Are There Complications that Come with a Mommy Makeover?

The mommy makeover is one of the most popular operations performed by plastic surgeons. The procedure is a combination of cosmetic breast surgery, liposuction, and abdominoplasty. It has been designed to correct changes that occur normally with pregnancy.

Although the procedure is considered to be extremely safe, complications may occasionally occur. These include bleeding, hematoma formation, loss of tissue, wound breakdown, excess scarring, infection, asymmetry and numbness.

Several steps can be taken to minimize complications. These include utilizing an accredited outpatient surgical facility, a board-certified plastic surgeon and a board-certified anesthesiologist. Although, these steps won’t totally eliminate complications, they will hopefully decrease the incidents. 

Pain Management Following Mommy Makeover Surgery

The mommy makeover is one of the largest procedures performed in cosmetic surgery. This procedure has several components. These include breast augmentation, breast lift, abdominoplasty, and liposuction of the hips and thighs. The exact procedure performed in any particular case is dependent upon the specific needs of the individual patient.

Pain tolerance varies from patient to patient and is dependent upon a variety of factors. The vast majority of patients who have mommy makeover surgery describe their pain

as moderate. This pain is especially noticeable in the first 24 hours following surgery, but improves rapidly over the next week.

Patients are given narcotic pain relievers in the immediate postoperative period and switched to Tylenol 5 to 7 days postoperatively. It’s not unusual for patients to have pain, which is related to muscle spasm following this procedure. When this situation arises, muscle relaxants are extremely helpful as well.

If you’re concerned about postoperative pain management, it’s important to discuss this issue with your plastic surgeon. Your surgeon should be able to develop a plan that addresses your concerns. 

Simultaneous C-Sections and Tummy Tucks

Abdominoplasty isn't recommended immediately following a C-section for a variety of reasons. These include the inability to make aesthetic judgments immediately following pregnancy, the mother’s overall health status, and the demands of a newborn child on the mother.

The timing of surgery following pregnancy is important and several issues should be considered before proceeding with surgery. It takes time for a new post-pregnancy body to reach its new baseline following pregnancy, and during this transition, it’s impossible to make aesthetic judgments. During this period, stretched skin may contract, a swollen uterus may shrink, and the weight gained during pregnancy may gradually disappear. This process takes 3 to 6 months and needs to occur before abdominoplasty is performed.

Ideally, patients should be within 10% of their ideal body weight and in good health otherwise. The majority of women who have undergone C-sections aren’t in good physical shape and are therefore not optimal candidates for surgery for a variety of reasons. These may include severe fatigue, a depressed immune system, possible blood loss, an increased potential for infection and elevated estrogen levels which can increase the risk of blood clots.

Finally, the demands of a newborn would make the recovery from these combined procedures very difficult. For instance, the use of postoperative pain medications would prevent you from breast feeding. In other words, the abdominoplasty might impact your developing relationships with your newborn child.

For all these reasons, it’s obvious that C-section and abdominoplasty shouldn't be performed together. If you’re considering abdominoplasty it’s important to give yourself time to fully recover from your C-section. Once this has occurred it’s appropriate to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon.  

Pregnancy Following Tummy Tuck Surgery

The vast majority of women who undergo tummy tuck surgery are done having children.  Rarely, women who have undergone abdominoplasty change their minds about additional pregnancies or accidentally become pregnant. Under these circumstances, tummy tuck has no negative impact upon the pregnancy.  Unfortunately, pregnancy has a negative impact upon the patient’s previous abdminoplasty.  Pregnancy recreates many of the patient’s original problems, including loose saggy skin, weakened abdominal muscles, and stretch marks.

Because of the significant investment in time, money, and effort, we strongly recommend that patients be done having children before proceeding with abdominoplasty.  Even when women don’t plan on having additional children, their life circumstances change and they become pregnant.  Under these circumstances, revision of the original tummy tuck can be undertaken with success.

What’s the Difference Between Panniculectomy & Abdominoplasty?

