The Mommy Makeover! Ten Facts about the Life-Changing Procedure

April 8, 2015
By Laurie A. Casas, MD and Paul A. Watterson, MD
The Plastic Surgery Channel

1.  A “mommy makeover” is defined as a cosmetic surgical procedure designed to reverse physical changes in a woman after childbirth. Dr. Laurie Casas, a board certified plastic surgeon from Chicago, Illinois, describes a mommy makeover as the process that women undergo to restore their pre-pregnancy body shape. It is always customized to address an individual woman’s shape and goals.

2.  Restoring your post-pregnancy body starts with developing a healthy nutrition and exercise regimen.  When you use a combination of rebuilding your core muscle tone and strength, adopting a healthy nutritional and supplement plan and then possibly considering non-surgical and surgical procedures then you can effectively reverse the changes to your breasts and body after pregnancy and lactation.

3.  There are safe and effective non-surgical options for post pregnancy body sculpting, like CoolSculpting, which is an excellent non-invasive sculpting device. Many women start their mommy makeover journey by sculpting their arms, back, hip areas, outer and inner thighs with CoolSculpting. It is a very effective method of treating exercise and diet-resistant fat deposits that appeared following pregnancy.

4.  After nursing, breasts may look deflated or saggy due to lost volume; they can also remain larger even after you shed your pregnancy weight.

Lose the Gut

5.  A body-contouring procedure may help you feel better about your body in an intimate setting. Dr. Casas shared that post-procedure, “Patients say, ‘I am so proud of my body. And my husband and I have so much more fun.’ ”

6.  Mommy makeover procedures can be done together or individually. Your doctor can help you develop your individual plan to restore your body.

7.  A tummy tuck (or abdominoplasty) takes care of the abdomen, tightening muscles that have stretched and removing loose skin.  Board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Paul Watterson from Charlotte, North Carolina, says, “The procedure has really transformed in the past few years. We’ve added Exparel, which is a medicine we can inject across the suture lines and in the muscles. This makes it less painful for three days, the three days that hurt the worst. By getting patients over the hump, the recovery is dramatically easier than before. It’s fabulous and has really changed the tummy tuck landscape for patients.”

Breast Procedures

8.  When addressing the breast, a mommy makeover looks to restore volume and perhaps lift the breast back to where it was.

9.  The best way to prepare for a smooth post mommy makeover recovery starts with finding a board certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Casas or Dr. Watterson who can work with you to develop a plan to restore your body. Dr. Casas believes it is extremely important to be in your best physical and mental state before undergoing any elective procedures.

10.  The best way to maintain your mommy makeover results is through a healthy diet and exercise plan that helps you maintain your body shape and reduces your stress.