Combining procedures for a mommy makeover can help you achieve your body-image goals. But how can you prepare—and what can you expect—when combining procedures to get your body back? We have created the ultimate guide to help you make decisions about your mommy makeover.
What Should You Know About Combining Procedures for a Mommy Makeover?
When you are combining procedures for a mommy makeover, it is helpful to know the basics and procedure-specific facts, including:
- How to prepare
- What to expect during recovery
- When you will see results
- How long the results will last
How Can You Prepare for a Mommy Makeover Surgery?
You can prepare for mommy makeover surgery by taking specific medical and practical steps to promote your recovery and decrease stress as your body heals. Whether your makeover includes breast enhancement, liposuction, a tummy tuck, or vaginal rejuvenation, preparing your body and home environment will improve your overall experience.
Prepare Your Body
You can prepare your body for a mommy makeover procedure by achieving and maintaining good overall health four to six months in advance. As your surgery date gets closer, your surgeon will have specific requests to promote your well-being.
Tips for Getting and Staying Healthy:
- Avoid medications that increase bleeding – Your plastic surgeon will tell you how many days before surgery you should stop taking aspirin, vitamins, supplements, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
- Blood tests – Your surgeon will use blood tests to identify any medical conditions or risk factors that might affect your surgery and recovery.
- Exercise – Get into the habit of exercising at least 30 minutes daily. Being in the best health condition possible can improve your results and recovery.
- Hydration – Drink plenty of water every day. A well-hydrated body heals faster and easier.
- Limit alcohol consumption – Alcohol can inhibit the healing and recovery process. A 2019 article published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommends that you take fewer drinks four to six months before surgery.
- Mammography – If your mommy makeover includes a breast lift or augmentation, your surgeon may schedule a baseline mammogram to detect and track any breast tissue changes after surgery.
- Nutrition – Eat nutritious foods and take vitamins to prevent deficiencies.
- Pap smear – Your surgeon may require you to complete a pap smear if you have not had one recently (usually within the past two years).
- Prescription medication – Your surgeon will explain which prescription medications to take and which to avoid before surgery.
- Schedule time off – You will need to rest after your surgery, so schedule time off from work, school, and other commitments.
- Stop smoking – When you smoke, blood vessels constrict and inhibit clotting and healing.
- Weight loss – Achieve and maintain your target weight before surgery. It will help preserve the results of your mommy makeover procedures.
Prepare Your Home Environment
After your mommy makeover, you should limit most activities and prepare your family and home for recovery.
Create a Recovery-Ready Home with These Tips:
- Accessibility – Place your shoes, clothing, food, toiletries, and anything else you will need in easy-to-access locations. After your surgery, bending, reaching, lifting, twisting, pushing, and pulling will be prohibited.
- Childcare – If your children are under five years old or have physical needs that might strain your body, ask a trusted friend or family member to take care of them for at least two weeks.
- Clothing and shoes – Comfortable, loose-fitting clothing should not irritate your surgical sites. Ensure your clothes are easy to put on and take off without stretching or straining. Your plastic surgeon will also recommend procedure-specific compression undergarments to wear during your recovery. Slip-on shoes will help you avoid bending to buckle them or tying shoelaces.
- Food – Stock up on healthy food and snacks. Driving, shopping, and lifting or carrying bags are not allowed for the first few weeks of your recovery.
- Mobility – Non-vigorous walking after your mommy makeover assists with steady recovery. But you might need to use a cane for support.
- Pastimes – Gather the movies, books, magazines, or music you have wanted to indulge in but lacked time to enjoy. You will have time for them while you rest and recover.
- Physical assistance – Arrange for a responsible adult to spend the night with you on your surgery date. Your surgeon will anticipate how much physical aid you might need in the following days.
- Pets – Arrange for someone to feed your pet, exercise it, and keep it and its environment clean. Think about how to prevent your cat or dog from jumping on you, climbing in your lap, and mistakenly hurting you during your recovery. A pet sitter or kennel may be helpful.
- Sitting – Whether it is a chair or a toilet seat, ensure that you can sit comfortably and get up without straining yourself. Chair pillows and toilet booster seats can help.
- Sleeping – After your mommy makeover procedure, your doctor may recommend sleeping in a recliner or a specific position. You may need to buy a bed-sleeping product that prevents you from sleeping incorrectly, straining, or damaging your surgical sites.
- Tasks – Do as much as you can before your mommy makeover surgery, but be prepared to ask someone for help with everyday household chores, including cooking, cleaning, and laundry. These types of tasks require twisting, bending, lifting, or other movements that can disrupt the healing process.
- Transportation – You will need rides to and from your mommy makeover surgery and follow-up appointments.
What Can You Expect During Mommy Makeover Recovery?
When you combine procedures for a mommy makeover, you will have one recovery period, but the length of your recovery will depend on which procedures you choose. Although each patient experience is unique, regardless of your procedures, these are some recovery basics:
- You will have outpatient surgery and return home the same day
- Healing time is usually about six weeks, but full recovery varies with each procedure
- You will feel the most discomfort during the first week after surgery
- Your plastic surgeon will prescribe pain relievers and antibiotics to increase your comfort and prevent infection
Immediately After Your Procedure
Immediately after your procedure, the surgical staff will take you to a recovery area until the anesthesia wears off. The team will wrap the affected areas in gauze dressing or gently put a support garment on you. Before the anesthesia wears off completely, a surgical staff member will give you pain medication.