It’s not unusual for massive weight loss patients to develop loose, saggy abdominal skin. This excess skin can cause a variety of functional problems including chronic rashes, infection, and back pain. In addition, loose abdominal skin may cause aesthetic deformities which effect self-esteem and self-image.

For these reasons, patients frequently seek corrective surgery following massive weight loss. When this situation arises, a variety of treatment options exist that address the skin, fat, and underlying muscles. These procedures are tailored to the patient’s specific anatomic findings and unique aesthetic goals. 

In some cases, an abdominal panniculectomy can be performed. This procedure involves removal of excess lower abdominal skin. When this skin apron is removed, the umbilicus and underlying muscles are left alone. This procedure has a significant impact on function, but has aesthetic limitations. These include continued upper abdominal loose skin, pubic skin sag, and weak abdominal muscles. 

For these reasons, it’s not unusual for patients to request abdominoplasty surgery. This procedure not only removes excess lower abdominal skin, but also removes excess upper abdominal skin and tightens the abdominal muscles as well. This procedure requires detachment of the umbilicus and transposition to a higher level. It’s associated with improved functional results and dramatically improved abdominal aesthetics. Unfortunately, tightening the abdominal muscles does occasionally prolong the recovery period. 

It’s important to realize that each patient’s situation is unique. For this reason, it’s important to discuss your aesthetic goals with your plastic surgeon. Your plastic surgeon should be able to formulate a treatment plan that’s appropriate for your aesthetic goals and life style. In your case, it may not be appropriate to tighten your abdominal muscles. 

C-Sections & Tummy Tucks

Abdominoplasty isn’t recommended immediately following a C-section for a variety of reasons. These include the inability to make aesthetic judgments immediately following pregnancy, the mother’s overall health status, and the demands of a newborn child on the mother.

The timing of surgery following pregnancy is important and several issues should be considered before proceeding with surgery. It takes time for a new post-pregnancy body to reach its new baseline following pregnancy, and during this transition, it’s impossible to make aesthetic judgments. During this period, stretched skin may contract, a swollen uterus may shrink, and the weight gained during pregnancy may gradually disappear. This process takes 3 to 6 months and needs to occur before abdominoplasty is performed. 

Ideally, patients should be within 10% of their ideal body weight and in good health otherwise. The majority of women who have undergone C-sections aren’t in good physical shape and are therefore not optimal candidates for surgery for a variety of reasons. These may include severe fatigue, a depressed immune system, possible blood loss, an increased potential for infection and elevated estrogen levels which can increase the risk of blood clots.

Finally, the demands of a newborn would make the recovery from these combined procedures very difficult. For instance, the use of postoperative pain medications would prevent you from breast feeding. In other words, the abdominoplasty might impact your developing relationships with your newborn child. 

For all these reasons, it’s obvious that C-section and abdominoplasty shouldn’t be performed together. If you’re considering abdominoplasty it’s important to give yourself time to fully recover from your C-section. Once this has occurred it’s appropriate to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon.  

Surgical Drains Following Tummy Tuck Surgery

Drains are frequently used in the postoperative period in abdominoplasty patients to minimize the potential for seroma formation. Drains are usually left in place for 7 to 14 days following surgery. They are usually removed when drainage drops below 25 cc per 24 hours.

The management of surgical drainage varies from patient to patient. Each patient has a unique surgical anatomy and surgical procedures are modified for each individual patient for these reasons.

Simultaneous Mommy Makeover & Hysterectomy

Once a woman makes a decision to undergo a hysterectomy, it often represents the beginning of a new phase in her life. Many of these women hope to reverse the changes associated with pregnancy by undergoing a mommy makeover at the time of their hysterectomy. The mommy makeover often includes cosmetic breast surgery, abdominoplasty, and liposuction with a hysterectomy.

When a hysterectomy is added to a mommy makeover, it adds significantly to the operating room time. This usually results in the procedure being done on an inpatient basis, as opposed to an outpatient basis. It’s important to have good communication between the plastic surgeon and gynecologist so that the procedure is well-choreographed to minimize operating room time.

