It’s easy to lose yourself in the hustle and bustle of mom life, but you deserve to feel like your best self even in the chaos. Losing weight can be transformative. Not only does shedding those extra pounds result in more confidence and better mobility, but it also lowers blood pressure and improves other health conditions like heart disease and diabetes. For patients who are significantly overweight, losing that weight is the single most important step they can take to improve their quality of life and health. This goal is ideally achieved through alterations in diet and activity. For those individuals that require a little help, there are surgical options. The tremendous results obtained through bariatric (weight loss) surgery (performed by a general surgeon), can have a more pronounced and positive effect on a patient's life than almost any other area of medicine. However, substantial weight loss can also result in excess skin that does not shrink down to the underlying muscle and instead hangs from the body, making it difficult to show off your hard work and new physique. This excess tissue - also called the skin-fat envelope can diminish some of the excitement you felt from achieving your weight loss goals. Fortunately, we offer practical solutions to help optimize your appearance after losing weight. Post weight loss surgery in Houston combines multiple plastic surgery body contouring procedures to reveal the tighter, more toned appearance you have worked so hard for.
A mommy makeover is an excellent option for people who have lost weight and need to tighten and tone their bodies. At Magnolia Plastic Surgery and MedSpa in New Orleans, LA, Dr. Mommy makeovers are typically performed on women who have given birth and dropped significant weight quickly as a result. All bodies are altered by pregnancy, and it’s rare to bounce back naturally to your post-baby body.
What is a Mommy Makeover?
A Mommy Makeover is a custom combination of procedures aimed at restoring a woman’s body after pregnancy, major weight loss, or aging. It is a body-contouring procedure meant to improve your shape after weight loss. While most Mommy Makeover candidates will lose a few pounds and even inches, it’s not a weight loss procedure.
Mommy Makeover vs. Liposuction
A mommy makeover is a combination of procedures designed to restore the body after pregnancy, weight loss, or aging. Liposuction can be a standalone fat-removal procedure that targets specific areas like the abdomen, thighs, or back.
Mommy Makeover vs. Weight-Loss Surgery
A Mommy Makeover is a body-contouring procedure meant to improve your shape after weight loss. While most Mommy Makeover candidates will lose a few pounds and even inches, it’s not a weight loss procedure. Options like bariatric surgery or medically supervised weight-loss programs may be more appropriate for actual weight loss.
Read also: Their Weight Loss Journeys After the Show
Benefits of a Mommy Makeover
In addition to removing excess skin, post-weight loss surgery in Houston can target other concerns, including:
- Stubborn fat that did not go away with diet and exercise
- Sagging breasts
- Drooping skin on the neck or under the chin
Patients also often express an overall improvement in their social lives, romantic relationships, body image, and careers. A Mommy Makeover can help restore your confidence through strategic reshaping, especially after pregnancy, weight loss, or prior surgeries.
Ideal Candidate
When you lose weight and would like to boost your results further by eliminating the saggy tissue that is left behind, post weight loss surgery in Houston is a wonderful option. The appearance of this excess skin may be mild and localized to one area of the body, such as the stomach, arms, or thighs, or could be more severe and widespread. In either case, we offer multiple options to help combat the insecurity or disappointment you may feel due to your hard work being hidden by extra skin.
Ideal candidates are generally healthy adults who do not smoke and have realistic results for surgical outcomes. Patients should also be at a stable weight that is close to their goal weight and be willing to maintain adequate nutrition to maintain their results long-term. Dr. Mushin will review your health history, aesthetic goals, and anatomical considerations to customize the best treatment plan for your needs. In some instances, he may recommend additional or alternative procedures for optimal results.
Patients often have better results if they are at or near their goal weight when they get surgery. This ensures you get the most out of the procedure and avoid complications like asymmetry or stretching out surgical repairs due to weight fluctuations. Maintaining an ideal weight is crucial after completing a Mommy Makeover to achieve the best results. While a few pounds here or there won’t hurt, major weight changes can drastically affect your final results.
