06 May 2025
More often than not, when a Mom comes in to see me for a body contouring consultation, one of the first issues that comes up in conversation is how she no longer feels like herself. Children are an amazing gift. However, pregnancy and breastfeeding can exact a price in terms of your body contour. Oftentimes, no amount of healthful eating or trips to the gym can get rid of the loose skin, excess pockets of fat and deflated breasts that can show up after childbirth. It is incredibly frustrating. Thankfully, there is a surgical solution. A Mommy Makeover is a combination of procedures to rejuvenate the areas of the body that are most affected by pregnancy. The right combination for you is always going to depend on your unique anatomy and needs, but the most popular Mommy Makeover combination in my Boston area offices is a breast augmentation and a full tummy tuck.
How Do I Know if I Need a Mommy Makeover?
The media today really sells new mothers a false bill of goods. If you scroll through the internet at all, you have probably seen photos of celebrities who gave birth two weeks ago and are already rocking a string bikini on the beach. The implication, of course, is that this should be you when the reality is that many women will never bounce back completely. Factors such as:
- Skin tone & texture
- Amount of weight gain/loss
- Number of pregnancies
- Breastfeeding
- Age
These may all exacerbate your ability to return to your pre-pregnancy state. Deciding whether or not a Mommy Makeover may be right for you should always begin with an in-person consultation with a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, such as myself, who has extensive body contouring experience. During our meeting, I will not only listen closely to what bothers you about your appearance, I will also perform an in-depth physical exam to assess:
- Skin elasticity
- Nipple position
- Breast volume
- Sagging abdominal skin
- Muscle laxity, if any
Together, we will discuss the best Mommy Makeover procedures for rejuvenating your individual body.
Why a Full Tummy Tuck is Often Best Post Pregnancy
The skin and tissues of your abdomen go through an enormous change during pregnancy. They literally stretch to accommodate this other person. It’s extraordinary. While some women gain very little weight, others gain much more. This is often genetic and completely separate from how much you eat.
Furthermore, the older you are when you have your children, the less elasticity you have in your skin which is its natural ability to “bounce back” after being stretched. Add in the fact that some women develop diastasis rectci, which is a separation of the “six pack” muscles, and it is understandable why a tummy tuck is the most common procedure in a Mommy Makeover. While there are two types of abdominoplasty procedures:
- Mini-Tummy Tuck
- Full Tummy Tuck
Women who’ve had children are rarely candidates for the prior as it only addresses skin laxity below the belly button. And as we just discussed, gestating a child affects the skin and tissues from your breasts to your public bone. This is why a full tummy tuck is my general recommendation for mothers. It is a robust procedure with a fair amount of downtime. But it is also the best option for getting back your pre-pregnancy body as it allows me full access to lift and tighten the skin and tissues of your entire abdomen, remove excess fat and address muscle laxity, if necessary.
Breast Augmentation in Boston
The second area of the body that gets slammed with childbirth and breastfeeding is your breasts. Not only do the skin and tissues stretch, but some women come in with breasts that are actually smaller post children. A breast augmentation with an appropriate size implant can be a great way to restore shape to your breasts so that they are once again in proper proportion with the rest of the torso. Breast implants can be a stand-alone procedure, but I may also add fat grafting to the breast in order to further improve your shape. It can be particularly beneficial for creating volume in the upper 1/3 of the breast. Also, for those women who have a moderate to severe amount of ptosis, or sagging in the breast so that their nipples are no longer centered on the chest wall, a mastopexy augmentation may be a better procedure. All of these options will be discussed with you in detail during your consultation. My goal is to devise the treatment plan that will best rejuvenate your body with natural looking, long lasting results.
To find out more about a Mommy Makeover, or any other surgical or non-surgical procedure with Dr. Vickram Tandon at the Boston Center for Plastic Surgery, contact us today or call 617-402-2768 to schedule a consultation.
