Mommy Makeover

While having children is an extremely rewarding experience, the physical changes that accompany pregnancy and breastfeeding can cause a range of aesthetic concerns that are difficult to resolve with dieting and exercise alone. These changes affect many areas and may include stubborn fat buildup, a bulging abdominal appearance, or a loss of breast volume. You may want to improve one issue or several different concerns. In either case, a Mommy Makeover is a treatment custom-designed to help women comprehensively meet their goals and restore their pre-pregnancy figure. Known for achieving remarkably natural-looking results, our Beverly Hills-trained plastic surgeon, Geoffrey Leber, MD, FACS, offers a Mommy Makeover at his Boston practice and customizes the treatment according to your individual concerns.

What is a Mommy Makeover?
Mommy Makeover Benefits
Mommy Makeover Candidates
Mommy Makeover Options
Mommy Makeover Procedure
Mommy Makeover Recovery
Mommy Makeover Results
Mommy Makeover Scars
Mommy Makeover Cost
Mommy Makeover Timing
Mommy Makeover Safety
Mommy Makeover FAQs

What is a Mommy Makeover?

A Mommy Makeover is a series of treatments that primarily aim to address the physical transformation that the body undergoes as a result of pregnancy and nursing. The procedures that constitute a Mommy Makeover are completely personalized and chosen according to your unique needs and aesthetic concerns. Depending on these considerations, a Mommy Makeover can improve a number of regions, including the:

Abdomen
Breasts
Excess fat stores

After a thorough consultation in which Dr. Leber can gain an understanding of your reasons for treatment, he can suggest the most effective procedures to help you achieve your aesthetic goals. Depending on which procedures you choose to undergo, a Mommy Makeover can be completed in one surgery and recovery period, or over a series of stages. Dr. Leber will go over the details of your specific treatment plan in person, fully informing you of what to expect during and after your Mommy Makeover.

What are the Benefits of a Mommy Makeover?

With a Mommy Makeover, women who have had children can address “problem” areas that dieting and exercise cannot reach. Living a healthy, active lifestyle may help patients lose weight after having kids, but no amount of exercise or balanced eating can improve excess skin, stretched tissue, separated abdominal musculature, or stubborn, exercise-resistant fat. Compared to pursuing each procedure individually, a Mommy Makeover generally allows patients to:

Address all of their aesthetic concerns in one comprehensive surgical plan
Restore their “pre-baby” body
Complement the results achieved from dieting and exercise
Attain a better fit in form-fitting clothes
Feel more confident and have greater self-esteem

If you’re dissatisfied with your breasts or body contours after having children, a Mommy Makeover is likely a potential solution to your concerns. However, Mommy Makeover surgery is not ideal for every patient. For those who are primarily concerned with hanging, excess skin, Dr. Leber also offers a lower body lift to re-sculpt the thighs, abdomen, or buttocks after massive weight loss. He can help identify the best treatment for your needs after discussing your goals in a consultation.

Who is a Candidate for a Mommy Makeover?

Ideal candidates for a Mommy Makeover are healthy enough to undergo surgery and have no uncontrolled medical conditions that may inhibit the healing process. Additionally, those considering treatment should desire improvement in the areas commonly affected by pregnancy and nursing.

A Mommy Makeover can be an excellent choice to correct some or all of the following concerns:

Loose, excess skin in the abdominal area
Stretched or separated abdominal muscles
Excess fat pockets in the abdomen, upper arms, thighs, waist, and mid-back, among other body areas
Loss of volume and/or shape in the breasts
Breast sag as a result of pregnancy or nursing

Your surgical plan will be tailored to address your concerns and achieve your unique aesthetic goals. In many cases, patients opt to complement their Mommy Makeover with non-surgical injectables and dermal fillers. These injectables can help reduce wrinkles, add facial volume, and generally rejuvenate areas of the face that show signs of age and exhaustion. Non-surgical treatments can allow Mommy Makeover patients to refresh their face while enjoying a timely in-office treatment and zero downtime.

What Are My Options in a Mommy Makeover?

