What is a Mommy Makeover?
A mommy makeover can mean different things to different mommies. It typically means getting your body back to be where it was before you had children. It could be breast augmentation, a breast lift; in my procedure it was a breast reduction. And then typically it is a tummy tuck of sorts. Also, there are wide variations in the type of tummy tuck you might need. It could just be a little nip of excess skin, or a full-blown tightening of the stomach muscles while also addressing the skin and fat. Some can also add in some liposuction for contour in some areas that [weight] is hard to lose.
It seems like a big surgery because it’s doing a lot, but honestly, combining a breast surgery with a tummy tuck doesn’t add any recovery time. Might as well do them at the same time! There are also cost savings in doing multiple procedures together.
What were you most nervous about for your procedure?
I was most nervous about the pain. I had an appendectomy years ago and it was excruciatingly painful, so I was assuming this would be worse than that. But the truth is that cosmetic surgery is all external, there is no cutting through a muscle, no working on the insides. It’s totally external, just skin and fat. And so the recovery and the pain level are not nearly as bad as we would think it would be.
Do you have to lose all of the baby weight before having Mommy Makeover surgery?
No, it’s better if your weight is stable rather than trying to lose. Ideally, if you’re trying to lose weight and you plateau and settle in at a weight, [it is] better to just stay there instead of trying to lose that extra weight because chances are it’s skin and fat that you aren’t going to diet or exercise away anyway.
How was your experience on the day of the surgery?
It was great. Dr. Bruno and Dr. Brown are incredibly professional, have a terrific bedside manner, made me feel very comfortable, and settled any nerves that I had.
How long were you in the hospital?
I stayed overnight but that’s not necessary. I chose to stay overnight: patients have that choice.
In terms of recovery, how long until you felt decent?
2 days.
How long until you felt back to normal?
I went back to work a week later! I was tired, my energy wasn’t back, but I was able to work (overtime, actually) the first day back. For a full recovery- exercising, totally back to normal: 6 weeks.
What has surprised you most about your post Mommy Makeover body?
Results were amazing. They exceeded my expectations. There was no way I could diet and exercise and get the body back that I wanted. You can’t do anything about excess skin, folded skin, and I had twins! So I had a lot of extra skin.
The twins are now 21, so I’ve been carrying around that excess skin for a long time!
How did you feel about the scarring?
I knew what to expect, it is a trade-off, but the scar that I have is very well concealed. I can wear a two-piece bathing suit if I want to and nobody would know. I would take the scar any day over the multiple folds of skin I had hanging off of my lower abdomen.
How have the scars faded? Are there any procedures that might speed up the process?
Breast scars healed faster than the tummy scar, so the breast scars are fairly well faded. The tummy scar takes a good year before it’s faded.
We have medical-grade scar cream to help those along. If they should become a problem we have some other things with our esthetician who can address scarring issues, but most of the time they fade beautifully.
