Why a Mommy Makeover?
In the process of becoming mothers, women have dramatic stress put on their bodies from carrying their child and breastfeeding. Because of their pregnancy, the abdominal muscles have been stretched out of shape—called diastasis—and the skin is permanently stretched. It is also very common for a mother’s breasts to lose their volume and youthful appearance after their child has stopped breastfeeding, causing them to droop.
It’s no wonder new moms are so self-conscious, with visible bulges accumulating in the flanks, hips, abdomen, and thighs… not to mention stretch marks.
This dissatisfying new appearance can be beautifully corrected with a series of post-pregnancy procedures combined into one, aptly named the Mommy Makeover surgery. The Makeover is an individualized combination of three common plastic surgery procedures: an abdominoplasty, a breast lift, and liposuction performed at our Scottsdale area practice.
Abdominoplasty
When she is pregnant, a woman’s abdominal muscles are stretched to make room for a child as it develops. This causes a permanent diastasis of the muscles, where they are separated beyond what exercise and time can repair, as well as stretching of the skin that leaves behind deep stretch marks and bulges in the abdomen.
With an abdominoplasty, done as part of the Mommy Makeover, the abdominal skin and fat (called the “abdominal flap”) is lifted and the abdominal muscles are literally pulled back into place with surgical sutures. The flap is then pulled down toward the pubic region and extra skin is removed, thus stretching out the stretch marks and leaving behind a curved and taut abdomen. Whether a full or mini abdominoplasty is performed depends on the laxity of the skin below the navel. In the presence of skin laxity, a full abdominoplasty will be performed. Please see abdominoplasty for more details.
Breast Lift and/or Augmentation
It is very common for a new mother’s breasts to become fuller to breastfeed her infant, causing the skin to stretch and the breasts to droop once they lose their volume. Breasts can be restored by having a breast augmentation as part of your Scottsdale Mommy Makeover with or without a breast lift, depending on skin elasticity and the patient’s desires. A breast lift restores the breasts to a more youthful position on the chest, while a breast augmentation uses either saline or silicone implants to restore volume. Please see breast lift procedures for more details on breast lifts.
Liposuction
Liposuction is often added to the Mommy Makeover to complement the rest of the surgery. The liposuction will address areas of fat accumulated during pregnancy that the abdominoplasty and breast lift cannot, such as the flanks, hips, and thighs. Liposuction complements the beautiful contours that the Mommy Makeover abdominoplasty restored. For more details on Dr. Shapiro’s Scottsdale liposuction techniques, please see the VASER Hi-Def Liposuction section of the website.
In the process of becoming mothers, women have dramatic stress put on their bodies from carrying their child and breastfeeding. Because of their pregnancy, the abdominal muscles have been stretched out of shape—called diastasis—and the skin is permanently stretched. It is also very common for a mother’s breasts to lose their volume and youthful appearance after their child has stopped breastfeeding, causing them to droop.
It’s no wonder new moms are so self-conscious, with visible bulges accumulating in the flanks, hips, abdomen, and thighs… not to mention stretch marks.
This dissatisfying new appearance can be beautifully corrected with a series of post-pregnancy procedures combined into one, aptly named the Mommy Makeover surgery. The Makeover is an individualized combination of three common plastic surgery procedures: an abdominoplasty, a breast lift, and liposuction performed at our Scottsdale area practice.
Abdominoplasty
When she is pregnant, a woman’s abdominal muscles are stretched to make room for a child as it develops. This causes a permanent diastasis of the muscles, where they are separated beyond what exercise and time can repair, as well as stretching of the skin that leaves behind deep stretch marks and bulges in the abdomen.
With an abdominoplasty, done as part of the Mommy Makeover, the abdominal skin and fat (called the “abdominal flap”) is lifted and the abdominal muscles are literally pulled back into place with surgical sutures. The flap is then pulled down toward the pubic region and extra skin is removed, thus stretching out the stretch marks and leaving behind a curved and taut abdomen. Whether a full or mini abdominoplasty is performed depends on the laxity of the skin below the navel. In the presence of skin laxity, a full abdominoplasty will be performed. Please see abdominoplasty for more details.
Breast Lift and/or Augmentation
It is very common for a new mother’s breasts to become fuller to breastfeed her infant, causing the skin to stretch and the breasts to droop once they lose their volume. Breasts can be restored by having a breast augmentation as part of your Scottsdale Mommy Makeover with or without a breast lift, depending on skin elasticity and the patient’s desires. A breast lift restores the breasts to a more youthful position on the chest, while a breast augmentation uses either saline or silicone implants to restore volume. Please see breast lift procedures for more details on breast lifts.
Liposuction
Liposuction is often added to the Mommy Makeover to complement the rest of the surgery. The liposuction will address areas of fat accumulated during pregnancy that the abdominoplasty and breast lift cannot, such as the flanks, hips, and thighs. Liposuction complements the beautiful contours that the Mommy Makeover abdominoplasty restored. For more details on Dr. Shapiro’s Scottsdale liposuction techniques, please see the VASER Hi-Def Liposuction section of the website.