Your treatment plan in a Mommy Makeover will be developed based on which body areas you seek to enhance. Commonly, women who undergo a Mommy Makeover desire comprehensive improvement in their body contour, a concern that can be effectively addressed with a range of body sculpting procedures. Special consideration is often given to the abdomen, as this area frequently undergoes the most changes after pregnancy.

Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)

More often than not, the pregnancy process causes excessive stretching and weakening of the abdominal wall that creates the appearance of an expanded midsection. The abdominal muscles may also be separated or stretched while the skin loses its elasticity—combined, these factors can cause a protruding or hanging abdominal profile that is resistant to efforts in toning, dieting, or exercise.

An abdominoplasty—often referred to as a tummy tuck— can be highly effective in reversing the physical “wear and tear” suffered during pregnancy. This procedure is designed to provide a slimmer, flatter, and firmer abdominal appearance by removing excess skin, tightening loose or separated abdominal muscles, and pulling remaining skin taut. While many surgeons perform the procedure to solely tighten the abdominal wall, Dr. Leber works to create additional muscular definition in the abdomen by returning separated muscles to their pre-pregnancy position. Furthermore, he preserves the belly button hollow and places incisions inside this hollow (as opposed to encircling the naval) to allow more discreet scarring and natural-looking results.

Breast Surgery

There are a number of breast surgery options that can address the volume loss, skin laxity, and breast sag that commonly result after pregnancy and breastfeeding. A breast lift, with or without the addition of implants, is a popular treatment choice to reduce breast sag and restore the breasts’ youthful positioning on the chest wall. Many women opt for further enhancement by having implants placed in conjunction with the breast lift procedure to correct deficits in breast volume. While the breast lift with implants combination surgery can be an excellent choice, a breast augmentation alone can also achieve beautiful results by increasing breast volume and fullness while restoring shape and symmetry. For women whose breasts have grown uncomfortably larger due to childbearing, a breast reduction can achieve a more proportional breast appearance and body contour.

Liposuction

Liposuction can be a relatively simple addition to your Mommy Makeover that creates a dramatic difference. If you are bothered by stubborn fat pockets that reside in the abdomen, waistline, arms, thighs, back, or flanks, liposuction can remove these isolated fat stores with minimal incisions for improved definition and contour in the treated area(s). Depending on your cosmetic goals, liposuction typically serves as an exceptional complement to the tummy tuck procedure.

Patient Results

Below are a few cases from our extensive gallery, click here to view more.

How is a Mommy Makeover Performed?

During your consultation, Dr. Leber will perform a review of your medical history and a physical examination. He will help you determine which procedures can achieve your goals for surgery, and your treatment plan will be formulated based on your aesthetic concerns. Once your treatment plan is finalized, the details of your enhancement—including the combination of chosen treatments—will establish whether your Mommy Makeover can be performed at one time or through a series of sessions. To ensure you are well-informed about every step of the process, Dr. Leber will thoroughly explain each aspect of your Mommy Makeover and provide a general timeline of what you can expect. The recovery period for a Mommy Makeover is subjective for each patient and will depend on the nature of your treatment plan as well as your body’s unique rate of healing. Detailed pre- and post-operative instructions will be provided in person.

The combination of procedures that constitute a Mommy Makeover generally allow women to regain their pre-pregnancy figure with natural-looking results and less time and expense than would be sacrificed if the procedures were performed separately.

How Much Recovery Time is Required After a Mommy Makeover?

Most patients require one to two weeks of recovery time before they return to their normal daily routines. The exact amount of time it will take for your body to fully recover depends on your unique rate of healing and the procedures incorporated into your treatment plan. Procedures that involve extensive tissue transfer, such as a tummy tuck or breast lift, generally require a longer recovery period than liposuction and other less invasive procedures. Follow-up appointments will be scheduled at regular intervals so Dr. Leber can check on your progress and ensure the healing process is proceeding smoothly. Exercise and strenuous activity should be avoided for at least one month, or until Dr. Leber tells you otherwise.

