Mommy Makeover – Body Contouring Implants

Mommy Makeover – Body Contouring Implants

A mommy makeover offers women who are dissatisfied with these changes, the opportunity to restore their pre-pregnancy appearances. A mommy makeover refers to a combination of plastic surgery procedures that are chosen by you and your surgeon in order to address the changes to your post-pregnancy body.

The most commonly performed procedures during a mommy makeover include breast augmentation, breast lift with or without implants, breast reduction, full or mini tummy tuck, and liposuction.

However, there are many additional treatments such as thigh lift or cosmetic injections that can be performed during a mommy makeover, depending upon your specific concerns. This animation will focus on breast augmentation, full tummy tuck, and liposuction of the outer thighs.

Surgery Preparation

During the initial consultation, your surgeon will discuss your post-pregnancy body goals and procedure options.

While discussing which parts of your body you would like treated, your surgeon will advise you on which procedures are best suited for your needs.

The number and variety of treatments you have, along with your overall health, determines whether maternity cosmetics are performed in a single procedure or a series of surgeries performed over a long period of time.

If combined in one step, mother’s makeup usually takes 3 to 5 hours. The actual duration of the surgery depends on the number of procedures performed.

Before surgery, your surgeon will draw incision guides for your breasts, abdomen, and outer thighs. Your anesthesiologist will likely use general anesthesia during the procedure, which will make you sleepy.

Breast Enhancement

The appearance of the breasts after pregnancy can be unsatisfactory for many women, as the physical demands of breastfeeding after childbirth can significantly change the shape and size of the breasts.

Some women find that their breasts sag and lose volume after pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Depending on the amount of breast tissue remaining, implanting an augmentation, breast lift, or breast lift is meant to restore the breasts to their original state.

Alternatively, some women may find that their breasts are large and disproportionate to their body size after pregnancy. In these cases, breast reduction is necessary to relieve discomfort and to obtain more balanced and smooth breasts.

This animation will focus on breast augmentation or augmentation helping to restore volume and breast size through the use of breast implants.

Breast Augmentation Procedure

An important decision regarding breast augmentation is whether to use an implant in silicone or in solution.

Silicone and saline implants come in similar shapes, sizes and textures, differing in the composition that fills the implant. For more information on silicone and saline implants, please see our breast augmentation animation.

Your surgeon will help you choose the appropriate implant style and size based on your body contours and the amount of breast tissue available to achieve the look you want.

Breast implants can be placed behind the tissue known as the sub-glandular location or behind the tissue known as the submuscular location.

This animation shows the sub-glandular placement of the breast implant, a pocket created under the breast tissue but above the muscle.

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There are different incision techniques used during augmentation, depending on the patient’s particular situation.

This animation will show the incision under the breast, hiding the resulting scars placing an incision along the lower crease of each breast.

If you want to know more about the different breast enlargement options, please watch our animation about breast enlargement.

Your surgeon will make an incision along the lines. Then the breast tissue is separated and one is created for the implant.

Using a finger or a non-contact device, your surgeon will pocket the implant and examine your breasts to make sure they are symmetrical.

Adjustments can be made to the breast implant pocket and position to achieve the look.

Tummy Tucks

Pregnancy can significantly affect the abdomen. The abdominal muscles are often separated and may be permanent, requiring surgical closure and returning the abdomen to its pre-pregnancy state.

In addition, the skin of the abdomen is stretched significantly during pregnancy, which often causes stretch marks and loose, saggy skin.

These conditions can persist despite proper diet and nutrition and cause the abdomen to appear disproportionate to the rest of the body. A tummy tuck or tummy tuck can restore a firmer and flatter appearance.

A full tummy tuck removes excess fat, skin and stretch marks in the abdomen and tightens the muscles.

Alternatively, a mini tummy tuck focuses on removing belly fat, loose skin and stretch marks.
This animation will explain the full abdominoplasty procedure;

Full Tummy Tuck Procedure

Following the pre-marked instructions, your surgeon will make an incision just above the groin area.

Typically, this incision is placed far enough down that the resulting wound can be easily concealed with underwear or a bathing suit. A second incision is made around the navel to free the navel from the surrounding tissue.

Then, the skin and fat layers on the abdominal wall are lifted up, revealing the abdominal muscles.

Your surgeon stitches these muscles together, bringing them closer together. And it creates a flatter, tighter abdominal wall and a slimmer waist.

After the muscles are stretched, the skin and fat layer is stretched over the abdominal wall.

Excess skin and fat are removed under the original incision.

A new hole is made for your navel. Before closing the incision, your surgeon places surgical drains under the incision to allow fluids to escape as you heal. Finally, the incisions are sutured and bandages are applied.

Liposuction

The weight gain that often accompanies pregnancy can be difficult to lose later on. It is common for women to have excess fat on their hips, thighs, and arms after pregnancy. But almost all parts of the body are affected.

Most body fat is located just under the skin, above the muscle tissue. Blood vessels supply blood to the area, and nerve endings provide sensation to the skin.

The amount of fat accumulated under the skin varies depending on genetic characteristics, body type and lifestyle factors such as exercise.

Liposuction works by surgically removing excess fat to achieve better contours in desired areas. Various liposuction techniques are available, including the use of ultrasound or laser light to facilitate liposuction removal.

Tumescent Liposuction Procedure

Tissues are expanded by injecting tumescent fluid into the treatment area. This numbs the treatment area, minimizes bleeding, facilitates removal of fat cells.

Your surgeon will make short incisions along the sides of your body to hide scars. Next, a small tube-like device called a cannula is inserted.

As the oil is sucked back and forth, small tunnels are created in the layer.
The tunnels will collapse in the next few weeks and new main lines will form in the treatment areas.

Your surgeon may close your incisions with stitches or choose to leave them open.
Absorbent pads are applied to the incision areas.

Recovery

Maternity aesthetics are usually done on an outpatient basis, which means you can go home the same way.

Depending on your surgeon’s preference and your situation, it is possible to spend the night in a treatment center and go home the day after surgery, depending on the number and type of procedures performed.

You should wear compression garments that help reduce swelling by preventing fluid build-up in the abdominal thighs and provide comfort and support during recovery.

Swelling, bruising and discomfort are normal and you will be given medication to control your pain as you heal.

Dressings will be removed in the first week after surgery and non-dissolving stitches will be removed two weeks later. If present, surgical drains may remain for up to three weeks before being removed.