If you’ve finished having children and want to get your pre-pregnancy shape back, you may be thinking about plastic surgery. Perhaps you’ve lost a great deal of weight and want to celebrate with a new body. Whatever your reasons, Dr. Leo Lapuerta may recommend a Mommy makeover.
Dr. Lapuerta is a trusted surgeon with more than two decades of experience performing successful procedures such as thigh lift or breast lift in Houston, TX. He can explain what is included in a Mommy makeover and how it can improve the way you look. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
What is a Mommy Makeover?
A Mommy makeover is often marketed as a single plastic surgery procedure – but it’s actually multiple procedures that fit under the post-pregnancy “makeover” umbrella. Before you decide if this is the right approach for you, it’s important to know what’s included in a Mommy makeover.
Typical Mommy Makeover Procedures
Often, a Mommy makeover means getting a breast augmentation and tummy tuck at the same time. These two procedures are commonly paired together for women who have had children to help them regain their shape, reversing the effects of pregnancy and breastfeeding on the body.
Many women experience breasts that begin to sag and lose their shape after having a child. Breasts become larger during pregnancy but can droop after the baby has stopped breastfeeding. The stomach muscles can also become stretched after giving birth, which leads to drooping skin in this area. Some women feel self-conscious in bikinis and revealing clothing with their new, changed appearance.
Even when diligent with exercise routines, the body doesn’t always spring back to that pre-pregnancy shape. Aging can make it more difficult for breasts to appear as perky as in younger years. The skin loses its elasticity, which prevents the stomach from being as toned, as well.
Other Mommy Makeover Procedures
This over-arching term can include a number of procedures. For instance, a woman may decide she doesn’t want to increase the size of her breasts. Instead, she may just want a breast lift. She might even prefer smaller breasts and request a breast reduction for a slimmer silhouette.
Still other women may not want to change their breasts at all. They focus on the stomach and thighs instead of breast surgery. They may need liposuction to remove stubborn fat deposits that won’t go away in spite of eating healthy and exercising regularly.
A tummy tuck may include getting rid of extra skin, or the surgeon may need to reconstruct the abdominal walls. The muscles are often stretched out during pregnancy and need to be put back into place to achieve the appearance of a flat stomach.
Another area of concern is the vagina after childbirth. A labiaplasty can help tighten the muscles and loose skin to give women more confidence.
When a woman gains weight during pregnancy, not all of it goes to her stomach. The hips and thighs may become larger, as well as the arms. After childbirth, these fat deposits may refuse to budge, even with healthy weight loss efforts. If you get back to your desired weight, areas of loose skin may cause you to feel self-conscious or fat may still cling to areas you’re not used to seeing it. A thigh lift can give your legs a more toned look, or you may want to sculpt your arms with an arm lift.
Non-surgical Procedures
While most people think of surgery as a Mommy makeover, it can also include non-surgical procedures. You may choose to have Botox injections to get rid of fine lines and wrinkles in your face. Injectable fillers can help you look younger and fill out sunken areas in your face that can cause you to look older than you are.
Dermabrasion or laser skin resurfacing can also rejuvenate your skin. These and other procedures can get rid of dead skin cells, brown spots, and other issues to make your skin look brighter and healthier.
Decide What’s in a Mommy Makeover for Yourself
You can decide what you want included in a Mommy makeover based on your specific needs. You will meet with Dr. Lapuerta and discuss your goals for this procedure. You will let him know what areas are of the most concern and what improvements you would like to see.
Even though a breast augmentation and tummy tuck are the most often included procedures in a Mommy makeover, Dr. Lapuerta has experience in a variety of procedures as part of the Mommy makeover and will work with you to customize the procedure to fit your goals. This procedure isn’t only for women who have been pregnant. While the term implies that it is for women who have undergone changes due to having children, it can be helpful with any major body changes. For instance, you may choose this surgery if you have lost a significant amount of weight and want to tighten and tone.
The Benefits of a Mommy Makeover
One of the best features of choosing this surgery is that you get to decide what procedures are included in a Mommy makeover with the help of your doctor. You can have multiple areas taken care of at once with a single surgery instead of spreading them out over time.
You will cut down on recovery time when you can have multiple procedures performed at once. You also only have one anesthetic and only need to take off from work or other obligations once. This saves time and money while providing the results you want.
What to Expect with a Mommy Makeover
Regardless of what is included in your Mommy makeover, the surgery will be performed under general anesthesia in an accredited surgical facility. It can take between four and ten hours, depending on which procedures you choose. Many of the procedures are done as outpatient surgery. However, some patients will require an overnight stay for monitoring if they have any history of medical issues.
The recovery time will vary based on procedures included in the Mommy makeover, but you can expect it to take six weeks. You may be able to return to work in two to three weeks if your job isn’t too strenuous. You can expect swelling and discomfort in the beginning that will subside with time. Scarring should be expected, though Dr. Lapuerta will place any incisions in a strategic location to minimize visibility. The scars will continue to fade over time until they are barely perceptible.
You will notice the results right away, but they will become more apparent as the swelling subsides. You can expect full results in about three months. These results will be permanent as long as you maintain your weight. However, the aging process can alter the results to a degree over time.
Schedule a Consultation for Your Mommy Makeover
If you want to improve the way you look and how you feel about yourself, a Mommy makeover can be a great option. Dr. Lapuerta is a triple-board-certified plastic surgeon who has performed many of the Mommy makeover procedures in Houston in the past 20 years. Contact us today to schedule an appointment and learn more about what is included in a Mommy Makeover.