The beauty of a mommy makeover
The mommy makeover is one of the most common procedures that plastic surgeons – including myself -perform. The mommy makeover is a combination of breast surgery and tummy tuck to restore the shape of the breasts and stomach to their pre-pregnancy states.
The breast surgery can either be a lift, a lift with implants placed or can involve surgery to the nipple areolar complex if needed. Some women only need the breasts repositioned after pregnancy. The milk engorgement, nursing, hormones and changes that occur for the breasts during pregnancy and nursing can make the breasts feel and look flatter and lower than prior to pregnancy. This is also something that naturally happens as we age, so there can be a combination of factors at play. In this case, a breast lift alone may be the only breast surgery needed.
Sometimes, projection of the breast is the major issue and an implant can be placed under the muscle or on top of the muscle to regain some of the projection of the more youthful breast. There are times when both a lift and augmentation are needed to achieve desired result.
One area that we do not talk about as much is the nipple areolar complex. The nipple itself can become elongated from nursing and hormone changes, and the areola itself can look larger once the breast has been stretched with pregnancy or weight gain. The areola itself can be reduced in size, as can the nipple. This can be done in combination with either a breast lift or a breast lift with augmentation, and can be performed alone also.
For the tummy tuck portion of the mommy makeover, there are also a couple of different options. The first is a mini tummy tuck that can be performed through a smaller incision like a C-section scar. This can be performed for women who have had C-sections or for women who have not. This is less invasive than a full tummy tuck, but not everyone is a candidate. A full tummy tuck is a longer incision than the mini tummy tuck incision and can incorporate an old C-section scar and revise it. Both of these surgery options can be performed in women with and without C-sections and both involve removing the excess skin on the abdomen. One area of the tummy tuck that most people are not aware of that I commonly do is a diastasis repair. The diastasis is the longitudinal fibrous tissue of the abdomen that separates the “six pack” of the abdominal muscles, and has commonly been spread by the stretching of the abdomen with pregnancy. When women say they cannot get their waist back after pregnancy, this is usually why. The fibrous tissue between the abdominal muscles has been spread out, and no amount of sit-ups will return the fibrous tissue to its original state. With a tummy tuck, I can go in and repair the diastases, essentially cinching the waste back down to give women back their natural hourglass curve.
The mommy makeover is one of our highest satisfaction procedures. To see what type of breast and abdominal surgery combination is right for you, please come in for your consultation with Dr. Timothy Janiga.
