Today’s mothers want their pre-pregnancy figures back – and they’re not afraid to acknowledge that they may need a little help from their aesthetic surgeon.
For many women, nothing compares to the joy of motherhood, and changes to their body that take place throughout pregnancy are for the most part celebrated. However, every woman knows their bundle of joy comes at a certain physical price.
Fluctuating hormones, weight changes and breast feeding can result in some significant body changes, especially with multiple pregnancies. Post-pregnancy body changes affect every mother differently, but there are certain areas where changes are particularly common, namely the breasts and abdomen. These changes often present as drooping, deflated, “empty” breasts, and sagging skin and excess fat around the abdomen and love handles. These changes can also affect a woman’s confidence and sense of self.
Even with healthy eating and regular exercise, usually these areas simply won’t budge – and sometimes the only way to get rid of loose, sagging skin is with surgery.
The mummy makeover defined
The term “Mummy Makeover” refers to a combination of surgical procedures to address changes to the body that take place during pregnancy and childbirth and to restore or improve upon the pre-pregnancy shape.
With the increase in safety of both surgical and anaesthetic techniques, longer procedures are tolerated well by most healthy women and allow several areas to be corrected at once so that recovery is simultaneous.
A combination of procedures, individualised to your specific requirements, may include:
- Breast augmentation (+/- breast lift/reduction/reshape)
- Tummy tuck (abdominal muscle and waist tightening, stretch mark removal)
- Liposuction
The ideal time for mums to undergo a mummy makeover is when they’ve finished growing their family and have maintained a stable weight for at least six months. They should also be physically and psychologically healthy and have realistic goals and expectations of what surgery can achieve.
A mummy makeover typically addresses the changes seen in the abdomen and breasts. Depending on their individual circumstances, women may benefit from a breast reduction, lift or augmentation in combination with a tummy tuck to improve the contour of the abdomen. Adjunct procedures such as labiaplasty, liposuction and body contouring, including procedures to reduce the circumference of the thigh and arm reduction may also be considered, especially if large weight loss has taken place following child birth.
Breast surgery and abdominoplasty may be performed at the same time. Recovery after a combined breast and abdominal procedure should take the same time as recovering from an abdominal procedure in isolation.
A mummy makeover isn’t just for new mums. It can be equally rewarding for women who have waited years after pregnancy to take time out to do something for themselves.
Breast rejuvenation
(implants, lift, reduction)
Breast implant surgery is one of the most popular ways to improve the size and shape of the breasts post-pregnancy by filling in lost volume. Patients that don’t have much droopiness or significant excess skin are generally good candidates for breast augmentation alone. Implants typically range in volume from 90 to 900 millilitres, come in a variety of different shapes and projections. They are usually inserted via an incison made under the natural breast crease and scarring is therefore quite hidden. Implants can be positioned in front of the pectoral muscle, under the muscle or partially under the muscle, depending on the individual anatomy and needs of the patient for a truly customised look and feel.
Breast lift surgery, also known as mastopexy, is another common component of a mummy makeover. It can be performed on its own, in conjunction with breast implants to also increase size, or in combination with a breast reduction to simutaneously reduce the size of the breasts and lift them to a more youthful position.
A breast lift is designed to lift the breast by removing excess skin, reshaping breast tissue and repositioning/reshaping the nipples to create the look of more perky breasts. An incision is typically made around the areola, vertically down the underside of the breast, and in the inframammary fold. While scarring is more noticeable than breast augmentation surgery, these should fade over time in most patients.
Body reshaping
(tummy tuck, liposuction)
During pregnancy, the abdominal muscles and connective tissue are stretched to accommodate the growing uterus. This can cause the recti abdominal muscles, which run parallel on either side of the belly button, to separate in a condition known as diastasis recti (or abdominal separation). For many women this separation is permanent, resulting in a protruding tummy, and sometimes overhanging skin.
A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a surgical procedure designed to tighten and repair abdominal muscles, remove excess skin, and create a flatter, firmer abdomen. A tummy tuck is almost always accompanied by liposuction to the flanks and love handles, removing excess fat from the area and sculpting a more shapely waistline. Depending on your individual requirements, your surgeon may recommend a full, extended, mini, or reverse abdominoplasty. [A]A
Mummy Makeover FAQs
Who is a good candidate for a mummy makeover?
What does it involve?
Multiple operations are performed at once, in one procedure, under one general anaesthetic. For example, the most common procedure is abdominoplasty with breast lift or combined breast lift with breast augmentation, but depending on their concerns, some women seek abdominoplasty with a thigh lift, breast reduction and lift with arm tightening, buttocks lift with thigh reduction, labiaplasty, and so on.
The benefits are that there is only one hospital cost, one general anaesthetic and one downtime and the results can potentially be more satisfactory. By addressing the issues at the same time, the surgeon can sculpt so that the body parts complement each other.
What’s the downtime?
Downtime and recovery vary, depending on the procedures performed. For some, recovery is 1 to 2 weeks; in other cases, especially if a full tummy tuck is involved, recovery can last 4 to 6 weeks with some restrictions lasting up until the 6-week mark.
Most patients feel well enough to return to full-time office work in about 2 weeks. Patients who perform heavy lifting, manual labor, or are in law enforcement usually require more time. Strenuous exercise and heavy lifting should be postponed for 6 weeks for all patients.
What results can I expect from a mummy makeover?
The mummy makeover can address anything from sagging breasts, loose thighs and arms, stretch marks, Caesarean scars, and uneven fat distribution. Many women say that reclaiming their pre-baby bodies is one of the most rewarding things they’ve done for themselves and wished they’d done it sooner.
