Pregnancy and breastfeeding take a toll on your body. Every woman is unique, and your challenges returning to your pre-baby weight and figure are no exception. The mommy makeover is a customized set of plastic surgery procedures that target your specific concerns with your breasts and body. This combination surgery often involves a form of breast surgery, tummy tuck and liposuction to target loose skin, stretched muscles and other common concerns after pregnancy.
Most women want their pre-baby figure back but struggle to achieve their desired results through diet and exercise. Our board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Mune Gowda, offers the mommy makeover to patients in Novi and Troy, Michigan and nationwide using state-of-the-art technology and equipment.
Breast Changes from Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Your breasts and nipples go through changes to accommodate and feed your newborn child, regardless of whether you breastfeed or not. When your hormones settle after the postpartum period or weaning, you may experience breast sagging and volume loss. Women with large breasts are more likely to experience moderate to severe breast ptosis (drooping) after childbearing.
Dr. Gowda will evaluate your degree of breast sagging and recommend breast surgery to restore volume and placement. He may suggest breast augmentation with breast implants and/or a breast lift to elevate the position of your breasts higher on your chest for a youthful, comfortable contour. Some women may wish to have a breast reduction as part of their mommy makeover.
Loose Skin, Stretched Muscles and Stubborn Fat
One of the primary goals of a mommy makeover is to restore a slim, flat abdomen. Pregnancy and weight gain stretch out the muscles in your stomach, sometimes causing diastasis recti or a belly bulge. You may notice your stomach sticks out more when you contract your abdominal muscles and may see muscle separation down the center of your abdomen. This condition causes more than a cosmetic concern. Due to diastasis recti, you may have lower back pain, urinary incontinence and poor posture.
A tummy tuck tightens these muscles to give you a flatter stomach and alleviate the symptoms of diastasis recti. Many women also have loose skin after pregnancy that is removed during the tummy tuck, along with stretch marks in the lower abdomen where the skin is excised.
The process of growing life inside of you changes more than your body shape. Some women have even more difficulty losing fat in stubborn areas after childbearing. Liposuction can remove fat pockets that are resistant to traditional weight loss, such as the “love handles,” thighs and abdominal areas. The fat removal procedure is often included in a tummy tuck and mommy makeover.
Your Mommy Makeover Procedure
You will need to wait until your body has recovered from childbirth and you are finished breastfeeding because your breasts and abdomen need time to retract. The best mommy makeover candidates are finished having children, close to their goal weight and living a healthy lifestyle. Dr. Gowda understands mothers are often stretched thin for time and will design your mommy makeover for optimal recovery time. That way, you’re back to your family and regular activities as soon as possible. Non-surgical treatments may improve other concerns that pop up after pregnancy such as injectables for facial lines and wrinkles and laser skin resurfacing.
If you are interested in a mommy makeover, schedule your consultation with our board-certified plastic surgeon at Gowda MD & Associates. Send us an email or call our Novi office at (248) 305-8400 or Troy office at (248) 530-0000. If you live in another city or state, please use our out of town form.