Mommy Makeover

As a mother, pregnancy and having a child is a unique and very special time in your life. It is a wonderful experience to watch how your body changes to accommodate bringing a new life into the world. However, whilst childbirth is a truly life changing event, the pregnancy and birth of your baby and subsequent breast feeding can have significant downsides for many women like excess skin and stretch marks on the body or alteration of breast tissue. These effects of pregnancy particularly on the tummy and breasts may also persist despite diet and weight loss or toning exercises in the following weeks, months and even years after giving birth. Changes to our skin and body can impact self confidence. This is when a little makeover help such as breast surgery may sometimes be required if you are keen to make changes to recapture aspects of your pre-pregnancy body.

What is a Mommy Makeover?

“Mommy Makeover” surgery is a name given to a variety of cosmetic surgeries that can be done to tighten, firm, and rejuvenate parts of the body that change as a result of pregnancy and childbirth.

Here at MIC, we believe that there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to any cosmetic surgery and we adopt the very same approach with a Mommy Makeover. During your online consultation, you can discuss with your consultant exactly what you would like to change or improve about your body and together with your online consultant, a Mommy Makeover package can be created which is completely tailored to your individual needs and concerns.

What procedures are included in a Mommy Makeover?

Most commonly, a Mommy Makeover is made up of a breast enhancement and a tummy tuck or liposuction, but this can also include vaginal tightening or labia reduction too. Here are some of the cosmetic surgery procedures which you may wish to include in your Mommy Makeover:

  • Breast lift with or without implants – if your breasts aren’t the same and seem to have dropped since breastfeeding then breast uplift surgery could help to reshape your breasts giving you a tighter, more uplifted profile. If you’ve always wanted bigger boobs and have lost volume due to pregnancy or ageing, then you could also combine this surgery with a breast enlargement.
  • Tummy Tuck – if pregnancy has left you with excess, sagging skin in the stomach area, or ‘tummy bulges’ that are resistant to diet and exercise, Tummy Tuck surgery could reshape your abdomen to give you a flatter, smoother profile. It can also provide muscle placation or muscle tightening to stretch abdominal muscles so that your firmer shape can be maintained afterwards.
  • Liposuction – is designed to remove fat and contour the body. It’s one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures for patients who are looking for fat loss from various parts of the face and body, including the chin, stomach, buttocks and thighs. In a Mommy Makeover, Liposuction is most often performed in the stomach area in order to achieve a smoother and more contoured profile.
  • Labiaplasty and/or Vaginal Tightening – the labia can become stretched during childbirth, this procedure can reduce the size and define the appearance of the inner labia. Vaginal muscles often become loose and weak after childbirth. Vaginal tightening surgery can change the way your vagina feels and functions, bringing back more tone and control as well as enhancing sensation during sex.

It is important to prepare your body well in the lead up to your surgery by ensuring your diet is good. Make sure you have stopped smoking any nicotine products and that you are getting plenty of sleep. Being well hydrated too is extremely important for your body so please make sure you drink plenty of water and ensure that you avoid drinking alcohol or at least reduce alcohol intake the weekend prior to surgery! One of the aspects that surgeons do not always communicate is the importance of having supportive family and friends during the surgical journey. Partners, family and friends all need to help out. As a mommy, feeling confident that your children will be looked after whilst you are resting after surgery is very important. Remember that lifting the children in the first few weeks after surgery is not advised.

Everyone recovers differently following a Mommy Makeover. After your surgery we will provide you with some general guidelines to help during your recovery but you need to remember that these are only guidelines as some patients will recover much quicker whşle others less quickly. The most important thing is to rest up, do not try and do things too quickly and adhere to all the wound healing advices given to you. Remember to order your compression garments as these will need to be worn for approximately 8 weeks. Showering is allowed after surgery and you will be instructed how to use a hairdryer on a warm setting to dry off the flesh-coloured micropore tape on your skin. Initially you will obviously be a little restricted in terms of mobility and exercise so it is important to maintain a healthy diet and eat well.

Many of our patients ask if they are suitable for Mommy Makeover surgery. Of course this is not only about the actual desire for surgery on the part of the patient but must also take into consideration any medical and psychological concerns too.

The following are usually considerations for this kind of surgery:

  • Patients who may feel unhappy with their bodies after having children;
  • No plans to have further children;
  • Have maintained a concerted effort to diet and exercise to remove excess fat with little or no success;
  • Normal body mass index (BMI);
  • Have a steady body weight;
  • Patients who would like to improve the appearance of unwanted stretchmarks (striae) or scars;
  • Patients who would like to improve the appearance of their post-pregnancy breasts;
  • Are relatively fit and healthy with no significant past medical history;
  • Have realistic expectations for the procedure;
  • Patients must not trivialise the cosmetic surgery process;
  • Are emotionally ready for surgery.

Please note that our surgeons will consider all patients for surgery but they may recommend that you are not suitable.