I asked my cardiologist about my heart murmur and he said it was safe. What exactly do you get with a mommy makeover? (Photo)

Question

How long is the procedure? Is it true that you can't get bbl, tt and breast augmentation at the same time?

James N. Romanelli, MD, FACS · Answer

While your options for mommy makeover aren't completely limitless, it is a highly customizable procedure. The most common combination of procedures is tummy tuck, liposuction, and some sort of breast enhancement, whether it be augmentation, lift, or something else. Adding a Brazilian butt lift to your mommy makeover can be tricky, since recovery afterward necessitates that you don't put much weight on your buttocks. If you've also had surgery in front, such as breast enhancement or a tummy tuck, this can make it difficult to find a comfortable way to rest during the recuperation process. The other factor is that total surgical time should be limited to no more than 6 hours, in my opinion.

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS, FACS · Answer

Far more important than deciding if MM is for you is the skill and experience of your plastic surgeon. Choose your surgeon rather than the technique and let him explain why one technique may be better than another and if you need a tummy tuck. Many board certified plastic surgeons provide a free first time consult and you should take advantage of that! 
A woman’s body can be unexpectedly altered nearly from head-to-toe after pregnancy and childbirth. Mommy makeover procedures are varied yet specific, allowing you to restore and rejuvenate your body to a youthful, healthier look, regardless of how you have been affected by pregnancy.
Mommy makeover procedures include:
Breast augmentation: After pregnancy, a woman’s breasts may change dramatically, whether or not she even chooses to breastfeed her child. After the need for breastmilk production passes, breasts will often reduce in size but leave excess loose skin, especially in the upper region. Breast augmentation can restore a woman’s breasts to her ideal shape and size. Breast lift:Removing excess skin around the breasts following a pregnancy can tighten and visibly lift the breast. Depending the amount of “lifting” required, the incisions necessary to complete the procedure may vary but are generally low. Tummy tuck:Most women will experience a noticeable change to their abdominal region after pregnancy, either caused by excess skin and increased body fat, or a weakening of the muscles that causes the stomach to sag. Another common condition is a protruding bellybutton. All of these alterations can be improved and restored through a tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty. In some cases, stretch marks can be eliminated entirely, or the bellybutton can be removed through umbilicoplasty. Liposuction: Pregnant or nursing women can experience fat build ups in new locations throughout their bodies, including the stomach, hips, legs, and arms. Liposuction is an easy and effective way to address these extra fat pockets. We can also help you figure out if diet and exercise used in conjunction with liposuction will be to your benefit. Labiaplasty: The birth canal undergoes great stress and pressure when giving birth, sometimes causing tears or damage to the labia and vagina. Labiaplasty and vaginal tightening are two outpatient procedures we can use to restore the elasticity and strength of your labia and vagina. Skin pigment correction: Sometimes called “the mask of pregnancy,” discolored splotches of brown and red often appear on a pregnant woman’s face. Our skin aesthetician from BioSpa, our clinical skin care department, can use laser treatments, chemical peels, gradual bleaching, and other gentle yet effective techniques to correct alterations in your skin pigmentation. Varicose vein removal: Darkened and thickened veins that arise during pregnancy may be distracting, unpleasant, and permanent. Talk to our team about varicose vein removal and reduction procedures, including lasers, injections, and minimal outpatient surgery options. Using a combination of operations and procedures is also highly recommended. Not only will you likely reduce the overall cost of your mommy makeover, but you reduce the amount of anesthetics and the recovery time needed after procedures. Ask our team about how you can combine operations into the least number of visits possible.
#mommymakeover #candidateMM

Leila Kasrai, MD, FRCSC · Answer

Nice job on getting clearance for surgery from your cardiologist. A mommy makeover is customized for each patient, so it’s not always the same. For example, one mommy makeover may just be a tummy tuck, while another may involve a tummy tuck, breast lift, breast augmentation and more. Since the term “mommy makeover” refers to any procedure that improves the appearance of a woman after she’s had children, a mommy makeover can include anything suitable for a particular patent. 
The first thing to do is to determine what issues you’d like to correct regarding your appearance. Do you want to improve your mid-section? Do you want larger breasts? Do you want rounder buttocks? After you’ve figured out what areas you’d like to target, you can then discuss your goals with a board certified plastic surgeon. Your surgeon will let you know if having multiple procedures is safe for you. For example, some surgeons do not like to perform a brazilian butt lift and tummy tuck at the same time, since it targets the front and back of your body. This makes the recovery period more difficult, since you won’t be able to rest on your front or back.

