Menu
650.617.9907
Mommy Makeover

Mommy Makeover Procedures

Home/Mommy Makeover

Congratulations on having a baby! (Or babies!)

It is truly a blessing, and one of the best journeys I have ever taken. As you have undoubtedly discovered, having babies takes a toll on your body, particularly your abdomen, breasts, and skin. Helping women regain their pre-pregnancy bodies is an area of particular interest for me.

I see Mommy Makeover patients in two peaks. Most of my immediate Mommy Makeover patients are women in their late 30s and early 40s. They had their kids, saw what didn’t get better or were really blown out, and want to fix it now. I also though see women in their 50s. Their kids are off to college, and the changes which were caused by pregnancy weren’t so bad then… But after another 20 years and menopause now they are. Much of what I fix is what babies ( as well as time, gravity, and life) have caused. I feel strongly our bodies change more than those of our mothers did. Particularly here in the Bay Area, we have babies at an older age, we gain more weight, and we breastfeed. What makes us proud in our playgroups is a healthy child. Our own bodies take second place.

Post-pregnancy surgery should not be done until you have allowed time for your body to fully recover.

It is amazing to see what time, exercise, and those healthy habits can do to improve things. I usually recommend you are a year or two out from your last child, have returned to your normal activities, are done breast feeding, and see where you are when the dust settles (and you and your child are hopefully sleeping through the night!).

Post pregnancy or perimenopause is a watershed time.

There are typical changes I see among new moms, many of which cannot be fixed by exercise, creams, or sheer will. My Palo Alto patients are often well educated. Post pregnancy or perimenopause is a watershed time. I will walk you through your body and review what is going on, what can be done, ideal timing, and what can’t be fixed (or the fix isn’t “worth it.”) My goal as your plastic surgeon is to help you evaluate your choices and determine your best option together.

Plastic surgery after pregnancy is not needed by every woman. But for many, it allows us a way to reclaim our bodies after having babies. The benefits to self-esteem and sexuality can be great.

The two major areas affected are the breasts and body.

“I had a breast augmentation and liposuction about 2 months ago and I couldn’t be happier! My body looks 100% natural.” – K.K., Stanford
*Individual results may vary
View More Testimonials

Ideal BodyWeight

You should be back to your ideal body weight prior to any surgery if you can do it. I get how hard it is to lose weight. All those who say their weight “just flew off” while they were breastfeeding or chasing their kids are lucky. Most women work to reclaim their pre-baby weight.

  • Being at your ideal weight prior to surgery helps us see what your body looks like after babies.
  • How is your skin tone? Do you droop?
  • Are your abdominal muscles separated?

I see many women who get back to their pre-baby weight only to find their bodies don’t fit into clothing like it did.

Losing weight after some surgeries can be problematic, as it can change the appearance, skin laxity and droopiness, and body proportion.

We have so many options now for weight control. You can control blood sugar better by knowing what spikes your blood sugar (use a continuous glucose montior “CGM”) and taking medications like metformin. You can see what your body composition is- fat and muscle percentages- and try to build muscle with creatine (we carry German micronized creatine in our clinic) and weight and resistance training. You can do other methods, from intermittent fasting, high protein diets, and GLPs. See my page on weight for more information HERE. 

During your consultation with me, I focus on your whole body health. Not only does it optimize your surgery and the results, it makes your surgery safer and recovery faster.

TimingFor Surgery

I recommend getting back to your normal before doing any kind of surgery. Right after you have babies, you are not sleeping, you haven’t lost weight, you may be breast feeding.  Your body has been dedicated to growing and feeding another being- not you.

You should enjoy your new baby and give yourself time.  They body bounces back a lot after pregnancy on its own.  My kids are now all grown, and they aren’t kidding when they say it goes by quickly. Savor this time.

Wait until the dust has settled, so you can see what, if anything, needs to be fixed.

  • Timeframes vary, but for many, surgery is 2-3 years after their last child
  • Wait at least 3 months after you stop breast feeding for any breast surgery. You don’t want to be able to express milk.
  • Ideally you should be done with having kids
  • Surgery is a stress to the body. You need to be rested, strong, and healthy.
  • You need a lot of help around the house for the first 1-2 weeks.

