Diet and exercise aren’t always enough to get rid of excess skin, significantly separated muscles, and fat pockets after pregnancy.
Pregnancy can permanently change the body in many ways. Through a mommy makeover, you can physically bounce back to your pre-pregnancy body.
What Is A Mommy Makeover?
A mommy makeover is a moniker given to a combination of plastic surgeries that aim to help women regain their pre-pregnancy bodies. These include:
- Breast Surgery (Breast Reduction/Breast augmentation, and/or breast lift)
- Liposuction
- Tummy Tuck
Pregnancy changes a woman’s body in many ways, not just for the 9 months for which the woman is carrying her child.
The size of the breasts increases, the waistline expands, weight increases, the skin stretches (leaving stretch marks) and changes colour, and you struggle with back pain and bad posture, all because of changes in hormone levels.
After childbirth, during the nursing period, you need to increase your food intake for milk production, which can also result in weight gain. Once you’re done breastfeeding, the breast tissue shrinks, and you may end up with loose, sagging breasts.
Some of the changes to body contouring are permanent. And no amount of diet and exercise can help, which is why many women choose to have a mommy makeover to fix all the areas of concern at once.
The surgeon can prepare a customized treatment plan for you, depending on your needs and desires.
What Is The Cost Of Mommy Makeover In Turkey?
Plastic surgery is generally cheaper in Turkey than in the UK. It’s not available on NHS since it is for cosmetic purposes, and your health insurance might also not cover it.
In the UK, the cost of a mommy makeover can vary by the experience of the surgeons, the location of the clinic (and whether it’s an outpatient clinic, office-based private facility or hospital), the kind of surgery, the technique involved, and the type of anaesthesia.
Special garments and prescription medicines for aftercare will also add to the price.
This is why many people choose to become medical tourists in Turkey, where the cost of a mommy makeover is 3-5 times less. The reason for this is cheaper living and currency exchange.
The regulation of medical tourism by the Turkish Health Ministry ensures people that they’ll get high-quality services at affordable prices. Here, you’ll also find many internationally accredited hospitals (JCI, ISO).
People can find some of the best mommy makeover doctors in Turkey who are members of the ISAPS, along with the Turkish Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and Turkish Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery.
Just keep in mind that in Turkey, the cost of a mommy makeover can vary depending on the areas that need treatment (waist, abdomen thighs, back, and/or buttocks in liposuction) and the technique/type of surgery (breast implants, their types, breast reduction or uplift).
Who Can Have Mommy Makeover & Why?
You are a suitable candidate for a mommy makeover if you are at your ideal weight since this is not a weight loss surgery.
You should be in good health and get treated for any active medical conditions. Other than that, after having a baby, you need to wait for at least 6 months after you’ve stopped breastfeeding to get this surgery.
That’s because your breast tissue may still shrink before that and will need a few months to settle.
Also, since weight gain and pregnancies can affect the results of a mommy makeover, it’s best to get it when you do not plan to have more children.
Moreover, this plastic surgery is suitable for you if you have excess and stubborn fat pockets in different areas of the body that you can’t get rid of through diet or exercise. It can also address loose skin and fatty deposits around the abdomen.
In addition, a mommy makeover is suitable for you if you have torn your abdominal muscles, which is making your belly protrude and are left with small breasts after nursing and have sagging skin there.
Some of these aesthetic concerns also give rise to functional problems. For instance, the loose, hanging skin of the breasts or abdomen can cause rashes, skin infections, and various aches and pains.
One study published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery showed a significant improvement in the post-pregnancy concerns of back pain and urinary incontinence among patients who had a tummy tuck.
However, keep in mind that even though this combination surgery is called a “mommy makeover,” it’s not just for mommies.
People who’ve lost significant weight through diet, exercise, or surgery can also struggle with the same issues. So, they can also get a similar combination of surgeries.
Am I Suitable For Mommy Makeover?
What To Think About Before You Have A Mommy Makeover?
When getting a mommy makeover surgery in Turkey, you need to do your research and that includes asking questions from your mommy makeover surgeon.
You shouldn’t simply rely on Google results for the best mommy makeover surgeon or mommy makeover reviews.
