By Seth Jones, MD and Michael Loffredo, MD
While new motherhood brings undeniable joys, pregnancy itself can bring many undesirable physical changes. As your weight fluctuates during pregnancy, your skin can become loose and stubborn pockets of fat may persist long after childbirth, despite a regular diet and exercise routine. In the world of cosmetic surgery, a “Mommy Makeover” is designed to help you reclaim your figure and boost your confidence so you can focus on what’s most important: your family.
The Mommy Makeover is a popular personalized combination of cosmetic techniques designed specifically to address common effects of motherhood on a woman’s body, and a growing number of new moms are choosing to target these changes with this cosmetic treatment after childbirth.
So what are the cosmetic techniques used in a Mommy Makeover? Most commonly, surgeries may include a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) to remove loose skin so as to slim and sculpt the abdomen, breast augmentation and/ or breast lift (mastopexy) to address sagging or deflated breasts due to breast-feeding by restoring breast volume and perkiness through the insertion of saline or silicone implants, and liposuction to help to remove unwanted fat and flatten and contour the stomach area by eliminating localized deposits of fat from multiple areas of the body. The result? Stretched abdominal muscles are tightened and excess skin is removed to restore or even improve your waistline, while the breasts are reshaped, lifted and enlarged to achieve a fuller and more youthful appearance. This popular treatment has no set components as each procedure is tailored to fit your individual needs.
A Mommy Makeover can be performed in a single surgery or over a period of time, depending on your desired outcome and which procedures you choose.
A good candidate for a Mommy Makeover is a healthy woman with a stable weight or a woman who is dissatisfied with post-pregnancy changes to your body. A good candidate should also have realistic goals and expectations. And worth considering, a Mommy Makeover may not be for everyone; especially women who want to have more children as final results may be compromised with additional pregnancies.
The recovery time for a Mommy Makeover varies. After surgery, you’ll have to take it easy and rest for the first few days of recovery, as well as wear specialized support and compression garments to minimize swelling and encourage proper healing.
The final results of your Mommy Makeover will become gradually apparent over several weeks to several months as swelling begins to subside. Most mothers are able to resume normal activities, including work, within two to three weeks of surgery. More strenuous activities and exercise may be restricted for several weeks.
For women interested in a Mommy Makeover, the surgeons of Cape & Islands Plastic Surgery are highly experienced. Board-certified plastic surgeons Dr. Seth Jones and Dr. Michael Loffredo have each performed hundreds of Mommy Makeovers for patients from all over Cape Cod to the South Shore to Southeastern Massachusetts. Both have extensive knowledge of breast aesthetics with body contouring, having done fellowships with esteemed plastic surgeons.
During his aesthetic fellowship, Dr. Loffredo perfected his skills in all the latest techniques in body contouring and breast surgery. His work has been published in the prestigious Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal, as coauthor of an article on new techniques for improving breast reduction surgery, published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Dr. Jones was featured in the prestigious Aesthetic Surgery Journal published by the American Society for Plastic Surgery where he co-authored an article on the proper technique for combining a tummy tuck with liposuction to deliver superior results for patients. As noted in the abstract, combining a tummy tuck and liposuction “with proper technique—including thorough tumescent infiltration and vascular preservation during the liposuction portion—the procedure delivers superior results”. The article reviews both risk mitigation and proper technique to ensure patient safety and a positive aesthetic result.
Cape & Islands Plastic Surgery is one of the only plastic surgery practices in the region to offer Mommy Makeovers to patients. If you’re ready to get your body back after pregnancy, contact us to schedule a consultation for a Mommy Makeover with Dr. Jones or Dr. Loffredo and get started on a new you.