I have a lot of information about how to optimize surgery. Read my pages on optimal timing HERE.

WHAT JUST CAN’T BE FIXED?

There are some changes after pregnancy which are not fixable.  I bring these up to save you frustration, as I see many women expend time, energy, and money on these issues with no results.  Sometimes procedures like lasers and peels give temporary improvement, but won’t fix it.  Some of my colleagues may disagree, and I encourage you to meet with a board certified plastic surgeon for an evaluation, but the following are tough issues:

  • Stretch marks.  People have a genetic predisposition to stretch marks.  If your mom had stretch marks, or you have them from growing or weight changes, you are at risk.  When a stretch mark forms and is red, you may have a window to improve the stretch mark with lasers or peels.  This can narrow or lighten the stretch mark.  Once a stretch mark is mature, changing it is difficult.  (If they form in the lower abdomen, this skin is removed with a tummy tuck.)
  • Loose skin in the upper abdomen.  I see this frequently in thin women with a small amount of hanging or wrinkled skin just above the belly button.  The upper abdomen is difficult, because there is nowhere to hide a scar.  You cannot hide a scar in the belly button.  There is no laser or exercise which tightens the skin effectively long term.  These women are not a candidate for a full tummy tuck because they don’t have enough loose skin.  A mini tummy tuck removes skin from the lower abdomen only- it can’t help much of the upper abdomen because the umbilicus serves like an anchor.  This is one where I advise to live with it, and try to improve your posture as much as you can.   Sometimes peels can give temporary improvement, and I do have patients who do a peel at the beginning of summer to help their belly look a little better through bikini season.
  • Intraabdominal fat.  When your waistline thickens with age after pregnancy, some of the fat is external and some is internal.  The external fat can be removed by liposuction or a tummy tuck.  The internal fat is behind the rectus muscles, the “beer belly” on some men.  The only way to shrink this fat is to lose weight.

WHAT CAN’T BE FIXEDWITHOUT SURGERY?

There are things which won’t get better with sheer will and determination, or with time.  I think it is good to know what these are, so you don’t chase products or quick fixes which won’t work.

  • Small breasts.  Many women who were happy with their breast size before pregnancies are unhappy after.  This can be due to the breasts shrinking after babies (which can occur with breastfeeding or weight loss), or from getting used to having larger breasts with pregnancy and breastfeeding.  The fix is breast augmentation.
  • Droopy breasts.  Try as you might, there is no exercise to lift and tighten skin.  If your breasts sag after babies, a breast lift can help.  If your breasts are too large and sag, then a breast reduction is the answer.
  • Umbilical hernia.  If you are now an “outie” at your belly button when you were an “innie” prior to kids, it is a small hernia in the belly button.  A hernia is a tear in the abdominal wall, and a knuckle of intestine, fat, etc. pooches out. We can fix this with a tummy tuck.  Insurance may cover part of your surgery cost.
  • Hanging abdominal skin.  When the skin stretches to accommodate the baby, it needs to shrink back after the baby.  If it can’t shrink back, it will hang.  Risk factors for skin retraction issues are many: pregnancy weight gain, pregnancy of multiples, older age of the mother, and number of kids.  You can’t tone skin with lasers or exercise. As you age, particularly in perimenopause, your skin elasticity worsens.  The only way to tighten skin is to cut out the extra skin, which is a tummy tuck.
  • Muscle separation.  Your abdominal muscles form your core. When you carry your baby, you do so behind these muscles, and pregnancy can cause the muscles to separate along the midline.  We call this a diastasis.  Some of this shrinks back after you give birth.  But for many, the separation stays.  This can give you a poochy belly, which makes you look pregnant when you are not.

I was at the gym when Dr Greenberg’s name came up. My trainer had two other clients that had received her services and were very happy with the results. At 46 years old, three pregnancies and breastfeeding, my body had taken a beating. I have been working out diligently for the last 6 years but recently had noticed that no matter how hard I worked I could not see the results I used to. I had been thinking of breast reduction and tummy tuck. Dr Greenberg’s consultation was very informative. What I liked is that she had pictures with full explanations of what the two procedures would entail. She is also a mom and understood where I was coming from. Long story short I went ahead and had the two procedures. I am so happy that I did them. My breasts look awesome. No more back pain which I didn’t even know was being caused by my breasts. The extra skin on the tummy gone!! I now have a beautifully shaped new belly-button and flat stomach thanks to Dr. Greenberg. I am feeling like myself again pre kids. Thanks Dr Greenberg!