You can begin by asking about their qualifications, credentials and experience (especially with mommy makeovers).
Then you should ask if they’re board-certified and how can you verify if they’re on the register of the healthcare authority.
Next, look through their patient portfolio. The before/after patients of the pictures will help you in defining your own goals while giving an idea of the surgeon’s skills.
Ask the surgeon about the procedure itself, its technique, and the materials that are going to be used. Follow this up with questions regarding the recovery time, wound care, risks, and complications.
You should also learn about the aftercare of this surgery in detail before making your final decision.
Find out the patient satisfaction rates and try to meet with a previous patient of the surgeon.
Lastly, find out where the doctor will perform the surgery. The clinic should be registered with the Ministry of Health.
How Best To Prepare For Mommy Makeover?
Since a mommy makeover procedure targets different areas of the body at once, you won’t go back to your normal routine in just a few days.
You need to make some preparations in advance. And first of all, you need to arrange for a babysitter and/or pet sitter for at least a week after the mommy makeover.
After undergoing this aesthetic surgery, you need to consume healthy foods, which is why it would be better for you to do advanced meal prep for around 2 weeks.
You might also need more than a couple of pillows when resting since you have to angle your head, and you need to make sure that you don’t end up rolling over when sleeping. So, arrange some pillows.
Other than that, you’ll have to stop smoking 2 weeks before the surgery. You also cannot drink alcohol one week before since it increases the risk of bleeding during the surgery.
Plastic surgeons also advise against the intake of blood thinners and supplements before these cosmetic procedures.
Before coming to the clinic, take a shower and don’t apply anything to the body. Remove any accessories that you’re wearing and wear loose clothes.
What Is The Procedure For Mommy Makeover In Turkey?
For this combined surgery, the plastic surgeon will administer one general anaesthesia. The total surgical time can be anywhere between 3-6 hours.
You’ll most likely have surgical drains around the abdomen and the breasts to collect excess fluid and blood after the mommy makeover surgery.
The surgical areas will have bandages on them, and you’ll have to wear supportive compression garments to reduce swelling.
A mommy makeover includes the following surgical procedures:
Breast Surgery
Breast surgery in a mommy makeover can mean the following:
- Breast enlargement/breast augmentation
- Breast reduction (mammaplasty)
- Breast lift (mastopexy)
- Breast lift and breast augmentation
The surgical procedure or the combination of it that the patient chooses to get depends on their needs and expectations.
As a result of the loss of volume in breasts with age and/or the shrinking of breast tissue due to breastfeeding, some women opt to have breast implants to increase their size.
And if there’s excess, sagging skin, a breast uplift can remove the skin, tighten tissue, and reposition the nipples for a perkier appearance.
However, if you were left with excess breast tissue after pregnancy, you can get breast reduction surgery to reduce the breast size.
Liposuction
Many women accumulate fat cells in the thighs, buttocks and abdomen during pregnancy, and that’s usually where the liposuction procedure takes place.
The surgeon will break down fat in the body before using a vacuum to take it out. This can be done using a cannula or ultrasound waves (VASER lipo).
Tummy Tuck
In this part of the mommy makeover, the surgeon removes the excess skin, fat and tightens/sutures muscles in the abdomen to fix diastasis recti. This is an abdomen contouring procedure.
You may have a mini or full tummy tuck, depending on the amount of fat and skin that needs removal. The surgeon may use your C-section scar.
However, if it’s higher up, they may have to make a new incision down below (possibly eliminating the C-section scar with skin removal).
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Recovery & Results Of Mommy Makeover
Since mommy makeover is significantly invasive, it is usually inpatient. You may end up having to stay in the clinic for 1-2 days after the cosmetic surgery.
It is best if you have someone accompany you because you may need help moving around and carrying out routine activities.
Immediately after the mommy makeover, you will experience pain and soreness. Your plastic surgeon will prescribe pain medications, and antibiotics, to you, which you need to take as advised.
Since you’ve had multiple surgeries, you need to take things slow. You may have to take 2-4 weeks (maybe even more) off work.