Mommy Makeover Recovery Tips

Since a Mommy Makeover comprises multiple procedures, a relatively longer healing period should be expected when compared to recovery after a lone surgery. Some patience will be necessary as you progress through the different stages of recovery, but knowing what to expect beforehand can be immensely helpful as you recuperate. We understand that recovery can be made all the more challenging by motherhood, which is why Dr. Leber has offered the following tips to help you prepare for your surgery:

Once you are discharged from our surgical facility, arrange for a friend or loved one to drive you home and help you around the house for a few days.
During this time, plan to have some type of childcare to help you with supervision, pickups and drop offs, and other household duties. You will be unable to drive or lift anything above your head during recovery, so this assistance will allow you to attain the rest your body needs to heal.
Fill any post-operative medications before your Mommy Makeover so you will be ready for your recovery prior to your procedure. Also, be sure to ask your doctor about any medications that you should stop taking before surgery.
Prepare your home before your Mommy Makeover. If necessary, try to attend to any cleaning/organizational duties prior to surgery. It may also help to prepare meals for the week ahead of time.

Always reach out to Dr. Leber if you have any questions or concerns about the recovery process after a Mommy Makeover. Dr. Leber will give you more information about what to expect with regard to your unique treatment plan in person.

What Can I Expect From My Mommy Makeover Results?

The outcome of a Mommy Makeover can be very transformative. Results vary based on the details of each person’s treatment plan, but most patients experience vast improvements in their breasts and body contours — particularly if a tummy tuck was included in their Mommy Makeover plan. The longevity of the results generally depend on whether you’re able to maintain a stable weight following surgery, as weight fluctuations tend to stretch the skin and reduce tissue elasticity. We encourage patients to postpone their Mommy Makeover until after there are no future plans for pregnancy or breastfeeding to ensure the best possible quality of results.

It’s important to remember that swelling after the completion of your treatment plan may last for six months to one year. That said, most inflammation should subside within two to three months after surgery. Dr. Leber will be able to give you a better understanding of what to expect after your Mommy Makeover once your surgical plan is developed.

Bandaid

What Will My Mommy Makeover Scars Look Like?

The shape and size of your scars will depend on the amount of redundant skin and tissue for each of your respective procedures. In an abdominoplasty, depending on the extent of skin redundancy and overhang(pannus), the scar is designed low on the bikini line and may be short, or it may extend from hip to hip. In some cases, the procedure may require a small vertices component. Dr. Leber will make the shortest scar length required to achieve the best aesthetic outcome.

Liposuction incisions are small, measuring 3-4 mm in length. They are made in inconspicuous locations near the area of treatment (in the natural folds of the skin whenever possible). Scars from breast surgery vary depending on the procedure(s) performed. During breast augmentation, they are made as small as possible to allow placement of a silicone implant, usually measuring 4-5 cm long in the natural inframmamary crease. Breast lift scars may require a periareolar scar, along with a vertices and crease scar to achieve the optimal breast lift and shape. Dr. Leber is highly experienced in placing incisions so that scars appear as discreetly as possible, and he will show you exactly where they will be placed during one of your pre-operative appointments. During the recovery process, taking care of your incisions can increase the chances that your Mommy Makeover scars will flatten and fade to some extent over time.

Wallet

How Much Does a Mommy Makeover Cost?

According to patient reviews, the cost of a Mommy Makeover in Boston can range from $11,400 to $22,100 depending on details unique to your surgical plan, such as:

The procedures you choose to undergo
The complexity of your treatment plan
Whether you received breast implants
The surgical techniques used in each procedure

After Dr. Leber can gain a sense of your needs and goals, our patient care coordinator will be able to provide you with a personalized quote based on your treatment plan. Our practice accepts plastic surgery financing from some of the nation’s leading healthcare lending companies, including CareCredit® and Prosper® Healthcare Lending. By offering qualified patients a wide selection of low- to no-interest payment plans that could suit virtually any budget, the overall cost of a Mommy Makeover can be made more manageable. If you have any questions about the price of a Mommy Makeover, we encourage you to contact our team.

When is the Best Time for a Mommy Makeover?

Dr. Leber generally recommends waiting six months to one year after giving birth before pursuing a Mommy Makeover. This allows time for the body changes caused by pregnancy to settle, and often helps patients experience the first few months of raising their newborn without the stressors of surgery and its subsequent recovery period. Additionally, the best Mommy Makeover results are often achieved when there are no future plans for pregnancy or breastfeeding. Having a child and/or nursing after your Mommy Makeover does not present any type of medical concern, but it will likely cause the same physical changes that you initially sought to correct with a Mommy Makeover, such as breast volume loss, stretched abdominal muscles, fat accumulation, and increased skin laxity. For this reason, waiting until your family is complete to undergo a Mommy Makeover is usually the best way to help ensure a long-lasting outcome.