Anonymous

August 20, 2011

12345

Mommy makeover Cost

Cost of mommy makeovers varies widely depending on what you need. The surgeries tend to be larger – ranging from 4 1/2 hours to 6 hours.  When looking at the cost, remember you are usually doing what is the equivalent of two larger surgeries at the same time.

There are benefits to combining surgeries:

  • You are under anesthesia once,
  • You recover once. This means you don’t have to take time off from work, get someone to help with kids, and not be able to exercise and do life (shopping, laundry, cooking, etc) one time, not two. There is minimal change in the recovery time for healthy women wanting to do a combined procedure.
  • There is cost savings. The most expensive hour of surgery is the first hour, and some of the time in surgery is going to sleep, putting on monitors, the prep, etc. It is more cost efficient to do more things while you are asleep on the table. (And you miss less work and need only need help for one recovery, not two).

Cost for a mommy makeover ranges from $25,000 – 40,000. This is all in- all your visits in my Menlo Park office, my surgery fees, the fees for the Plastic Surgery Center in Palo Alto, the fees for the anesthesiologist MD, garments, scar treatments, presurgical prep and supplies, and more. You will get a detailed quote after your consultation.

It is a lot. But safety, experience, and care matter.

  • I am a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who has done mommy makeovers for 25+ years. I meet with you one on one for your visits. I have done hundreds of breast augmentations, breast lifts, breast reductions. I have written a chapter on liposuction. I have done hundreds of tummy tucks. I have honed my techniques, improved pain control, reduced risks of seromas by continually improving my care.
  • My anesthesiologists are all Board Certified MDs who have worked with me for 25+ years.
  • My surgery center is AAAA certified. I have operated there for 30+ years.

 

 

mommy makeover recovery tips

Mommy Makeover surgery is a big surgery.  The way to recover better? You must go in prepared. This is two pronged: your body being optimized and planning (for your family, work) so you have the space to recover.

YOUR OPTIMIZATION:

Please see my pages on PRESURGERY ADVICE, WEIGHT LOSS, and WHOLE BODY HEALTH. I really want you to look at this surgery as a watershed. Optimize your health before you do a surgery, so you optimize your results- better scarring, faster healing, better results. I see women coming in wanting to reclaim their bodies. Bravo! Let me help you.

During your initial consultation I will focus on everything about your whole body health. You will likely leave with a punch list of things I would like you to do before surgery. The four big ones:

  • Weight
  • Diet
  • Exercise & activity
  • Any medical issues which could affect surgery, anesthesia, or healing. (medications, existing health issues, blood sugar, cholesterol, vaping, edibles, herbals)

If you have any medical issues- thyroid, anemia, blood pressure- fix those before surgery. Read my pages on weight loss and diet. It is amazing to see the effect those have not just on the cosmetic results, but on your ability to heal better, scar better, and have lower rates of infections, wound healing issues, or other complications.

YOUR FAMILY & WORK

Women, especially moms, make the world run. Period. I need you to plan plan plan.

  • You will be out for 1-2 weeks. This means you actually have to *gasp* rest. Relax. Read a book. Watch trashy TV. Someone else is doing the shopping, cooking, laundry, drop offs, scheduling.
  • Pick a time where work is slower. If you can work from home the second week, many people will only take one week off. We can discuss this at your visit.
  • If you have a big event- reunion, wedding, big trip- factor that into your planning.

You help no one by “pushing” yourself. This is not a marathon. There is no gold star or A+ for being back to work fast. Healing takes a predictable amount of time for everyone- whether you are a California superstar athlete or a Ben and Jerry’s afficionado. You have to let your body heal. If you are too active, or push through the pain, you will cause issues with your healing. You will stay bruised and swollen longer. You may rip stitches or cause a bleed. Your pain may be more.