Mommy Makeover: Q&A

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How Severe is the Pain After a Mommy Makeover?

I am asking the questions because I've seen lots of complaints the pain after surgery for a mommy makeover is really painful? And pardon my French but they sound like they been to hell and back. I have a very high tolerance pain level and even when in pain usually don't complain and suck it up. So should I truly be concern with the pain level according to some reviews?

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15 Doctor Answers | Asked by luna llena in canada

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Mommy Makeover Recovery

It is very common for mommy makeovers to include both breast and tummy procedures. Your surgeon will determine if you are a good candidate for a combined procedure based on your health status (past medical history) and your physicial exam. In addition, your surgeon will determine if an overnight stay at the hospital is warranted. After surgery, your pain should be well managed with 1-2 oral pain pills every 4-6 hours. All my mommy... more

Pain after a mommy makeover.

Thanks for your question. Yes, there is pain with any surgery some more than others. Some patients tolerate it better than others as well. Operations that involve pushing on or tugging of musles such as muscle tightening tummy tuck or submuscular implants tend to be more uncomfortable than skin or glandular operations such as breast lift or reduction. Each plastic surgeon will have their own regimen to alleviate post operative pain. The goal is to make the discomfort... more

Pain after a Mommy Makeover is Highly Variable

Hi there- There are so many variables that affect the level of pain experienced by any particular patient after a Mommy Makeover, that it is very difficult to answer this question for you... Your own individual capacity to tolerate pain, the details of the procedures performed, your surgeon's preferences and techniques for the minimization of pain during and after surgery, your adherence to postoperative protocols and instructions will all affect the duration and severity of your... more

How Severe is the Pain After a Mommy Makeover?

Pain felt after any surgery will vary from patient to patient. At times on websites, you hear about the people that are having pain but the ones that do not are not on the blogs posting things so the percentage might look skewed. In my experience, the pain is well controlled with pain medicine and proper activity levels. By 2 weeks the needs for pain pills should be essentially gone.

Pain after a mommy makeover

There are a lot of factors that determine the amount of pain that you are in after a mommy makeover. Tummy tucks and breast augmentations are typically more painful because they generally involve surgery on muscles. Liposuction and breast lifts do not tend to be very painful. Your ability to handle pain can make a huge difference. I find that patients who exercise regularly have less pain after surgery than those who don't. I also like to inject dilute local anesthetic at the time of... more

Pain after Mommy Makeover is much less than most expect

The mommy makeover typically consists of abdominoplasty, breast lift and occasionally breast augmentation and liposuction. The way we do the surgery now, the pain is very manageable. We inject local anesthesia around the nerves at the time of surgery and also use a pain pump for the abdominoplasty. I have had several patients who have used pain pills for less than 2 days and have been very comfortable with just Tylenol and Advil. Most people are driving and doing errands by 5-7 days. more

Pain and expectation after mommy makeover

If your pain tolerance is high then you will likely do better than others. Pain is variable and depends on patient tolerance and how involved/extensive the surgery is. For instance, a breast lift usually hurts less than a breast lift with implants. If you are very concerned about the discomfort that you may feel, ask your surgeon about the possibility of pain pump catheters. i find these very helpful, especially for the tummy tuck portion of the mommy makeover. I hope this... more

Pain after mommy make-over

Mommy make-over surgery, which generally involves breast surgery of some type and body contouring surgery, can be quite painful. There are variables that can affect how much pain a patient experiences, such as muscle plication work on the abdomen or putting implants under the pectoralis muscle in breast surgery. Additionally, each patient responds at different levels of pain for these procedures. In my practice, I use a pain pump to help alleviate pain from tummy tuck surgery. This is... more

Pain is very subjective after tummy tuck

Most women do well after the first week and start their routing. most return to work by 2 weeks pain can be lessened with: pain pump for 3 days injections of marcaine at surgery sites after surgery medrol dospak celebrex early ambulation and actiivity muscle relaxant

Pain level

You should use your own experience as a guide and not others. You should ask your surgeon what he/she typically sees with patients after the surgery.

Michael Hueneke, MD

6 reviews

Nashville Plastic Surgeon

The pain associated with a Mommy Makeover

Everyone has different pain tolerance levels so what is written on the internet is not necessarily true for even the majority. Furthermore, many other factors play a role including exactly what procedures that you are having and even the surgical technique. Does this entail breast implants behind the muscle? Large ones? The medication prescribed also plays an important role. Given that you have a high pain threshold, the odds are that you will do better than the majority of patients. more

Everyone is different

The truth is, some patients do feel like they'be been hit by a truck, while others looks like they could go back to work if they wanted to in 2-3 days. from what you've described of yourself, you seem like a trooper who i would be more worried about "doing too much" rather than someone i would be worried about having too much pain. good luck with your surgery!

Pain after Mommy Makeover

Thank you for your question. Yes, there is discomfort with the Mommy Makeover Surgery but each patient is different with their pain tolerance and their recovery. In my experience, patients have told me that the discomfort of a tummy tuck is less than a c-section due to no intra-peritenial work. The pain pump is a great help as well - for 5 days of local anesthesia to the immediate area. Also, oral medication is prescribed (narcotic and muscle relaxant) that also... more

Recovery after mommy makeover

Most patients after a mommy makeover will require oral pain medication for about a week. Some patients can use pain pumps which can reduce the pain and the amount of oral pain medication (narcotics) needed. Each person has a different experience with this type of surgery (breast augmentation and tummy tuck) so this is difficult to answer. I would recommend taking at least one week off from work and also discuss the possibility of taking a muscle relaxant with your plastic surgeon- this... more

Pain After Mommy Makeover

It's always best to be honest with this question, isn't it? Both breast augments and tummy tucks involve surgery on muscles and they hurt quite a bit. Most of my patients who don't choose to use pain pumps are pretty miserable for the first 3-4 days and after 7-10 days are almost always down to Ibuprofen for pain control. Those that use pain pumps have a much easier time. Pain is perceived differently by each of us and some patients have a harder time no matter what we use and... more