Mommy Makeover being 30 lbs over my ideal weight. Good candidate or not?

The ideal time to have a "mommy makeover" is when your breasts and body have stopped changing after childbirth and breastfeeding. Since your youngest is 4 years old then I assume most of the post pregnancy changes are completed and now you're just battling with some excess weight.The closer you can be to your ideal weight the better. As long as my patients are 10-15 lbs within their goal weight I don't think twice about offering surgery. You also have to remember that your goal weight needs to be adjusted as you age.  You can't weigh the same you did when you were a junior in high school any more -- it just isn't practical.  Based on your height a reasonable weight (to achieve a BMI in the normal range) would be about 152 lbs or lower. Based on this calculation you are probably withing that 10-15 range that I usually find acceptable for my patients.In order to help you plan for your breast augmentation surgery you can download my free breast augmentation planner at aBetterBreast.com.  I am currently formatting a tummy tuck planner for free download as well.  If you contact my office and request it I will have them forward you the word document for my tummy tuck planner - I would love to get your feedback on this new planner.  The feedback for my breast augmentation planner has been overwhelmingly positive - I'm hoping for the same response with this planner. This one doesn't have the helpful website links yet because I'm still working on it.

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

It sounds like you are already at your body's comfortable weight or as I call it: "happy" weight.  The goal of surgery is to reverse the havoc that pregnancy and breast feeding can do to women's bodies.  So you don't need to lose anymore weight.  

Mommy makeover candidates are those women who desire an
improved shape to their breasts. This can include a breast lift with or without
breast implants and sometimes a reduction. For the belly portion, a mini
tummy tuck, full tummy tuck, or even circumferential tummy tuck can give you
the look that you want. Thanks for your question!

After having 5 children, your abdominal wall has
stretched and your breasts droop.At 5’6
the upper limit for normal weight is 154 lbs.You are only 11 lbs over the ideal range.However, if you have lost weight and your
breast size has not changed, I recommend a new technique called The Ultimate
Breast Lift™.The breast tissue is
reshaped creating upper pole fullness, elevated higher on the chest wall and
more medial to increase your cleavage.This technique avoids the ugly vertical scars of the traditional
technique, maintains nipple sensation and the ability to breast feed.After the breasts, I recommend Abdominoplasty
with Mesh Reinforcement.The mesh
increases the strength of the abdominal wall resulting in early satiety, weight
loss and maintains the reduced weight.This may help you lose the extra 10 lbs you need to achieve your desired
normal range.Best Wishes,Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Hello! Thank you for your question! The mommy makeover - what plastic surgeons think of as a tummy tuck with breast augmentation +/- breast lift - is a very popular procedure that can produce excellent results! Given your photos and goals/desires, you appear to be an ideal candidate for this procedure. Pregnancy/age/weight loss all play big roles in the laxity and normal aging cascade seen.  Weight loss prior to surgical consideration is always advised in order to obtain optimal results. The procedure has become very popular in those women looking to rejuvenate their belly and breasts after completing such events as you describe. The abdominoplasty will contour your belly, remove loose tissue as well as lower the position, and plicate your abdominal wall to pre-pregnancy tightness. If you are content with your current size, the breast lift will serve to raise your nipple-areolar complex, give you a more perky/uplifted appearance, and give you more youthful/fuller breasts.  An implant would add size, shape and fullness. It typically takes 5-6 hours of operative time. These procedures may be safely combined at one setting, given you are healthy and without significant medical comorbdities. I would consult with a plastic surgeon who would examine you and discuss the various options and assist you to decide if you wish to undergo all of the procedures at once or at smaller staged procedures. An examination of the amount of work to do with each will also make the decision. There would obviously be a cost saving and recovery benefit for a one-stage procedure. However, your safety should not be sacrificed for these reasons.Thank you for your question! Hope that his helps and best wishes for a superb result!

Hi and thank you for the question. t may be that you are a very good candidate however, without the benefit of your photos it's very difficult to give you a more accurate assessment. I feel that at your current weight it would be safe to proceed. The loss of an additional 30 lbs would not affect the results of your tummy. However, if you need a breast lift instead of a breast augmentation then it will affect your breasts.That said,there comes a time when I will perform surgery on patients with a BMI greater than 30. In our deal world we would like everyone of our patients to be in their ideal weight. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world. I personally have a very practical approach to cosmetic surgery and weight reduction. It is always preferable for patients to be as close to their ideal weight as possible prior to surgery. Many times there are outside influences that prevent a patient from losing any further weight.The patient plateaus.Weight is distributed differently in patients. There may be two patients who weigh the same yet, their fat is distributed completely different. There is visceral fat ( that fat between the internal organs and intestines) and fat locate between the abdominal wall ( muscle layer) and the skin. Some patients may be top heavy whereas others may have very large thighs and behinds. So, my approval for surgery is individualized as long as the patient is healthy otherwise and is seen by her private MD and given a complete medical clearance.Always seek out the opinion of a surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery with years of experience in tummy tucks. Furthermore request to see before and after photos of previous patients by that doctor....not a clinic or surgery center. Do your homework......research and verify the doctor's credentials. Have they had problems with the Board of Medicine, disciplinary or otherwise. Any law suits? How about the center, clinic or facility? Are they accredited by a national organization or do they just have State approval. Understand that at the current time, there are three nationally recognized organizations responsible for the highest levels of patient safety, AAAASF, AAACH and JCHO. You owe it to yourself to position yourself for the best possible results but under the most stringent safety regulations, If you have kids, even more so.How about anesthesia? Will you have a medical doctor certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology or a certified nurse anesthetist (CRNA)? Understand that there is no substitute for research. Cosmetic surgery, no matter how simple it may be to the patients, are invasive procedures and as such carry certain risks and complications.In our office we use TouchMD which is a web based program in which patients have the ability to load their picture unto the program. I then evaluate them and can actually draw on the picture to show a potential patient where the incisions would be located and how the procedure is to be realized. It's all done to comply with HIPPA which is the federal law that protects the patient's medical information. Look them up.Give yourself the highest percentage of a sucssesful operation. Good luck

Thank you for your question. Your current height and weight put you at a BMI of 26. From a safety/health standpoint, you can proceed with surgery at this time. The "ideal" weight is really a subjective thing; just three numbers on a scale. If the 160-165 range is where your body likes to be and that is a weight that you can easily maintain and be happy at, I think you will have a great result if you proceed with surgery at this point. If you are determined to lose an additional 30 pounds and think you will be able to maintain that weight, I would advise losing the weight and maintaining that weight for 6-12 months before having a Mommy Makeover. Good luck!

    Obtaining a safe stable weight is key.  If you feel like you are ready for surgery, find a plastic surgeon who performs hundreds of these procedures each year, has great reviews, and has great before and after pictures.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

Without photographs it is impossible to comment on your particular situation. Nevertheless, many women your overweight undergo and are pleased with results of a mommy makeover. Often times this serves as a psychological springboard to additional weight loss after the operation.