Body Contouring

Mommy Makeover

Post-pregnancy rejuvenation, or the “Mommy Makeover,” refers to a set of plastic surgery procedures, generally including both breast and body contouring, designed to bring a mother’s body closer to the condition that it was prior to child birth. These procedures are performed at the same time, providing a complete rejuvenation, and allowing for a single recovery period.

As a result of pregnancies and breast feeding, many mothers find that their breasts have lost a significant amount of volume and are droopier than before. Physiologically, during pregnancy and subsequent breast feeding, the breasts become engorged. Once breast feeding is completed, the breast deflates again and often an actual loss of breast tissue occurs. The deflated look that can result is accentuated by the fact that the stretched breast skin has lost elasticity and cannot return to its former shape. Plastic surgery procedures that best address this problem include a breast augmentation with or without a breast lift, or a breast lift by itself.

In some women, the breast enlargement that occurs during pregnancy does not entirely recede, and their breasts are actually larger as well as droopier than before. This is often accompanied by some overall weight gain. These patients will benefit from a breast reduction.

Pregnancies can also affect the abdominal area profoundly. The stretching of the abdominal wall as the baby grows causes the abdominal wall tissues to overstretch, and due to a loss of elasticity in these tissues, the abdominal wall is not able to snap back completely after birth. Often there is redundant abdominal skin and fat that remains, further adding to a noticeable increased girth in the midsection. Because of this abdominal laxity, many women have a feeling of instability in the area, often described as a feeling of “falling out in front,” and some women notice back pain and postural changes associated with this imbalance. An abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck, is ideally suited to fully correct all of these issues by simultaneously tightening the abdominal wall and removing the excess skin and fat. The result is a slimmer, tighter, flatter, and more stable abdomen.

A subset of women may develop a new or enlarged hernia in the abdominal area as a result of pregnancy. A hernia refers to an actual tear in the covering of the intestinal cavity. The result is that internal contents can actually cause bulges noticeable on the abdominal surface. The most common area for this to occur post-pregnancy is around the belly button. Hernias should be repaired when possible in conjunction with abdominoplasties in order to achieve the best results.

Some women will also benefit from liposuction, either in conjunction with an abdominoplasty or alone. Liposuction will remove persistent areas of fatty deposits that may have collected as a result of overall weight gain associated with pregnancy, providing for a smoother overall contour.

Certainly not all women who undergo pregnancies and childbirth have a need for any post-partum rejuvenation. But as women are waiting longer to have their first children, and with the increasing frequency of multiple births, the requests for “mommy makeovers” has dramatically increased in the San Francisco Bay Area. Having children is one of the things that make life truly special, and we would gladly sacrifice our bodies again. Luckily, though, there are options to bring us back to baseline. Mothers who undergo post-pregnancy rejuvenation are universally pleased, as diet and exercise alone are not able to fully correct the issues. They look and feel better and experience a wonderful renewed sense of confidence.

Breast reduction and abdominoplasty

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Mastopexy and abdominoplasty

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Corrective secondary augmentation, mastopexy, and abdominoplasty

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Mastopexy and abdominoplasty

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Mastopexy and augmentation, abdominoplasty, and hernia repair

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This gallery represents only a small selection of photos available for viewing. Additional before/after results are available at the time of your appointment.
Before and After Photos – individual results may vary