Is a Mommy Makeover Safe?

A Mommy Makeover is considered a safe treatment option for individuals who are good candidates for surgery and who are under the care of a well-qualified plastic surgeon. That said, there are risks involved with any type of surgery and a Mommy Makeover is no exception. In general, the cosmetic procedures usually included in a Mommy Makeover come with a potential risk of infection, contour irregularities, bleeding, unfavorable scarring, recurrent skin laxity, and cardiac or pulmonary complications, among other negative reactions. It will be up to each patient to weigh the benefits of a Mommy Makeover, and determine whether the procedures are worth the risks of surgery.

The most crucial factor in maximizing the safety of your Mommy Makeover is to enlist an aesthetic plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) to perform your procedure(s). A board-certified plastic surgeon generally has the highest level of training and experience when it comes to aesthetic procedures, often completing countless hours of continuing education courses to achieve accreditation. This expertise and specialized training go beyond the minimum qualifications required to perform surgery, allowing patients to feel more confident entrusting a plastic surgeon with their safety and cosmetic goals.

Additional Mommy Makeover FAQs

What’s the difference between a Mommy Makeover and a lower body lift?

A Mommy Makeover and a lower body lift usually involve multiple procedures combined into one treatment plan. The difference is that a Mommy Makeover is specifically designed to address areas affected by pregnancy or nursing, such as the breasts and abdomen, while a lower body lift mostly focuses on the thighs. When loose, excess skin begins to compromise the shape of the thighs, a thigh lift procedure can reduce sagging and smooth the inner thigh contour. The buttocks and hips can also be shaped as part of a lower body lift as well. Ultimately, your treatment plan can encompass any procedure(s) you wish and our team is here to guide you through the entire process.

Can I still gain weight after a Mommy Makeover?

Yes, a Mommy Makeover simply shapes and sculpts regions of the body affected by pregnancy and breastfeeding. There is nothing about the procedures included in a Mommy Makeover that prevent weight gain. With that said, patients who undergo a Mommy Makeover should prioritize a healthy, active lifestyle after surgery to maintain the high quality of their results. Weight gain is a primary factor that can change or diminish the outcome of cosmetic procedures; therefore, it’s generally best to maintain a stable weight after a Mommy Makeover to ensure your results last as long as possible.

What are the risks involved with a Mommy Makeover?

A Mommy Makeover involves similar risks as any type of elective surgery, including a possibility of infection, seroma, loss of sensation or breastfeeding ability, and negative reactions to the anesthesia, among other complications. Depending on which procedures are included in your treatment plan, other risks may also present themselves (e.g. the chance of capsular contracture for patients who receive breast implants). The choice to undergo a Mommy Makeover is a personal decision, and you will have to determine whether the benefits outweigh the potential risks. Patient safety is paramount and we encourage you to only select a board-certified plastic surgeon to perform your Mommy Makeover.

Is a plus-size Mommy Makeover possible?

Dr. Leber can perform a tummy tuck and other body contouring procedures for a range of different body types, including plus-size patients. This possibility depends on your medical history, overall health, expectations for the results, and the specific procedures chosen. Each person will be evaluated individually to determine whether a Mommy Makeover can safely and successfully produce their desired results. We invite you to explore our before-and-after photos of plus-size patients who previously underwent abdominoplasty to see the outcomes possible with cosmetic surgery.

How long do results from a Mommy Makeover last?

Results from a Mommy Makeover can last indefinitely for patients who maintain a stable weight after surgery. Though the natural aging process will continue, the outcome can last for many years (or decades) as long as there is no significant weight gain. To help ensure your results last as long as possible, we advise only pursuing a Mommy Makeover after you have no plans for future pregnancy.

To learn more about this comprehensive treatment, or to schedule your consultation with Dr. Leber, please don’t hesitate to contact our practice today.