Mommy Makeover

During pregnancy the female body changes in many ways. Not all changes are visible even after birth. However, some pregnancy-related changes require a lot of time and active support from the woman in order to return to the original state. Other traces of the birth of the child cannot be reversed (without surgical intervention).

Especially in the third trimester of the pregnancy the pigmentation (colouring) of the skin changes. This change in colour may partially recede or remain as a slight stain. However, the clearly visible stretching of the skin, even after pregnancy is much more decisive. Depending on the body composition, this stretching in varying degrees leads to so-called striae, or typical stretch marks, especially on the stomach, breast and buttocks. The stretching of the skin is caused by the increased cortisol level during pregnancy and leads to thinning and loss of skin elasticity. Occasionally the skin in the area of the vagina tears during the birth process and heals as a strong, sometimes painful scar. These ‘tear scars’ can cause considerable suffering for some women and can of course be surgically corrected to alleviate the discomfort and improve the aesthetic appearance.

During pregnancy there is a massive change in the hormone composition in the maternal blood. This causes the levels of cortisol, estrogen and growth hormones to rise. As a result, the body gains weight and stores fat. While the increase in volume due to the extra fat (and glandular growth) in the breasts is usually not sustainable, it often remains in the abdomen and flanks well beyond pregnancy. The abdominal girth also increases due to an increased weakness of the connective tissue. Due to the increased pressure in the abdominal cavity during pregnancy, the tissue including the abdominal muscles tends to ‘drift apart’. Several other changes in the abdominal region are often of aesthetic relevance: an outwardly pressed navel, an enlarged or even drooping mons veneris or changes due to fat redistribution of adjacent areas, such as ‘bacon rolls’ on either side of the abdomen. To what extent all these changes recede after birth without surgery depends on many different factors. Weak connective tissue and lack of exercise, but also unhealthy nutrition and smoking tend to have an unfavourable influence. But even with the best conditions and exemplary discipline, some women seem to retain diet-resistant fat deposits after pregnancy.

The initial increase in volume in the breasts is mainly due to the hormonally controlled growth of the mammary gland. After breastfeeding, an empty and sagging breast is common. The most prominent remodelling processes of the breast form now manifest themselves in a loss of volume, especially in the upper pole of the breast, increasing ptosis (sagging) of the breast and an enlargement of the areola. The nipples are often pointing downwards and the tightness of the gland is reduced. Due to the sagging of the breasts, many women wear a larger bra after pregnancy than before. Breastfeeding can also change the symmetry of the breasts, so that you feel comfortable in your body again, you should consider a breast enlargement or breast lift.

The ideal time to perform a ‘mommy makeover’ operation is, from a medical point of view, after the return to the physiological hormone levels of the woman following pregnancy at the earliest. This point is reached about six weeks after weaning. In addition to biological considerations, the burden of maternal responsibilities should not be underestimated. As wonderful as the joys of motherhood are, the change in everyday life should already have become routine before an additional stress factor is tackled by the operation.

The extent and type of treatment in ‘mommy makeover’ surgery can vary greatly. Therefore we ask you to take the detailed information for the post-treatment from the respective subitems of our website. However, the procedure immediately following the operation is the same for all the different procedures. You will wake up in the patient’s bed and will notice a dressing on the surgical site and drainage tubes from the wound area. The number of drains and how long they should drain wound water from the body depends on the procedure. The postoperative routine also includes continuous monitoring by our experienced anaesthesia department. Blood pressure, pulse and oxygen saturation are constantly monitored for about two to three hours. During this time you will notice the ‘beeping’ of the machines. You should confine yourself to bed rest until the morning after the operation. At this point, a doctor’s visit takes place as standard and you can usually be discharged to your home environment. This is followed by regular wound and findings checks in our private clinic for plastic and aesthetic surgery.

The term “Mommy Makeover” refers to an “all-round renewal” of the body, so to speak, after pregnancy and the subsequent birth. The Mommy Makeover trend comes from the USA, where it is a combination of various surgical and non-surgical procedures. Used together, they lead to the restoration of the body to the state as it was before pregnancy and birth.