Mommy Makeover

You tell us!

There is no specific procedure for mommy makeover.  A mommy makeover generally involves a combination of procedures on the breast and abdomen.  A mommy makeover may be:

• A breast lift plus abdominoplasty
• Breast augmentation and abdominoplasty
• Liposuction 360 (waist) and breast augmentation
• Breast lift, breast augmentation, and abdominoplasty
• Breast lift, breast augmentation, and abdominoplasty and liposuction
• Eyelid lift, breast lift, and abdominal liposuction

In summary, the mommy makeover is a combination of procedures performed for a woman, to reverse changes that have occurred due to pregnancy, breastfeeding, and time.

The post-childbirth changes might involve loose abdominal skin, stretched breast tissue, or stubborn fat deposits. Every case is different, therefore a combination of procedures varies by individual.  A mommy makeover is truly bespoke, customized plastic surgery. 

At our Bluemont clinic we offer the following procedures that can be a part of mommy makeover surgery: 

• Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) removes loose, or excess, abdominal skin, separated abdominal muscles (diastasis recti), and stretch marks on the lower abdomen.
• Breast Lift (Mastopexy) addresses sagging or drooping breasts by lifting and reshaping the breast tissue for a more youthful contour.  Sad deflated balloons become happy melons.
• Breast Augmentation restores loss of breast volume or fullness after breastfeeding, often with implants or fat transfer to enhance the breast shape.  While a breast lift goes up, a breast augmentation goes out.  Think projection!
• Breast Reduction reduces the size of enlarged or heavy breasts while lifting them for a more balanced and proportionate appearance.   This is the same procedure as a breast lift except more breast tissue is removed.
• Liposuction removes stubborn fat deposits in areas like the abdomen, thighs, hips, and flanks that may not respond to diet and exercise.  Liposuction is permanent removal of fat and this fat can not come back.  If  people gain or lose weight in the years after liposuction, they gain or lose weight proportionally to the new distribution of fat cells in the body.  Liposuction permanently removes fat cells from the area to be treated.

In summary, each mommy makeover surgery is customized to meet our patient’s specific goals & needs.

We know that surgical risk increases with time, especially with surgeries lasting longer than 6 hours.  For that reason, we try to minimize operative time.  For patients that require longer procedures, Dr. Domanski has hospital admitting privileges and is able to perform longer surgeries in a hospital where patients can be admitted overnight for observation.

Most mommy makeovers last less than 6 hours.  Furthermore, we will typically limit operations to two body parts.  For example, a breast lift plus abdominoplasty is an excellent combination.  We have done procedures such as eyelid lift, breast lift and abdominal liposuction at the same setting.  While the eyes, breast, and abdomen are technically 3 body parts, these procedures are relatively quick and can be done in one operative session.  For patients that have asked about a neck lift, breast lift, and abdominoplasty, this combination will last significantly longer than 6 hours so we have staged these procedures into two operative encounters 3 months apart.

We keep patients safe by knowing what we do.

An ideal candidate for a Mommy Makeover is someone who is done with having children and wants to regain their pre-pregnancy body.  If you’re struggling with loose skin, sagging breasts, or stubborn fat that won’t go away with diet and exercise, a Mommy Makeover could be a great option. You should also be in good overall health, at or near your goal weight, and have realistic expectations about the results.

Hopefully, another healthy happy baby.

A breast lift or breast augmentation should not prevent a woman from breastfeeding.

We are unaware of negative pregnancy outcomes in the scientific literature for women that have had liposuction or an abdominoplasty and become pregnant.

BUT

We want to preserve our patient’s time and treasure.  The positive changes to the breast and abdomen after a mommy makeover can get undone.  For this reason, we recommend patients wait till they are done with childbearing before proceeding with a mommy makeover.

We recommend women have returned to their prior pre-pregnancy weight or have stable weight for six months before undergoing a mommy makeover.  For this reason, we will often wait about a year after childbirth to proceed with a mommy makeover.

