Mommy Makeover Surgery in Denver – Mommy Makeover Surgeon Serving Denver and Highlands Ranch

The breast procedures of Mommy Makeover depend upon what changes have occurred and what enhancements are desired. Some of the most frequent complaints women have after pregnancy include, breast deflation or loss of volume and breast drooping.
Breast enhancement surgery may include breast augmentation (breast implants), breast lift (mastopexy), or a combination of augmentation and lift (augmentation mastopexy).

Breast implants don’t lift the breast, but the implants do fill out the volume of the breast and can improve breast shape to a fuller appearance.

The proper selection of the size and shape of the implants can make a big difference. During your consultation, we will learn what shape and size you prefer and based upon your current breast size and shape, we will help you to select the best implants to give you the result you desire. We will even show you a simulation of the results using a photographic image of your own body with a 3-dimensional simulation using the implant choices that work best for you!

During pregnancy, the muscles and skin of the abdomen (tummy) are stretched. Hormones of pregnancy also contribute to the relaxation of the muscles and skin. For many women, the skin and muscles may remain lax, after pregnancy. The tummy tuck of a Mommy Makeover is designed to address the particular laxity that remains after pregnancy to optimally restore contours of the tummy and waist.

This is a concern of many women who diligently exercise to get their abdominal contours to improve, but can’t seem to get rid of the “pooch,” no matter how many sit-ups they do. Oftentimes, the reason is that the abdominal wall (the muscles and fascia) have been stretched by pregnancy and remain lax. Sometimes, the tummy is widened by a split (diastasis) between the rectus muscles (the long vertical muscles of the abdominal wall), making it impossible to tighten or flatten the tummy with exercise alone: the only way to get the tummy flat is to repair the split between the muscles.

The bulge is most likely due to a separation (diastase recti) of the muscles of the abdomen, the rectus abdominus muscles. The separation occurs from tissue relaxation caused by hormones to make room in the abdomen for the pregnancy. The tummy tuck part of a Mommy Makeover repairs the diastasis and tightens the muscle wall to eliminate the bulge. The tummy tuck (abdominoplasty with muscle repair) makes sit-ups and abdominal exercises more effective by tightening and bringing the muscles into better alignment in the front of the tummy.

A hernia is a defect or tear in the muscle layer of the tummy that allows the deeper core fat (visceral fat) of the tummy to bulge through the abdominal wall. This type of bulge is most often right in the belly button (umbilicus) and makes the belly button bulge forward (an “out-ie”), distorting the belly button and making it larger than it was before pregnancy. The hernia of the belly button (umbilical hernia) is common because this is a weaker area in the abdominal wall, and can be repaired with the abdominoplasty of a Mommy Makeover.

Oftentimes, liposuction is done as part of the Mommy Makeover to best address the needs of each individual.

At the Zwiebel Center for Plastic Surgery, we have a private and fully accredited surgical suite to perform your Mommy Makeover as an out-patient, with special attention to your comfort, safety and convenience. You will be happy to know that the team of dedicated professionals who care for you on the day of your Mommy Makeover is the same team who will meet you at your consultation, pre-op and care for you through your recovery and post-op appointments.

For your safety and comfort, most Mommy Makeover procedures are done with twilight anesthesia (intravenous sedation): we use fast-acting medicines that let you sleep through the procedure and recover quickly. You will be completely unaware of the procedure and the passage of time. Most patients wake up at the end of the procedure and think we haven’t even started yet!

We use generous amounts of long-acting local anesthetics to have you wake up without pain. For your continued comfort for days after surgery, we also use a “pain pump” to continue to drip local anesthetic solution into the breasts and tummy. The pain pump is like a small anesthetic-filled balloon that fits in a fanny pack with tiny catheters (tubes) placed into the breasts and tummy during the procedure. The combination of injecting local anesthetics during surgery and the post-op pain pump are remarkably effective in reducing post-op pain.

Few people have greater demands on their time than do Moms! It is really important to plan appropriately for your recovery after Mommy Makeover. Your recovery needs will vary depending upon the specific procedures performed for your Mommy Makeover You must have someone who can assist you around the clock, at least the first 2-3 days, post-op. In most incidences, you will need someone to be completely responsible for caring for your children for the first week, and you will not be able to drive for as long as 2 weeks, after your Mommy Makeover.

There are a few factors to consider when planning a tummy tuck after weight loss:
• Give yourself enough time to be sure you are maintaining a stable weight, after your weight loss.
• Depending on your diet and activity during your weight loss, allow time for these to normalize, before undergoing the stress of surgery.
o Some unhealthy diets can create blood deficiencies: vitamins,minerals, electrolytes, anemia, protein deficiencies.
 Such deficiencies can cause problems with anesthesia, drug reactions and interfere with healing.
 Your doctor should check your blood tests before you undergo surgery.
• A period of regular exercise will have many benefits, before a tummy tuck:
o Improve cardiac and lung capacity before undergoing the physiological stresses of surgery and recovery;
o Improve circulation (blood flow), which will help with healing;
o Improve muscle tone, especially strengthening the abdominal muscles to optimize the effects of surgery, especially if some surgical repair of the abdominal wall is planned.
• Skin shrinkage is happening as you lose the weight: waiting weeks or months after a big weight loss will not result in much difference in the amount of skin that tightens on it’s own. It is unlikely you will see further shrinkage of the loose deflated skin.
o
 The amount of shrinkage is a function of your tissues elasticity, an inherent quality of your skin, which is affected by:
 weight fluctuations
 hormones
 age
 genetics
 smoking and other toxic exposures
 general health
 nutrition
 sun exposure

• If you have been losing the weight gradually through sustainable lifestyle changes, including good nutrition with a healthy diet and exercise program, you need not wait to schedule your tummy tuck.
Otherwise, you may want to give yourself a couple months to stabilize.