| Dr. Eric Chang is a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Here the Doctor has answered some of the common questions bizymoms visitors have about Mommy Makeover.
Q. What is a Mommy Makeover?
A. A mommy makeover is a generic term for surgery which brings a woman’s body back to the state that it was in prior to having children. With pregnancy and breastfeeding, the two most common complaints are looseness and excess skin in the abdomen, and drooping and "deflation" of the breasts.
The surgical plan for a mommy makeover differs with each individual. Sometimes surgery includes just liposuction or just a mini-tummy tuck, sometimes it includes anything from breast implants for augmentation to a lift, to a combination of the above.
Q. Who is a good candidate for Mommy Makeover?
A. Any woman who is unhappy about her body after having had children. Of course, if there are underlying medical conditions, these need to be considered prior to surgery, and often I will have a patients own physician see a patient prior to surgery to make sure that we are fully addressing a patients medical needs.
Q. What are the important facts about the safety and risks of the Mommy Makeover?
A. These surgeries are usually performed in an outpatient surgical setting with an anesthesiologist providing full anesthesia. I feel that this is the safest way to approach these surgeries.
I explain to my patients that any operation has risks - these include obvious risks such as the need for a surgical scar, all the way to less obvious and less common risks such as problems with anesthesia or having a blood clot after an operation. These are real surgeries with real risks. That being said, preparing for these risks and being smart about what kind of precautions we take for surgery are as important as wearing a seatbelt when we drive.
Q. What happens during the Mommy Makeover surgery?
A. Since the term "mommy makeover" is a generic term for a wide range of surgeries, frankly, it depends on what is being done. As I mentioned before, most of these procedures are done under anesthesia. Most include both surgery of the breast and tummy. Surgery typically takes a few hours, and possibly longer depending on which surgeries are being performed.
Q. What are the Options for the Mommy Makeover?
A. There are several ways to go with both abdominal and breast surgery. It is important for me to understand what a patient's goals are during the interview process. "Are you happy with your breast size when you wear a bra?" - this is a common question I ask. If the answer is yes, then typically a breast lift is needed and not an implant.
The range of surgeries for the abdomen include something as simple as liposuction alone, to a mini tummy tuck to a full tummy tuck. The best choice for surgery depends both on a patient's anatomy as well as what their goals and expectations are.
Q. What is the recovery time for Mommy Makeover?
A. This varies, depending on what combination of procedures is being done. Usually, with a breast augmentation, people need 1-2 weeks off of work. This increases to about 3-4 weeks with a full tummy tuck.
Q. How much will the Mommy Makeover cost?
A. This varies as well, depending on what exactly is being done. Many factors have to be considered. For instance, if a patient desires a breast augmentation, what kind of implants do they want? Silicone costs more than saline.
I try to give a realistic time estimate, and give a global estimate that will include all of the costs of surgery. The OR costs, the anesthesia costs, and the cost of whatever implants are necessary as well.
A typical breast augmentation surgery will cost around $5,000 to $7,000. A tummy tuck costs somewhere in the same range. The total costs really depend on what combinations of surgeries are being performed.
I try to be fair about what I charge, but I would caution against choosing a surgeon simply on price alone.
When I choose to operate on a patient, I am beginning a relationship with a patient. The same way that when you choose a surgeon, you are putting your trust in that individual not only for those few hours of surgery, but also for your care after the procedure.
I explain to patients that this "choosing" is a two-way street. I have had to turn down patient who I have felt didn’t understand what I was trying to explain, and had unrealistic expectations about what could be achieved with surgery.
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