Mommy Makeover In Birmingham

What is a “Mummy Makeover”?

The “Mummy Makeover” is a term popularised by our American colleagues (hence the ‘o’ in Mummy) and is used to describe plastic surgery augmentation of both breasts and abdomen.
The abdominal operation, or abdominoplasty, would usually be called a “tummy tuck” or a “mini-tummy tuck” and the breast operation could be a breast lift, breast reduction, breast implants or a breast lift with implants. This combination of operations is called the ‘Mummy Makeover’ because it is a surgery designed to return the body to pre-pregnancy conditions after childbirth, due to stretching and descent of the tummy and the breasts.

However, the Mummy Makeover is not limited to post-pregnancy women and may be requested by anyone who has had significant weight loss. The treatment is designed for those who have gone through significant body changes that cause the tissues to stretch and descend, leaving a redundant “apron” of skin in the abdomen, and drooping flat breasts. This huge change in a short period can have serious impacts on the mental well-being and confidence of women.

At the STAIANO Clinic, we are used to performing serious operations such as abdominal surgery and breast augmentations. Before undergoing a “Mummy Makeover” surgery, patients need a full and frank discussion with their surgeon during multiple consultations, to go over all the pros and cons of having these surgeries at the same time, rather than having a tummy tuck and breast surgery at different times. As is the case with most things in plastic surgery, there are no rights or wrongs. It is a question of weighing up the benefits against the risks to see what would be right for you.

What is included in a Mummy Makeover?

This term describes having two invasive procedures at once, fully changing the body’s appearance with breast surgery and tummy-tightening surgery.

Breast Implants: Increasing the size of your breasts by adding implants into the tissue

Breast Lift: tightening sagging skin by removing excess skin and reshaping the breast. This does not change the size of the breast.

Breast Lift with Implants: Increasing the size and shape of the breasts with implants and a breast lift to reshape and add volume.

Breast Reduction: Sometimes after having a child, your breasts can grow a large amount. While they will likely shrink again with time, a breast reduction can help combat some of the associated discomforts.

Tummy Tuck: This might be a full tummy tuck or a mini tummy tuck. A full tummy tuck or abdominoplasty involves reshaping the whole abdomen and repositioning the belly button, removing sagging skin. A mini-tummy tuck leaves a shorter scar, addressing less dramatic bulges.

Circumferential Abdominoplasty: Another type of tummy tuck, also known as a 360-degree lift or a belt lipectomy, this procedure continues the surgery around the back, creating a circular scar around the body. This removes and tightens the skin around the body.

Liposuction: Sometimes patients opt for liposuction as well, removing areas of excess fat to return to their preferred size.

How Long Does a Mummy Makeover Take?

Tummy tuck and breast reshaping operations done separately are relatively major undertakings, and so to combine them does make it into quite a big operation. The time taken to operate on both the abdomen and the breasts would be longer than a single operation, but slightly less than the time taken for each operation added together. Much of the time during surgery is involved in setting up, prepping and draping and anaesthetic time, so doing these preparatory stages only once does save some time. However, a “Mummy Makeover” patient undergoing both abdominoplasty and breast surgery at once will be under anaesthetic for between 5 and 8 hours. This can knock you back and you will need to factor in adequate time for recovery.

Recovery Process

Having both surgeries at once in a Mummy Makeover operation means you are recovering from both at once, saving weeks if you were to do each surgery separately. This means that the time off work following a Mummy Makeover would be much less than if you were to have two operations and it might be easier for your employer if you were to take just one period of sick leave.

Are there any Complications from Mummy Make-over Surgery?

Tummy tuck and breast reshaping surgery are not without their complications and you must be aware of this before contemplating surgery. There will be several wounds to heal at once, meaning that the risk of irregular healing or healing problems is greater than if the surgeries were taken one at a time.

However, if there is a minor wound healing problem in the abdomen or the breast, these can both be healing at the same time, making it easier to deal with.

Minor complications usually involve minor wound breakdown, which is treated with a simple dressing.
Major complications are quite rare but can include infection, excessive bleeding, blood clots or reactions to anaesthetic. Consider how you would deal with the unlikely event of developing major complications in both breast and abdomen areas.

It is safer to have one slightly longer anaesthetic than two shorter ones. For a general anaesthetic, dangerous times are on induction and when waking up from an anaesthetic, while the time spent unconscious does not carry many risks beyond increased drowsiness after surgery.

Psychological Aspects of Major Cosmetic Surgery

The psychological aspects of cosmetic surgery should not be underestimated. Any time you are changing the shape of your body, there will be an emotional element to deal with. Just like the rapid changes undergone during pregnancy, surgical changes can be an emotional rollercoaster. In the initial post-operative stages, the tissues are swollen, the scars are fresh and it is not uncommon for one breast to behave differently from the other. Most of these things settle after a few months, so it is important to work closely with your surgeon who can support you through this period with advice on what is normal and what needs to be looked after.

Breast reshaping or a tummy tuck can induce immense psychological and emotional changes. These are usually very positive but they can be difficult to acclimatise to, particularly in the early stages. You may struggle to cope physically or emotionally and it is always best to address these issues before undergoing the surgery. Here at The STAIANO Clinic, we have dedicated Counsellors who can help to support you, as well as the office and nursing team who will be with you throughout your experience.

If you feel that a Mummy Makeover is too much to take on, then do not worry, it is very common to have the procedures in two stages. You do not have to have any surgery at all if you feel you don’t want to, or you can simply deal with the area of most concern in the first instance and allow it to recover before you consider having the other area done. This can be months or even years later, depending on how you feel.

How much does a Mummy Makeover cost?

There is a cost-benefit of having a Mummy Makeover compared to having the operations separately. The time spent in the operating theatre is very expensive, so reducing the time to a single session does have a bearing on the final cost.

However, there is often not a dramatic difference in the length of the hospital stay. The tummy tuck usually requires a two-night hospital stay, and breast reshaping requires a 1-night hospital stay. A Mummy Makeover averages a 3-night hospital stay, so this does not save much money.

For a Mummy Makeover, payment is all required up-front, whereas if you were to have the procedures separately, you would have time in between to prepare for the cost.

Mummy Makeover Summary

I think it comes down to the individual as to whether a Mummy Makeover might be right for you. If you feel mentally and physically prepared for the changes, and you have enough support for the recovery period, there are definite benefits to having just one period of recovery and healing. However, if you are unsure or just have one overwhelming area you would like to address, then it is worth having one procedure and seeing how that heals. You can always come back for the second procedure later. If you want more information, please visit our pages on Mummy Make overs here.

Why choose The Staiano Clinic for your Mummy Makeover

The Staiano Clinic is founded on supporting patients from initial consultation to final aftercare appointment. Our consultant surgeons are highly experienced and remain involved in the process all the way through, so you can feel genuinely cared for at every stage. We aim for compassion and care, and will never advise or pressure you to go through with surgery you don’t want.

If you have any questions, then Jonathan is on Facebook Live every Tuesday evening at 7 pm. Alternatively, you can email the Clinic or give us a call on 0121-454 3680 with any questions. We would love to hear from you. Find out more information on Breast Reduction, Breast Lift, Breast Augmentation and Tummy Tucks.

Download Our Tummy Tuck Guide

Download Our Breast Lift Guide

Download Our Breast Implant Guide

Breast Reduction, Breast Lift, Breast Augmentation and Tummy Tucks

Or, if you have any questions, then Jonathan is on Facebook Live every Tuesday night at 7 pm. Or you can email the Clinic or give us a call on 0121-454 3680 with any questions, we would love to hear from you.

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