The Impact of Weight Gain Following Tummy Tuck

Significant weight gain can occasionally occur following tummy tuck surgery.  In the vast majority of abdominoplasty patients this is not a problem.  In abdominoplasty patients, life-style changes are often an important part of their recovery. They tend to watch their diet and exercise more frequently.

Unfortunately, when weight gain following abdominoplasty occurs, the impact upon the procedure can be significant. Many of the original problems such as loose, saggy skin, weakened muscles, and stretch marks can be recreated.

Are You A Candidate for Tummy Tuck Surgery? - Watch Dr. John Edney's Video to Find Out

Watch Dr. Edney answer all of the questions you may have regarding Tummy Tuck surgery in his detailed video. In this video, he explains how the procedure is performed, what the recovery period is like, what the benefits are, and the differences between Tummy Tuck and Mini Tummy Tuck.

Can Skin Sag Result From Abdominal Liposuction?

Every patient has the potential to develop loose skin following liposuction surgery. It’s therefore important that this topic be a part of the preoperative discussion and informed consent process.

The potential to develop loose skin varies from patient to patient. This determination is based on physical examination alone. Some patients have excellent skin tone with minimal laxity and aren’t likely to have difficulty with skin sag. These patients are often younger and are close to their ideal body weight. In this group, liposuction is an excellent treatment option with high satisfaction rates.

There are also patients who are clearly at risk for developing skin sag. This group is often older and their skin has more laxity. They have experienced greater fluctuations in their weight and have had multiple pregnancies. In many cases, they are not within 10% of their ideal body weight. They may also have associated weakness of their underlying abdominal muscles.

Can I Have a Breast Reduction if I’m Overweight?

For many patients, breast reduction surgery is a life-changing experience. Symptoms such as back, neck, and shoulder pain seem to improve almost overnight. Patients note that clothes fit better and over time, their self-esteem and self-image improve as well.

Patients who are overweight don’t differ from other patients in this regard. They note similar improvement in quality of life and significant improvement in symptoms.

When patients who are overweight undergo breast reduction surgery, they often experience additional benefits. They often note increased exercise tolerance and subsequently become more physically active as they adopt a healthier lifestyle. In many cases, this results in significant amounts of weight loss.

Liposuction for Men

Liposuction is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic surgical procedures in men. The flanks, abdomen, chest, and neck appear to be the most commonly treated areas. This procedure is
associated with high satisfaction rates when patients are near their ideal body weight.

Liposuction in men has limitations because the fat tends to be more fibrous. In addition, a large amount of the abdominal fat is located within the abdominal cavity where it can’t be reached by a liposuction canula. These characteristics can limit the amount of fat that can be removed with this procedure. Men generally have thicker skin than women and as a result, skin sag is less likely to occur in this group.In some cases, ultrasonic liposuction has been found to be helpful when performing liposuction on men. In theory, this procedure results in skin tightening as well.

Capsular Contracture Following Breast Augmentation

It’s normal for your body to react to a foreign material such as a breast implant by forming a scar. This scar surrounds the breast implant and is known as a capsule. Capsule formation occurs in every patient to some degree following breast augmentation. In most cases, this represents a normal response to a foreign material being placed inside your body.

Without capsule formation, implants don’t stay in one place. When this happens, implants migrate and secondary pocket revision may be necessary. In some cases, capsule formation occurs in an aggressive form, which results in a capsular contracture. In severe cases of capsular contracture, the breast implants become hard, distorted, displaced, and painful. The majority of capsular contractures develop within six months of surgery, but they can develop at any time.

There’s no laboratory or radiology test that makes the diagnosis. The diagnosis is entirely based on physical examination.

Teen Breast Reduction

When younger patients have significant breast enlargement with associated symptoms, we don’t feel that they should be denied the benefits of this procedure because of an arbitrary age cutoff. Before proceeding, there are several unique considerations in this group that must be considered.

One of these is the issue of breast growth. We would prefer stabilization of breast growth for at least six months prior to proceeding with surgery. Another issue is the age of consent. Because of this, parents should be involved in every step of the decision- making process.

Will Pregnancy Ruin My Breast Implants?

