The Mommy Makeover: A Growing Plastic Surgery Trend

Congratulations! You made it through childbirth, and now you are at home with your beautiful child(ren). You have accomplished one of life’s most challenging – though rewarding – experiences.
So, why don’t you feel like patting yourself on the back when you look in the mirror? Is it because you see sagging breasts, or thighs that make you think you will never get to wear that pre-pregnancy bikini ever again?
A growing trend in plastic surgery is actually a group of procedures that, when done simultaneously, can be coined a “Mommy Makeover.” This group of procedures, typically performed on young mothers, helps moms to restore their inner and outer beauty – the beauty that they knew before they had kids – and revitalize and re-energize their youthfulness.
The goal of a Mommy Makeover is to correct the many changes that a woman’s body endures after childbirth or weight gain. Most often, a Mommy Makeover consists of a tummy tuck combined with breast augmentation, and liposuction may be performed on the inner and outer thighs and other areas as well. Although these procedures are the most common ones performed during a Mommy Makeover, exact procedures may vary among patients depending on their needs and goals.
As many women can attest, their breasts often sag or “disappear” after having children, especially after breastfeeding. Their abdominal walls can become stretched, causing a belly that bulges and stretch marks. And, they may notice that their inner and outer thighs contain a lot of excess fat, as do the “love handles” that surround their abdominal area.
To treat these conditions, breast augmentation can be performed to enhance the breasts and fill them out. Some patients desire implants while others may simply need a breast lift. To rid their abdominal areas of excess fat, the surgeon may perform a tummy tuck to tighten the abdominal muscle and remove excess skin and fat. Liposuction can rid the hips, love handles and thighs of excess fat and smooth out the contours.
A Mommy Makeover is a substantial surgery, though the end result is a dramatic improvement in a woman’s post-pregnancy body – an improvement that may not even be able to be achieved through a good diet and exercise. The main advantage is that it can be done in only one surgery, rather than multiple surgeries and thus only requires one recovery period.
But perhaps the single most important aspect to the Mommy Makeover is that it can restore a mother’s confidence and self-esteem, making her feel younger and energized enough to keep up with her kids!