First Week After Your Mommy Makeover
The first week after your mommy makeover is the most uncomfortable. But your symptoms will gradually improve. If you take pain medication and antibiotics as prescribed, they will increase your comfort.
Bandages and Compression Garments
- Breast augmentation – You will wear a compression garment 24 hours daily to minimize swelling. If you have external stitches, your surgeon will remove them.
- Tummy tuck – Your surgeon will cover the incision and put a wide compression garment over your abdomen. The garment will minimize swelling and support your skin.
- Liposuction – You will wear compression garments over the fat harvesting sites.
- Vaginal rejuvenation – Wearing a support or compression garment will protect your vaginal area and minimize your discomfort.
Discomfort
- Breast augmentation – Stiffness, swelling, and soreness will improve within the first week.
- Tummy tuck – Your abdomen will feel very sore and tender.
- Liposuction – Swelling, soreness, and bruising peak within 48 hours and gradually decrease.
- Vaginal rejuvenation – Bruising, swelling, and minor discomfort will improve during the week.
Physical Activity
- Breast augmentation – Light walking is okay, but you should avoid any activity that involves pushing, pulling, lifting, reaching, or twisting your body.
- Tummy tuck – You will require several days of bed rest.
- Liposuction – Avoid bending, pushing, pulling, and lifting. Walk as soon as possible to minimize swelling and prevent blood clots.
- Vaginal rejuvenation – Rest in bed on the day of surgery. You must avoid sexual intercourse, using tampons, and strenuous activity.
Two to Six Weeks After Your Mommy Makeover
For two to six weeks after your mommy makeover, you can expect any stiffness, swelling, and soreness to improve. After that, you will gradually be able to get back to your routine.
Bandages and Compression Garments
- Breast augmentation – You will continue to wear the compression garment as directed by your plastic surgeon. Internal stitches will dissolve.
- Tummy tuck – Expect to wear the compression garment for a few weeks. Your surgeon will remove traditional sutures if you have them. Otherwise, the stitches will dissolve.
- Liposuction – Continue to wear compression garments to minimize swelling and help your skin conform to your new shape. Your surgeon will remove your stitches unless they are dissolvable.
- Vaginal rejuvenation – Wear compression garments until your plastic surgeon instructs you to stop using them. If your surgeon performs laser surgery, you will not have any stitches to remove or dissolve.
Discomfort
- Breast augmentation – Stiffness, swelling, and soreness will gradually decrease.
- Tummy tuck – Swelling and soreness will improve over the next few weeks.
- Liposuction – Swelling will continue to decrease and resolve in several months.
- Vaginal rejuvenation – Most of the swelling will decrease within six weeks.
Return to School or Work
When you can return to work or school depends on the combination of mommy makeover procedures you receive. Refer to the procedure with the longest return-to-work time for your estimate. Ultimately, your plastic surgeon will decide when you can return to work or school.
- Breast augmentation – You can return to non-strenuous work or school in a week.
- Tummy tuck – Usually, you can return to work or school in two weeks, if not sooner.
- Liposuction – In about a week, you can return to work or school.
- Vaginal rejuvenation – You may be able to return to work within five to seven days.
Physical Activity
- Breast augmentation – You can resume cardiovascular exercise within two weeks but avoid strenuous exercise and weightlifting for four weeks.
- Tummy tuck – Within one to two weeks, you can resume light physical activity. Continue to avoid strenuous activity.
- Liposuction – Avoid sun and heat exposure. Light walking is beneficial for circulation and preventing blood clots.
- Vaginal rejuvenation – Continue to avoid sexual intercourse and tampons for four to six weeks as directed by your plastic surgeon. Avoid strenuous activity.
When Will You See Results from Your Mommy Makeover?
In most cases, after a mommy makeover, you will see some immediate results that continue to improve over several weeks.
- Breast augmentation – You will notice larger breasts immediately. As swelling decreases, your breasts will have more definition.
- Tummy tuck – Your body contour will be noticeable in a few weeks, but results are most apparent in six to eight weeks.
- Liposuction – It takes several months for swelling and fluid to resolve before results are noticeable.
- Vaginal rejuvenation – Swelling after surgery distorts the results, but you will notice the improvement in about six weeks.
How Long Do Mommy Makeover Results Last?
- Breast enhancement – Enhancement with breast implants lasts about ten years before your surgeon must replace the implants. Expect to receive periodic mammograms to monitor your breast tissue and implant condition. Results from breast augmentation with fat transfer can diminish as you age, gain or lose weight, have children, or experience hormonal changes.
- Tummy tuck – If you do not have any more children—and maintain a healthy diet and exercise—the results will last for many years.
- Liposuction – Weight gain, aging, hormonal changes, and pregnancy can change your body shape and reverse your results.
- Vaginal rejuvenation – Although the results are designed to be long-term, significant weight gain or pregnancy can alter them.
Schedule a Mommy Makeover Consultation
During a mommy makeover consultation, you can meet with a plastic surgeon to ask questions, discuss your goals, and learn more about your treatment options and the results you can expect. Speaking with a specialist will help you decide if this treatment is right for you.
Schedule a consultation with the board-certified plastic surgeons at Plastic Surgery Associates in San Francisco today.