Breast implants are not impacted by pregnancy and breast-feeding, but the surrounding breast tissue can be significantly impacted. These changes vary from patient to patient following breast augmentation and pregnancy. Some patients are minimally impacted, while others note sag of their native breast tissue, loss of breast volume, and stretch marks. These changes are probably not related to breast implants, but are instead related to the natural biologic tendencies of the breast tissue. In other words, loss of breast volume, sag, and stretch marks would occur even if breast implants weren't present.

Exercise Following Breast Augmentation

Recovery times following breast augmentation surgery vary from patient to patient. These times are significantly impacted by the nature of the procedure, the patient’s employment, and the patient’s social situation. It’s important to realize that even though breast augmentation is a cosmetic procedure, it’s still a significant operation with associated risk. For this reason, premature return to normal activity can result in an increased incidence of complications.
  
We generally recommend light activity for the first week following the procedure. After one week, patients are allowed to gradually resume normal non- strenuous activities. Strenuous activities and heavy lifting are not allowed for at least six weeks in most cases. At six weeks, most patients are able to resume all of their normal activities.

Insurance Coverage for Blepharoplasty?

When redundant upper eyelid skin results in obstruction of vision, it’s more than a cosmetic issue.  Patients often have excess skin, which obstructs vision superiorly and laterally.  Under these circumstances, excess upper eyelid skin can actually cause significant functional problems.  For instance, this can create problems when driving a motor vehicle and this can be potentially dangerous.  When this happens insurance carriers will occasionally view upper lid blepharoplasty as
medically necessary and cover its expense.

Before insurance carriers cover the expense of blepharoplasty they require that certain criteria be met.  These include documentation of symptoms and physical findings associated with visual field obstruction.  In addition, visual field studies that demonstrate visual field obstruction are critical to insurance approval.

Visual field studies are typically performed by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. The study is performed by measuring the patient’s response to a series of flashing lights. The patient’s responses are recorded and a computer- generated report is made. This report will demonstrate any visual field defects that the patient may have. The initial study is followed by a secondary study in which the upper eyelids are taped in an upward direction.  Improvements in the results of visual field studies with the upper lids taped as opposed to untaped would indicate that blepharoplasty would benefit the patient.

Should I Get Breast Implants If I Plan On Getting Pregnant Later?

The results of breast augmentation surgery are never permanent. Changes in weight, normal aging, pregnancy, and breast-feeding can all be expected to change the breasts. Each patient who is considering breast augmentation and possibly pregnancy should be considered individually based on their personal situation. As a rule, if a patient is planning pregnancy within a year of surgery, we generally recommend postponing surgery until after the pregnancy. Most patients who present for breast augmentation don't have plans for pregnancy in the short term, but realize that it's probably in their future. It's important for this group of patients to realize that pregnancy may impact their final result.

The impact of pregnancy on breast augmentation varies from patient to patient. Some patients are minimally impacted, while others note sag of their native breast tissue, volume loss, and stretch marks. This often results in the need for secondary procedures, such as implant exchange and breast lift.

Can Liposuction and Tummy Tuck be done at the Same Time?

Following pregnancy, it’s not uncommon to see women who have abdominal skin sag with stretch marks. Many of these patients also have fat collections of their hips and thighs. At Aesthetic Surgical Images, we frequently perform liposuction of the hips and thighs at the time of abdominoplasty; however, we avoid liposuction of the abdomen at the time of abdominoplasty because of the increased potential for wound-healing problems.

When performing abdominoplasty, the lower abdominal incision and the elevation of abdominal skin flaps interrupt several sources of blood supply to the abdominal skin. When liposuction of the abdomen is done during abdominoplasty, there is the potential to damage the remaining blood supply. This potentially could result in skin necrosis and wound-healing problems. If patients need liposuction of their abdomen, we prefer performing this procedure at a later date.

There are significant advantages in performing liposuction of the hips and thighs in combination with abdominoplasty. These include synergy, cost-savings, and one recovery period.  Attempts to perform liposuction of the abdomen in combination with abdominoplasty potentially can result in an increased complication rate.