3 Things You Should Know About The Mommy Makeover Procedure

Undergoing cosmetic surgery is no longer a taboo topic for both men and women. However, women tend to do it with a higher percentage than men. A few reasons behind it are pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Many females are disappointed that after going through childbirth and breastfeeding, their body won’t just return to the shape and size it was before they got pregnant. But the reality is that a vast majority of women struggle to get back their pre-pregnancy body while there are just a few who just bounce back without any effort. We often see in mass media that a certain celebrity just gave birth and half a year later she looks the same as before getting pregnant or even better. When this is the case, we are usually talking about a mommy makeover intervention.

The mommy makeover is an efficient and effective method to regain the beautiful appearance of your body after pregnancy and breastfeeding. The procedure often targets the areas of the body that are the most affected by pregnancy: the breasts and the tummy. During the mommy makeover, the patient can have a tummy tuck, a breast enhancement procedure, and even liposuction, if necessary.

Plastic Surgery After Pregnancy

Excess weight, muscle relaxation, and sagginess of the breasts are just some of the side effects of pregnancy and breastfeeding that remain after childbirth. It is not uncommon for women nowadays to resort to plastic surgery to regain their femininity and also their self-esteem. While plastic surgery might seem like a drastic solution, when it comes to weak abdominal muscles and skin sagginess, there is not much the patient can do to improve the appearance of that certain area. The surgical method is the only one that can efficiently improve the condition and provide permanent results.

When considering undergoing plastic surgery after pregnancy, it is important to wait at least 6 months after breastfeeding has stopped before scheduling your procedure. It took 9 months for your body to change, so allow it at least 6 months to try and get closer to the shape and size it’s in before, prior to undergoing plastic surgery. During this time you might notice changes in your breasts and even your tummy, but this depends from patient to patient.

We are all different when it comes to body particularities. Some women will only put on a few pounds during pregnancy, and after childbirth, they can quickly get back their pre-pregnancy bodies. Other women will put on a significant amount of weight and end up facing abdominal muscle relaxation and breast sagginess after pregnancy. Each pregnancy is different but what is certain is that having one, two, three, or four children does not produce the same effects on the body. This is an important decision, bearing a significant cost, and we are not talking about the money here, but about the time and effort, the patient needs to put in to achieve satisfactory results and a fast recovery period.

Pregnancy distends the tissues of the abdomen and causes additional weight that is sometimes difficult to get rid of, despite playing sports and dieting. To eliminate the excess fat localized under the skin in the different areas of the body, it is better to consider liposuction. It is the most practiced intervention and by far the simplest. This procedure, performed under general or local anesthesia (for small areas), removes localized fat pockets from areas such as the abdomen, hips, thighs, or buttocks. It is important to mention that the surgeon cannot perform it in areas where there are stretch marks. The stretch marks are a sign of poor skin quality, and this is a contraindication for liposuction. In principle, it is advisable to have found a weight as close as possible to normal before undergoing liposuction, although in practice one can hope to lose up to 5-6 liters of fat thanks to this operation. Liposuction is a safe surgical procedure, but it must be performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon. It will also not interfere with any future pregnancy.

If the skin on the abdominal area is damaged and the abdominal muscles relaxed, it is also recommended to perform a tummy tuck. This will remove the excess skin, tighten the muscles, and re-drape the skin envelope. The tummy tuck is a complex operation and longer than liposuction. It is not advisable to undergo the procedure if you want another pregnancy quickly, this means within the course of a year. Abdominoplasty also helps to correct an umbilical hernia, if the patient has it.

Women may also have breast enhancement surgery done if the breasts have suffered from pregnancy and/or breastfeeding or if they started sagging, have lost volume, and have been left with excess volume. Most of the time, a loss of volume is associated with the ptosis. A correction of ptosis, associated with a breast augmentation and the placement of prostheses in order to give a nice curve to the chest is often a good solution for the patient. On the other hand, if the breasts are sagging and the volume is too large, the surgeon will practice breast reduction surgery. This operation is covered by social security under certain conditions. Otherwise, when the size of the breasts is satisfactory, it is not necessary to add volume by inserting implants. The surgeon will simply opt for a breast ptosis correction. Keep in mind that any operation on the breasts should be performed after 6 months from the end of the breastfeeding period.

It is also important to mention that mammary prostheses do not interfere with any future pregnancy or breastfeeding. On the other hand, breast reduction in which a part of the gland is removed can cause damage to the canals, which can sometimes interfere with future breastfeeding.

3 Things You Should Know About The Mommy Makeover

The procedure has the purpose of remodeling the breasts and the tummy of new mothers who are not very happy with the shape of their body after childbirth.

Before anything else, you should know that making the decision to undergo the mommy makeover should come after you have reached your normal weight, or you have no weight fluctuations in the last 6 months and have stopped breastfeeding. Ideally, no new pregnancy should be in the plan after a mommy makeover as the aesthetic results achieved with the procedure can be significantly altered. Here are other things you should know:

1. The length and complexity of the intervention is dependent on your health condition

During the initial consultation, you will discuss your medical history with the plastic surgeon and also your current medications or afflictions. Your general health condition will allow you to go under general anesthesia for 3-5 hours. This means that less or more procedures can be performed during this time. Make sure to stop smoking weeks before the intervention and stop taking birth control pills a month before the procedure is scheduled.

2. Plan your time off from work

After the surgery, you will be released from the medical facility the next day. For a fast and smooth recovery period, it is necessary to follow the plastic surgeon’s recommendations to the letter, and not only those related to taking time off from work. You will also need to take time off from being the main caretaker of the family for up to a few days because you will not feel up to the challenge of cooking, cleaning the house, and other things. You will also not be able to drive for about 2 weeks, so make sure you have someone available to help you with this task.

You will also be advised to avoid lifting heavy objects and staying bent in your tummy area. It will be difficult to sleep on your back for such a long period of time, and your liberty of movement will be limited for 2 weeks or less.

3. Set up realistic expectations

Plastic surgery doesn’t turn regular women into Victoria’s Secret models. The role of the mommy makeover procedure is to create harmony in the proportions of the body, eliminate excess skin and fat, and correcting the size, shape, and position of the breasts. Having realistic expectations before the procedure is essential for achieving satisfactory results.

Conclusion

Pregnancy can cause dramatic changes in a woman’s body especially in conjunction with extreme hormonal disturbance. As a consequence, saggy breasts, a protruding, sagging belly, and localized adipose pockets can occur. To correct all these issues, you can choose to undergo the mommy makeover procedure which is a variety of interventions designed to help new mothers get back their femininity and self-esteem after childbirth.