01.prs.0000475757.56086.ab. PMID: 26818279

Matarasso A, Smith DM. Strategies for Aesthetic Reshaping of the Postpartum Patient. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2015 Aug;136(2):245-257. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000001410. PMID: 26218374

Shermak MA. Body contouring. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2012 Jun;129(6):963e-978e. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e31824ecd24. PMID: 22634694

Toto V, Scarabosio A, Alessandri-Bonetti M, Albanese R, Persichetti P. Combined Surgery (Mommy-Makeover) Compared to Single Procedure (Abdominoplasty) in After-Pregnancy Women: A Prospective Study on Risks and Benefits. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2023 Dec;47(6):2533-2542. doi: 10.1007/s00266-023-03579-6. Epub 2023 Aug 23. PMID: 37612475