Dr. Max of MP Plastic Surgery understands that many moms are eager to reclaim their pre-pregnancy bodies. In fact, one of the most common questions the practice receives is from women calling in to inquire how long they must wait after having a baby to have a mommy makeover to resculpt their abdomens and restore lost volume to their breasts.
The answer is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to this question. It’s highly unique and dependent on a number of factors that we’ll describe below.
A Mommy Makeover Shouldn’t Take Place Until You’re Certain You’ve Had Your Last Child
Dr. Max wants to deliver the moms who trust him with returning to the pre-baby state with long-lasting results. For this reason, he wants to make sure that the moms who consult with him about a mommy makeover are done having children. The reason – future pregnancies will stretch out the abdomen once again, which can lead to additional sagging abdominal skin and even separated abdominal muscles occurring again, and breast volume can also be lost whether a local mom chooses to breastfeed or not.
You Should Wait to Have Surgery for at Least 6 Months After Your Baby’s Birth
The second criteria that moms need to meet before having a mommy makeover is that at least 6 months should have passed since their child’s birth. This is because pregnancy and childbirth are events that require their own healing process.
You likely already know that if you had a vaginal delivery, your OB-GYN or midwife will want you off work for at least 6 weeks. And if your delivery was via a C-section, that required amount of time off work doubles to 12 weeks.
But just because you’ve passed the “no longer temporarily disabled” period and have returned to work – if you do work outside the home – doesn’t mean you’re ready for plastic surgery. Your hormones are still readjusting, and if you had any pregnancy or childbirth complications, your body might still be healing from those events. This is why Dr. Max says no plastic surgery until at least 6 months after your baby was born.
You Shouldn’t Have any Breast Procedure Performed Until at Least 6 Months After Your Milk Has Dried Up
Some moms choose to breastfeed their babies, and when they do, their breasts go into overdrive to produce the milk their child needs. And if you’ve ever breastfed before and let your milk dry up, you know that your breasts returning back to normal is a process.
Because lactating breasts go through so many internal changes when a mom weans her child, Dr. Max won’t perform any breast augmentation or breast lift surgery until a mom’s milk has been dried up for at least 6 months.
You Should Be at or Very Close to Your Goal Weight Before Undergoing a Mommy Makeover
It’s important to remember that plastic surgery is not the same as weight loss surgery, which is called bariatric surgery. You’ll get the best surgical results – especially from your tummy tuck – when you wait to have surgery until you are at or very close to your goal weight.
And you don’t want to have hit that magical number just last week before you head into the operating room. Dr. Max usually wants to see tummy tuck patients at a stable goal weight for at least 6 months to know that they’ll get the best possible results from their procedure.
If You’ve Met These Milestones, Schedule a Consultation with Dr. Max
If after reading the various criteria for this popular plastic surgery procedure for moms, you feel like you’re a qualified candidate, then there’s no time like the present to schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Max. Simply call MP Plastic Surgery to schedule your appointment today at (817) 529-9199.
