Guide:
- Mommy Makeover Recovery: What To Expect
- How Do I Prepare For a Mommy Makeover?
- Mommy Makeover: Best Healing Practices
- When Will I See Results After Mommy Makeover?
- What Will The Scars Look Like After Mommy Makeover?
- What Results Can I Expect After Mommy Makeover?
- Ready To Restore Your Body With A Mommy Makeover?
Bringing children into this world is a beautiful part of life but often comes with a cost to mothers: they trade their tight, youthful bodies for stubborn fat and sagging skin in unwanted places like the tummy, flanks, and lower back. Wanting to regain their pre-baby bodies as much as possible, many mothers look into mommy makeover surgery when they finish having children.
Mommy makeovers can consist of a wide range of rejuvenating body procedures, from a tummy tuck and labiaplasty to a Brazilian butt lift and breast lift, customized to each patient based on their goals. The recovery process varies from patient to patient and the procedures they choose to include. Since most mommy makeovers involve multiple body contouring procedures, they require a lengthy downtime for the best healing.
Mommy Makeover Recovery: What To Expect
Before going into a mommy makeover, you should know that the recovery will take some time and patience. A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, yields a lengthy recovery on its own but combined with other procedures that also require a longer recovery period, such as the Brazilian Butt Lift, you’ll need to be extra cautious as you wait for your rejuvenated body to heal.
| The average recovery length for the most popular mommy makeover procedures | |
|---|---|
| Tummy tuck | 2 weeks of bed rest, 2-3 months of healing |
| Liposuction | 3 days of bed rest, up to six weeks of recovery (depending on the amount of fat removed and the treatment location) |
| Breast lift | 2 days of bed rest, 6 weeks of healing |
| Breast augmentation | 2 days of bed rest, 6 weeks of healing |
| Labiaplasty | 1-2 weeks of best rest, 6 weeks of healing |
| Brazilian butt lift | 2 weeks of bed rest, 2-3 months of healing |
How Do I Prepare For a Mommy Makeover?
To help you get your ducks in a row before going into surgery, we’ve compiled a “mommy makeover checklist” of some important steps to take in preparation for a successful mommy makeover recovery:
- Get necessary lab testing or medical evaluation (your surgical team will give you the details of what this entails).
- Start taking medications prescribed by your doctor and stop taking specific medications as ordered.
- Do not smoke.
- Avoid taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, and herbal supplements.
- Find someone to take you home from surgery and help you during your required resting period. Someone to ensure you’re taking the necessary medications. Help with eating, cleaning your incisions, and doing household chores like cleaning and caring for pets.
- Make sure you have a babysitter (this may be your partner or parent) willing to commit plenty of time to help you take care of your children as you heal.
- Stash up on the pillows – After procedures like tummy tuck and BBL, you should lie down at specific angles to heal correctly and avoid complications. We recommend ensuring that you have plenty of pillows to provide cushion as you lie in positions that may feel uncomfortable without support.
- Plan to take two full weeks away from work.
- Make sure you have plenty of clothes that can be comfortably taken on and off without hurting your incisions during recovery (for example, button-up shirts, robes, and nightgowns).
Mommy Makeover: Best Healing Practices
To heal safely and seamlessly and achieve the best results possible, some actions to take during your mommy makeover recovery include:
- Avoid rubbing or putting excessive force on your incisions.
- Avoid going to the gym and resuming exercise until your doctor permits. This rest period usually lasts between 6-10 weeks, but everyone’s body heals differently, especially when it comes to mommy makeovers customized to the individual. If a tummy tuck is part of your surgery, try sleeping in an elevated position for the first few weeks of recovery, preferably in a recliner, to avoid tugging on the stitches as you would lying flat in your bed.
- If BBL is part of your surgery, use pillows under your back and thighs to support yourself and avoid putting any pressure on your buttocks while lying down for the first few weeks of recovery. Although it may feel uncomfortable, sleeping on your side is best during BBL recovery as it reduces swelling and takes the pressure off the treated areas.
- Keep all incisions clean and properly bandaged.
- Be sure to wear any garments as ordered by your doctor if you include any type of body contouring in your surgery.
- Avoid drinking alcohol for the first two weeks of recovery.
- Continue eating a well-balanced diet to maintain results.
- Avoid smoking.
- Don’t hesitate to call your doctor if anything concerns you during recovery. It’s better to be safe than sorry they care about your recovery as much as you do.
- Avoid lifting your children as you heal, risking tearing your incisions and leading to complications.
When Will I See Results After Mommy Makeover?
The total healing time varies from patient to patient and depends on the types of procedures you decide to combine. You should start to see noticeable results that improve your confidence after about three months. It can take a whole year for final results to make their debut.
What Will The Scars Look Like After Mommy Makeover?
With great mommy makeover results comes a small price hidden easily beneath clothing: scars. Most women feel that having scar lines is a small trade-off compared to the significant self-confidence boost.
If you decide to include a tummy tuck and breast procedure in your surgery, you can expect scarring from hip bone to hip bone and around your breasts and armpits. The good news is that these can be hidden easily beneath undergarments or a bikini.
What Results Can I Expect After Mommy Makeover?
Mommy makeovers aim to get you as close to your pre-baby, tight, youthful body as possible. Most of Dr. Liland’s patients share that the surgery has given them a newfound confidence they haven’t had since before pregnancy.
It’s essential to go into your mommy makeover with realistic expectations and be aware that it’s virtually impossible to achieve the exact body shape you had before pregnancy. Doctors specializing in mommy makeovers, like board-certified Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. David Liland, have an artistic eye for sculpting your body as close to your goals as possible while remaining safe.
Ready To Restore Your Body With A Mommy Makeover?
If you fully understand what to expect after your mommy makeover surgery and are confident you’re ready to take on this step toward newfound confidence, request a consultation with Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. David Liland, known for giving patients life-changing mommy makeover results.