Pregnancy and breastfeeding have a huge impact on the female body. Whether you have had one pregnancy or many, a twin pregnancy, small or large birth-weight babies, considerable weight gain during, or loss after, your pregnancy, or a long course of breast feeding, all of these factors play a significant role in the effects on your body.
The skin’s elasticity, particularly of the breasts and abdomen, can be tested by pregnancy, and the skin will respond differently in every woman. Often, the tummy will demonstrate both laxity of the muscles (called a diastasis) as well as excess skin. The breasts may lose volume compared to your pre-pregnancy size, and they may droop or sag to varying degrees – this is described as post-partum atrophy.
Plastic surgery after pregnancy, also known as a mummy makeover, categorises that wide variety of treatments body recontouring surgeries available to repair post-pregnancy changes. There is no standard formula for a mummy makeover; it is always tailored to your individual needs. If you are a mother looking to rejuvenate your pre-baby body with one of the best mummy makeovers in the UK, Wood MediSpa is able to assist.
I’ve been so satisfied with the care I’ve received and I’m thrilled with the outcome of my procedures (1 year post op abdominoplasty and 1 month post op Fat Transfer to breasts). The gardens and building are beautiful, and certainly not your typical hospital setting! This instantly made me feel at ease. The staff are so friendly and the food was phenomenal!
However, the thing that I’ve been most impressed with is the aftercare. Whenever I’ve had a question, or a minor concern along the healing process, I’ve had an answer almost immediately and I’ve always come away feeling reassured. Thank you to James and the team – you’ve given me the confidence that has been missing for so long!
Abdominoplasty and Breast Fat Transfer Patient
With our team of expert surgeons, you can rest assured that your surgery at Wood MediSpa will be carried out at the highest technical standards, with safety at the forefront of our practice.
If you are considering mummy makeover surgery, we know you have children at home, and you need to get back to them quickly. Most mothers do not have the luxury of a long recovery period after their surgery and our treatment plans are always suggested to prioritise safe results with real impact that get you back to family life, and just as importantly, your life, the most quickly.
Plastic surgery procedures targeting the correction and reversal of post-pregnancy alterations in the body and skin may be combined as a mummy makeover or performed as isolated procedures: this can be discussed at consultation with your surgeon and tailored to the demands of your lifestyle.
The most common procedures in a mummy makeover are those that address the tummy, the breasts and skin retightening, but there are many additional procedures available to restore your pre-pregnancy body.
Abdominoplasty
As part of your mummy makeover, an abdominoplasty removes excess skin and fat and re-tightens the abdominal muscles to your pre-pregnancy tone (this is called a diastasis repair). The changes in both the skin and muscles of the abdomen after pregnancy can vary dramatically. Large babies, twins or multiples, several pregnancies, substantial weight gain, and hereditary factors can all play a role in the changes of abdominal skin and muscle. More superficially, the skin may be slightly lax, or it may even hang. Beneath the skin, there may be minimal or substantial excess fat. The abdominal wall muscles may be firm, they may bulge slightly, or they may be severely stretched. With each abdominoplasty technique, excess fat is removed, and the abdominal muscles are tightened and repaired, and the excess skin is trimmed away.
Post Partum Atrophy
If your breasts have changed over time or lost their natural fullness, a breast augmentation can help you restore the shape and confidence you’re looking for. Breast implant sizes are most often chosen based on your specific dimensions and body type and geared towards restoring a natural, youthful proportion for your body.
Most often, the breast enlargement procedure restores your pre-pregnancy breast size and shape, with perhaps a modest increase if you desire. If you have always dreamed of having larger breasts, and the loss of volume after pregnancy has inspired you to achieve that larger size, the appropriate breast implants will be selected for your breast augmentation according to your physique and your wishes. An alternative to implants is fat transfer – this is particularly beneficial if you do not wish to allocate time in the future for implant replacement. If your breasts have not only lost volume, but have undergone a change in position as well, a breast lift or mastopexy procedure can be performed (known as an augmentation mastopexy).
Breast Lift
A breast augmentation and / or a breast lift (mastopexy) will restore volume to your breasts with breast implants, and will lift your breasts based upon your specific needs. Breast and tummy reshaping procedures can often be performed together, but should you desire these as separate procedures, it is possible to have a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty only, or a breast augmentation or a breast augmentation with breast lift only. If you are comfortable with your post pregnancy breast size and would like to restore your breast shape or reduce sag, a breast lift (mastopexy) without breast implants can be performed.
Liposuction
In almost all abdominoplasty procedures, liposuction is used to produce the most natural and beautifully sculpted results. At Wood MediSpa, we aim to restore aesthetically balanced and attractive abdominal contour by combining the abdominoplasty techniques that suit you best. If you would like to learn more about the specific combined procedures following pregnancy tailored specifically to you, we invite you to discuss this at consultation with your chosen surgeon.
C-Section Scars
A caesarean section scar may be unsightly, or there may be a bulge of skin, fat or muscle above the caesarean scar. In most situations, no amount of core strengthening exercise can completely restore the stretched muscles. If there is a caesarean section scar or bulge, it is most often removed with the tummy tuck procedure.
Diastasis Repair
When diastasis recti is present, the tummy tuck incision also provides access to repair the abdominal wall musculature. The repair of the diastasis recti is carried out as a “long plication”, fixing the separation of the rectus muscles from the xiphoid (breast bone) all the way down to the pubic bone, effectively flattening and narrowing the midsection.
Post-Partum Skin Changes
In addition to breast and tummy changes, many mothers notice additional changes, such as dark spots of the face (called melasma), small red marks of the face (telangiectasias), spider veins, unwanted hair, and other skin changes. There are a variety of treatments available, ranging from minimally invasive non-surgical procedures and treatments.
Many women develop blotchy, brownish patches on the forehead, cheeks and lips from hormonal changes during or after pregnancy. These discolourations of the skin, known as melasma or chloasma, are the result of the circulating oestrogen and progesterone, and may persist long after you have given birth. Intense pulsed light (IPL) and laser therapy can be used to minimize or erase these discolorations with little or no down time.
Unwanted hair in the bikini area, legs, underarms, stomach, lip, chin, and face may also become more abundant after pregnancy – this issue can be reduced or eliminated with laser treatment.
Recovery Times
It’s hard to imagine taking time out for yourself if you have small children (or indeed, not so small children).
Most women are able to return to normal activities including caring for children, work and light exercise approximately one week after breast augmentation or breast lift, and between ten days and two weeks after breast and/or abdominoplasty surgery.
We are often asked how soon after delivery is it possible to have plastic surgery. We recommend at least six months for your body to recover before any plastic surgery is considered.
Breast augmentation or breast lift should be performed no sooner than three months following cessation of breast feeding.
