How soon after having my baby can I consider a Mommy Makeover?

Pregnancy is a magical time filled with pampering and the anticipation of new life, followed by the joy of meeting your baby. With pregnancy and childbirth, however, a woman’s body inevitably experiences a number of external and internal changes. Though a few women come through the process looking almost as good as they did before, most of women are unfortunately left with deflated breasts, lumpy tissue, and sagging skin. Dr. Ravi Somayazula’s Houston Mommy Makeover is designed to address these specific changes by combining a Breast Augmentation with or without a Mastopexy (Breast Lift), a Tummy Tuck, and Liposuction.

How soon is ‘too soon’ to go under the knife for a Mommy Makeover?

While most women are in a hurry to get back to their pre-pregnancy shape, everyone’s body heals differently, so the perfect timing for cosmetic surgery will vary. In general, Dr. Ravi recommends waiting at least three months after giving birth. But why wait so long for a Mommy Makeover? Let us explain why:

Breast Augmentation: Your breasts will continue to change for several months after the birth of your baby. Your breasts may become engorged until milk production has stopped. If you have decided to breastfeed your little one, these changes will not be complete until months after you stop. For these reasons, breast surgery is not recommended until the skin and breast tissue has finally stabilized. This means waiting for three months after you finish breastfeeding.

Once your breasts are no longer fluctuating in size, you will be able to choose the best breast implant to restore the desired volume and fullness to your chest. If needed, a mastopexy or breast lift may be added, eliminating stretched breast tissue and raising the nipple to a more youthful height.

Tummy Tuck: Your abdominal muscles, skin, and fat stores around your stomach will go through the most dramatic changes during the nine months of pregnancy. It can take at least three months – sometimes up to a year – for this stretched tissue to bounce back. Waiting at least three months will give your abdomen time to repair itself, and thus giving your surgeon a better idea of what level of correction is needed from a tummy tuck.

During your abdominoplasty, Dr. Ravi will eliminate the stretched skin, pockets of fat, and repair lax muscles. Dr. Ravi starts by reinforcing the stretched out abdominal muscles for a long-lasting internal corset.  He will pull the remaining skin tight and flat for a smooth stomach. Your belly button will be reshaped and repositioned, as well. 

Liposuction: Over our lifetime, the normal fluctuation of hormones can have a huge impact on fat accumulation. Therefore, expect the dramatic hormonal changes your body experiences throughout your pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding to trigger new stores of fat cells, often along the abdomen and flanks (Love Handles). It can take three months or more for hormones to reset after pregnancy and for your weight to stabilize.

Once you are close to your desired weight, liposuction can be an effective tool to sculpt the abdomen and flanks, creating a contoured waistline, hips, and stomach. Sticking with a healthy lifestyle from this point on will ensure the benefits of liposuction can last for years.

The only way to truly know the best time for your individual Mommy Makeover is through an in-person consultation with Dr. Ravi. During this appointment, Dr. Ravi will go over the changes you have experienced during pregnancy and your desired results. He will also discuss additional factors such as:

• How your body is healing?
• Are you ready to commit to the time necessary to recover from a Mommy Makeover?
• Do you have any plans to add to your family in the future?
• Are there other areas of concern, such as changes in the appearance of your labia (needing a Labiaplasty)?

By taking into consideration all of these factors, Dr. Ravi can put together a personalized Mommy Makeover treatment plan that is custom-tailored to your unique needs.

Dr. Ravi is a board-certified plastic surgeon, bringing over a decade of surgical experience to every procedure. Through his wisdom, skill, and innate understanding of female anatomy, Dr. Ravi can create the youthful, proportionate body that you desire. Call Body by Ravi Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics at 281.242.1061 to set up your Mommy Makeover consultation.