How Severe is the Pain After a Mommy Makeover?

Mommy makeovers include breast lift,
breast implants, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) and possibly liposuction. Postoperative pain and discomfort are quiet
variable. Most patients say it is
comparable or less than a C-section. I
describe breast implants like doing “a million” push-ups and abdominoplasty like
“a million” sit-ups; patients understand the gym analogy “no pain, no gain”.  Wishing you a uneventful recovery!

Thank you for your question.  Our office takes post operative pain management seriously.  Our current protocol includes a pain pump, (with numbing medicine), that will instill the numbing medicine in the area for the first three days after abdominoplasty.  Patients typically move off the pain medicine to Tylenol after a few days.  We try to avoid ibuprofen and aspirin products for a couple weeks post op.  Each patient has a different tolerance. Best to contact your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon as each surgeon will approach the operation and the post operative management differently.

Each patient responds to pain after a mommy makeover differently,
depending on the invasiveness of surgery and on her pain tolerance.
Since you have described yourself as having a relatively high threshold
for experiencing pain, I would say that the idea
of discomfort should not be a major deterring factor from moving
forward with a potentially life-changing procedure. Just think of the
pain as one small bump on the road to a newer, more confident you. Also,
it is important to note that there are various medications
your doctor can prescribe which are very
strong prescribed medications. Many doctors use pain pumps or Experal
for long action pain control of 4 days.

Thank you for your question.  Pain and/or discomfort are subjective sensations and highly variable from patient to patient.  Mommy makeover procedures commonly include breast lifts, breast augmentations, abdominoplasty and liposuction.  Patients will often cite that a typical 'mommy makeover' recovery is comparable or easier than a c-section recovery and each surgeon will provide you with a recommendation and/or medications to alleviate any post-op pain.   Patient's, expecially those with high pain tolerances, typically do quite well and end up saying that they thought that their recovery was going to be much worse than it was, but if you are concerned with post-operative pain I would recommend discussing your concerns with your operating surgeon.  

            The
mommy makeover is one of the largest procedures performed in cosmetic surgery.
This procedure has several components. These include breast augmentation,
breast lift, abdominoplasty, and liposuction of the hips and thighs. The exact
procedure performed in any particular case is dependent upon the specific needs
of the individual patient.

             Pain
tolerance varies from patient to patient and is dependent upon a variety of
factors. The vast majority of patients who have mommy makeover surgery describe
their pain as moderate. This pain is especially noticeable in the first 24
hours following surgery, but improves rapidly over the next week.

            Patients
are given narcotic pain relievers in the immediate postoperative period and
switched to Tylenol 5 to 7 days postoperatively. It’s not unusual for patients
to have pain, which is related to muscle spasm following this procedure. When
this situation arises, muscle relaxants are extremely helpful as well.

            If
you’re concerned about postoperative pain management, it’s important to discuss
this issue with your plastic surgeon. Your surgeon should be able to develop a
plan that addresses your concerns. 

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 tolerable so that you are able to walk and take deep breaths to minimize the risks of complications such as blood clots or pneumonia.

If you have grave concerns you can discuss pain pumps or non muscle tightening as options, It is important that you know what to expect before as well as after your surgery.

Best wishes.

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 pain.

Your best bet is to discuss what you should expect with your surgeon- who is the only one with an understanding of (at least most of) the variables above in your particular situation.

Best of luck!

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 helps.

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

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!