Richard G. Reish, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question.  It will be important to obtain full cardiology clearance prior to surgery.   Based on your photograph, you are a
great candidate for a tummy tuck with liposuction.  This can be done
through a low and short incision, all completely below the bikini line.  The belly button can be designed to look
natural and have no scars on the exterior. 
Your muscles can also be plicated resulting in a flat abdomen.  A breast lift can be performed at the same
time for improved shape and contour of your breasts. Make sure you specifically
look at before and after pictures of real patients who have had this
surgery performed by your surgeon and evaluate their results.  The most
important aspect is to find a surgeon you are comfortable with. I recommend
that you seek consultation with a qualified board-certified plastic surgeon who
can evaluate you in person.
Best wishes and good luck.
Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

Great news that your cardiologist cleared you for a MM.  Because a MM can include various procedures for body contouring based upon the patient's goals, the length of the surgery will vary depending upon the combination of procedures selected, the expertise of the surgeon, and your medical health.   Surgery should not extend for more than 6 hours.The procedures should be tailored to your specifications and anatomy to produce a dramatic result and return you to your pre-pregnancy figure.  There are several options to consider in an individualized plan. Your MM could include body contouring with liposuction of the abdomen, sides, back, flanks, and bra rolls, a TT, a BA, and BBL.  You want to accentuate your body contours through the artistic techniques of a board certified plastic surgeon who will listen to your goals and determine how realistic they are for your anatomy. If you have stretchmarks from pregnancy, removal of skin is the most effective stretch mark treatment available.  The stretchmarks to the level of the belly button are generally removed, sometimes more, are removed with a TT. Fifty percent of the TTs I perform are short scar, which takes about 50% of the scar away. Liposuction will not really be able to remove body fat evenly throughout the body.  Rather it should be used selectively to remove the more resistant areas.  It is important to blend the abdomen with the flanks from a technical standpoint to give you a smaller waistline. Fat harvested from liposuction will be transferred to the buttocks.  Recommend that you have the lipo and BBL completed first; the TT and BA could follow six months later.
The key here is not the procedures performed but how these procedures are performed. Seek out a board certified plastic surgeon who has performed these procedures hundreds of times, has favorable patient reviews, and hundreds of  before and after pictures on his or her website.  Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

Carolina Restrepo, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Mommy makeovers involve various combinations of proceudres to improve the breasts, abdomen, hips, back, arms, legs, buttocks, etc ...Combination procedures are safe and very effective in the right hands.  The surgeon has to be an expert in each procedure and must have a lot of experience in performing combination procedures and can minimize the operative time.  For example, we work in a team and would take around 4-5 hours for the complete operation.  This allows us to get better results with less surgical time and less trauma. You definitely have to choose your surgeon correctly and make sure that he/she has the training and experience to meet your goals with absolute safety.  Don’t settle for less than a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon with specialized expertise in this procedure.

Paul Fortes, MD · Answer

You appear to be a good candidate for abdominoplasty, liposuction, BBL, and breast enhancement.  Your arms are up in the photos, which affects the appearance of the breasts (a lift may be a good option along with implants).  It is possible to have all the procedures performed safely at the same time.  Depending on what exactly is done, the operation may take 5-7 hours to perform.  Best of luck!

Jon Kurkjian, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question and photos.
Good job with already talking with your cardiologist.
It is always difficult to diagnose on photos alone, however, you appear to be a good candidate for the mommy makeover, which consists of a tummy tuck with or without liposuction and a breast rejuvenation. The breast rejuvenation typically includes placement of an implant  with the possibility of a breast lift. Consulting with a board certified plastic surgeon is the best way to determine all your options. At the consultation, they will complete a set of measurements on your breasts-this is to determine if a lift (mastopexy) is necessary for the best aesthetic result and also to determine the size of implant to chose. They will also examine your abdomen to determine if liposuction is necessary.
Some surgeons may offer to do a mommy make over at the same time as a BBL, however, you have to consider positioning and length of time of surgery. Typically, we would not want to exceed a length of 6 hours for surgery.   Also with a tummy tuck recovery you are typically required to sleep somewhat upright being bent at the waist. This would put pressure on the BBL sites, therefore decreasing the overall "take" of the fat graft in the BBL. So please do your research and choose your surgeon wisely. 
 At our practice, we have found that those patients who have chosen to have a mommy makeover, have a very high satisfaction rate and have a boost in their overall self image. 
I hope this is helpful.

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

A Mommy Makeover is a term to describe a combination of procedures designed to help women regain their figure after childbirth.  It generally includes work to the abdomen, breasts, hips and thighs, but can be customized for each patient.  The best place to begin is with a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon in your area.  Together with your surgeon you can design a surgical plan to help you meet your goals.

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

Thanks for the question. As you know, pregnancy can take a toll on a women's body. In order to help reverse some of the effects of child bearing, many women choose to have a "mommy makeover". A mommy makeover can involve ANY of the areas affected by pregnancy:  most commonly a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) and breast augmentation and/or lift (mastopexy).  Other commonly requested surgical procedures include liposuction surgery and/or genitalia surgery.It is best to evaluate each patient's suitability for combination surgery on an individualized basis. During this consultation process, after a complete history and physical, the SAFETY of combining these surgical procedures becomes of paramount importance. Plastic surgeon, anesthesia provider, duration of surgery, surgery facility all important considerations.When it comes to  selection of plastic surgeon (the most important decision you will be making), I would suggest starting with the American Society of Plastic Surgery and/or the Aesthetic Society of Plastic Surgery to obtain a list of well experienced board-certified plastic surgeons. Then, I would suggest you visit a few surgeons whose practices concentrate on aesthetic surgery.
***Ask to SEE lots of examples of their work AND preferably speak/see patients who have had similar procedures done. Be very careful with your decision-making. You will find, while doing your due diligence, that there are many different “specialties” who will offer their services to you; again, I strongly recommend you concentrate on surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. 
  Best wishes.

I asked my cardiologist about my heart murmur and he said it was safe. What exactly do you get with a mommy makeover? (Photo)

Answers (11)

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