5 Factors That Make Patients Good Candidates For Mommy Makeover Surgery
Although many patients believe that there is a single plastic surgery procedure known as a “Mommy Makeover,” Palm Springs"’ Dr. Mo Zakhireh—the board-certified plastic surgeon at the head of Cosmetic Surgery Institute in Palm Desert—explains that the term actually describes a customized combination of various procedures devoted to body contouring.
While something like a facelift focuses on a specific feature—in this case, the face—a Mommy Makeover focuses on delivering the overall body contours a patient wants, typically after experiencing the life-changing experience of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood.
That said, being a mother is not actually a requirement of getting a Mommy Makeover! What exactly makes a good candidate for the suite of procedures? Read on to find out:
1. You Have Experienced Body Changes You Would Like to Address
Once-perky and full breasts can “deflate” and sag over time, especially for moms whose weight fluctuates during and after pregnancy. Breastfeeding also causes volume changes and alterations to a person’s figure. Other areas of the body that may become lax, hold onto excess fat, and more include the belly, buttocks, and thighs. While all of these bulges and sagging can certainly result from the process of building, delivering, and nourishing a baby, they can also develop due to genetics, weight gain and loss, and aging. Whether or not you’re a mom, you may find that a Mommy Makeover represents the customizable path forward to regaining slimmer and sleeker contours.
2. You Want to Make Changes for Yourself
It is important for anyone considering a Mommy Makeover—or any plastic surgery, for that matter—to assess their reasons for wanting the procedures. Patients who want to make a physical change should be especially realistic and honest when it comes to the “who” they are making the change for. In short: You should do it for you and not to hopefully please someone else or try to fit their perceived standards of beauty. A Mommy Makeover can be very empowering. Good candidates for the procedures are those who want to reclaim that power for themselves.
3. You Are in Good Health
Surgeries can be taxing on the body, and the best results develop for patients who heal well. For this reason, the most ideal candidates for Mommy Makeover procedures are those who are in good health—both physically and mentally. Patients should be at or close to their ideal weight, especially since liposuction is a part of many Mommy Makeovers, but is not a weight-reduction treatment. Candidates should also be non-smokers, since nicotine and other harmful chemicals in cigarettes, cigars, and more can restrict blood flow and slow healing.
4. You Are Done Having Children
The procedures that make up a Mommy Makeover are designed to address body contour changes that result from pregnancy. Because of this, a new pregnancy—after a successful Mommy Makeover—can “undo” the results of the surgeries. A growing baby can stretch out belly skin anew, changing hormones and body processes can impact fat storage, and milk production can cause breasts to swell. All of these changes and more can once again cause skin laxity, bulges, asymmetry, and the very cosmetic issues the Mommy Makeover addressed. For this reason, good candidates are finished with having any more kids.
5. You Have Positive, but Realistic Expectations
A Mommy Makeover can do wonders for your body contours, but it is crucial to remember that it will not restore your exact pre-baby body. There is no way to literally recapture the shape and proportions you enjoyed prior to getting pregnant. You can, however, look forward to a slimmer, sleeker, tighter, perkier, and more rejuvenated appearance more in line with your silhouette prior to birth and breastfeeding. Excellent Mommy Makeover candidates understand, accept, and anticipate the beautiful change that will be unique to them.
To discover more about what makes a good Mommy Makeover contact, reach out to the Cosmetic Surgery Institute. Call (760) 837-0364 or contact the team online for a consultation.