Since every woman’s body is different, each mommy makeover is tailored to individual needs. It may include procedures like a tummy tuck, breast lift, augmentation, or liposuction. The combinations of procedures are different for each individual and that, of course, affect the cost of the mommy makeover surgery. The cost varies based on your specific goals and the procedures involved. Typically in Fairfax, VA, the price ranges from $12,000 to $25,000.

First of all, the primary goal of a mommy makeover is to enhance the body’s contour, not to facilitate weight loss. While some weight loss may occur with procedures like a tummy tuck, breast lift, or liposuction—typically between 5-10 pounds due to the removal of fat and tissue—breast implants used in augmentation can slightly increase your weight.

It’s important to remember that a mommy makeover is about improving your body’s shape, not achieving weight loss. For the best results, patients should be close to their target weight before undergoing the procedure.  We recommend that patients wait about 12 months after the birth of their last child before proceeding with a mommy makeover.

Since a mommy makeover is highly personalized, recovery time will vary depending on the procedures you choose. However, most women should plan to take about two weeks off from work to rest and recover at home.  During this period, it’s important to arrange for somebody that will help you with daily tasks.  You will need to avoid lifting anything heavy—including your children. 

During your follow-up appointments, Dr. Domanski will closely monitor your recovery and let you know when it’s safe to gradually resume your regular routines, including returning to work.

Most patients can fully resume their normal activities after 6-8 weeks.

Mommy makeover procedure is performed routinely for women who are done with having kids. Most common age is between 35-50 years old.  A mommy makeover is a customized procedure, so this may include more facial items such as an eyelid lift for patients who are older.

A stretch mark is caused by a tear in the deeper layer of skin, called the dermis.  A stretch mark is a scar that occurs when the skin is stretched by pregnancy, weight fluctuations, or hormonal changes. When the skin is stretched, collagen and elastin fibers in the dermis can tear, leading to the formation of stretch marks.  Some patients are more prone to stretch marks than others.

Certain procedures within Mommy Makeover reduce the visibility of the stretch marks by removing certain parts of the stretched skin.  For example, a  tummy tuck removes skin between the belly button and where a c-section scar would be.  A breast lift procedure may reduce stretch marks at the lower part of the breast.

Other than surgical excision there are other treatments that can improve stretch marks such as laser therapy or RF (radio frequency) microneedling.  These treatments can stimulate collagen production and improve the texture of the skin, therefore reducing the appearance of stretch marks.

This is a common and important question.  In plastic surgery, we prefer the term ‘incision lines’ rather than scars.  Any procedure that removes excess skin, like a tailor removes excess fabric, will have incision lines.  The goal of the plastic surgeon is to place the incision lines in a cosmetically acceptable area.

Incision lines for an abdominoplasty can typically be hidden under a bathing suit.  An abdominoplasty incision line is located where a c-section incision may be.  Incision lines for breast surgeries can be around the areola and in the inframammary fold (under the breast).  Sometimes an incision is required that connects the areola to the inframammary fold.

Incision lines typically fade in time to the point that they could barely be noticeable. Plastic surgeons also take care to place incisions in areas that are easily hidden, such as along natural creases or under clothing. We invest in your best results and provide our patients with scar cream. We also have the option to treat incision lines with CO2 resurfacing laser that helps to reduce scar appearance.

Yes.  A mommy makeover is a durable procedure that provides abdominal tightening and breast enhancement that lasts years or decades.   While no surgery stops the conveyor belt of time, a mommy makeover can rewind it significantly.  Abdominal skin that is removed during tummy tuck is not coming back.  Fat that is removed during liposuction is gone.  The tightening of the diastasis recti produces durable results.  In fact, plastic surgeons have studied the changes of diastasis recti repair with medical imaging such as CT and noted the permanency of the result, even years later.  Breasts that are augmented do not shrink, and lifted breasts should stay so.

There are many options to pair procedures together according to your goal. The most  common treatments are tummy tuck,  breast lift, and breast augmentation. Dr. Domanski frequently adds side liposuction to the tummy tuck procedure for enhanced contour.