Meanwhile, make sure to wear your support garments for 4-6 weeks. Do not take them off except when you’re going for a shower.
You’ll start seeing the results in about 6 months, but you might have to wait for 1 year before seeing the final results from mommy makeover surgery.
Aftercare Of Mommy Makeover
Normal recovery from a mommy makeover depends on you. You have to be very careful and gentle.
Do not try bending or stretching. Avoid strenuous exercise for 6 weeks after the mommy makeover. Do not try lifting your child for 1-2 weeks.
You may be able to start driving a week after the mommy makeover surgery but consult your surgeon about it.
You are encouraged to take small walks, though as it improves blood circulation.
Smoking inhibits healing, so you need to avoid that in the recovery period. It will slow down healing, increasing the risk of infection.
Side Effects to Expect After Mommy Makeover
You may experience some side effects after the mommy makeover. This can include swelling, bruising, and redness around the different surgical areas.
These can take 1-3 weeks to go away. Numbness and changes in sensitivity are other common side effects. However, they should resolve on their own.
You may have a feeling of tightness around the boobs and abdomen, but it’s a part of the adjustment period and only temporary.
Lastly, the scarring may take a year or so to fade. Usually, it is in areas that remain hidden under clothing.
What Could Go Wrong After A Mommy Makeover?
You may end up developing an infection in the surgical areas due to different reasons. Other than that, you may develop seromas (fluid collection) a week or so after the surgery.
This happens in those surgeries where there’s empty space from the removal of tissue. Hematoma, a collection of blood, can also develop due to injury to blood vessels. Both seromas and hematomas may need to be drained.
Mommy makeover surgeries carry a small risk of the formation of blood clots due to the long surgical time (deep venous thrombosis in the leg and pulmonary embolism in the lung).
To avoid the risk of blood clots, qualified surgeons go through the medical history of the patient to identify any risk factors.
The surgeon will inform you if you’re not a suitable candidate. With breast implants, there’s the risk of rotation of the implant, rupture, and capsular contracture.
What To Do If You Have Problems After Mommy Makeover In Turkey?
The mommy makeover aftercare process can be difficult and close observation is needed.
If you have any questions or concerns after the surgery, you should reach out to the Aftercare team.
You will have to send pictures of the concerned areas to them, so they can forward them to the surgeon for an assessment.
The Aftercare Team will also follow your recovery for a year after the mommy makeover in Turkey to make sure that you’re recovering normally.
To be better prepared for the recovery time, you should read the post-op guides on our website.
You can also find helpful guides in the Support Panel, where you can also open a ticket for any help.
Alternatives To Mommy Makeover
As far as an alternative to “mommy makeover” as a unit is concerned, there’s none. There’s no non-surgical treatment to remove excess skin and tissue.
For breast uplift and augmentation, you can get a vampire breast lift that uses platelet-rich plasma (PRP).
There are also non-surgical alternatives to liposuction like CoolSculpting.
However, non-surgical alternatives do not give dramatic results.
A tummy tuck has no non-surgical alternative because you need to get surgery to remove the excess skin from the abdomen and suture the muscles.
Other Procedures to Have with Mommy Makeover In Turkey
Experienced surgeons do not recommend combining any other invasive plastic surgery, such as a Brazilian butt lift, thigh lift, arm lift, facelift, surgical nose job, etc. with a mommy makeover.
That’s because the surgeries in mommy makeovers alone make the recovery quite hard. Your body should be able to heal itself and not be pushed to the limits.
But you can get non-surgical treatments like Botox, fillers, or PRP, as these have no downtime.
FAQ
When is it okay to shower after a mommy makeover surgery?
It is okay to shower after getting discharged.
Is a mommy makeover safe?
Yes, as far as the surgery is being done by a board-certified surgeon. Still, every surgery carries some risks with it. Discuss this with your surgeon and make sure to follow the aftercare.
How painful is the mommy makeover?
During the surgery, the anaesthesia won’t let you feel any pain. Afterwards, you should take the painkillers that the surgeon prescribes. It’s the tummy tuck that can give you the most pain during the recovery period.
Reviewed and Approved by Prof Fuat Yuksel