Read also: How Angela Deem Lost Weight
Considerations for Weight Loss Patients
There are a number of unique considerations when treating patients who have undergone bariatric surgery or lost a large amount of weight by another method. Find a plastic surgeon who has worked with post bariatric patients or with people who have lost a lot of weight before undergoing plastic surgery. Dr. Davis and his staff routinely work with weight loss patients and understand the circumstances. Patients should have completed their weight loss and their weight should be relatively stable unless hanging skin, such as an abdominal apron, interferes with exercise or becomes a hygiene problem. A stable metabolism is key. Patients will be monitored prior to surgery to assure adequate nutrition. This is necessary to promote postoperative healing. Smoking greatly increases the risks and complications of plastic surgery after weight loss.
Included Procedures
The unwanted side effects of losing a considerable amount of weight can show in several areas of the body, including the abdomen, arms, breasts, face, legs, and neck. Skin removal surgery in Houston includes multiple options for removing and tightening excess or loose skin, including:
- Lower body lift
- Arm lift
- Thigh lift
- Butt lift
- Tummy tuck
- Liposuction
Other options are available depending on your goals and areas of concern, such as breast lift surgery, face or neck lifts, and certain non-surgical treatments.
Common Areas Addressed with Plastic Surgery
Patients differ with regards to the amount of soft tissue laxity they develop. They also differ with regards to which areas of the body are involved. The following is a list of the areas Dr. Davis most frequently treats for patients who have lost significant weight or have simple developed laxity and loose tissue over time.
Read also: Reducing Muscle Soreness After Massage
Abdomen
The skin and soft tissues of the abdomen are often the areas which most dramatically develop laxity. As described, this can present a significant cosmetic deformity and also interfere with normal activities and become a hygiene problem. These areas are best addressed with an abdominoplasty, which is also known as a “tummy tuck”.
Torso
For some patients, the laxity of the soft tissue that develops is not limited to a single area. Rather it can affect them circumferentially and can involve the abdomen, back, flanks and buttocks. When this is the case, a Lower Body Lift can address all these areas in a single operation with very impressive results.
Thighs
The skin of the thighs is an area particularly susceptible to developing laxity which manifests as cellulite and irregularities in contour. This can affect both the inner and outer parts of the thighs. A thigh lift can be performed either as an isolated procedure or as part of a Lower Body Lift. An Inner, or Medial, Thigh Lift is performed to tighten the tissues along the inner aspect of the thighs. This procedure is often combined with liposuction to the thigh.
Arms
The upper arms can develop extensive laxity following weight loss. This can occur at almost any age. Once such laxity develops, the only means of correcting it is by removing the excess skin. This is accomplished with a brachioplasty, or Arm Lift. When properly performed, the results of this procedure are quite impressive.
Breasts
Breasts frequently lose their shape and firmness and begin to sag. This can occur with the passage of time and pregnancies. It can also be particularly exacerbated by fluctuations in weight. A mastopexy, or Breast Lift, is a procedure which reshapes the breasts and restores their position.
Combining Procedures
Yes, multiple procedures can be performed at once. However, for safety purposes, we typically limit procedures to five hours total if done in an ambulatory setting.
Patients should prioritize which areas they want to focus on first, delaying procedures that are a lesser priority after proper healing of the first surgery.
Recovery Process
The length of recovery often varies with the type of procedures performed. In general, the larger the scar, the larger the healing time. Patients undergoing abdominal procedures usually are out of work for two weeks, with return to full activity around six weeks. Compression garments are worn and drains are often placed and left for 1-2 weeks. Recovery for procedures on the extremity can be significantly shorter than abdominal procedures depending on the exact operation. At the time of your consultation, Dr. Mushin will outline your full recovery process.
You should plan to rest for roughly two weeks after your mommy makeover. Your recovery time after a mommy makeover will depend on which procedures you choose in consultation with Dr. Charvet. Multiple surgical procedures, such as liposuction and a breast lift, will require more downtime, and the full results may take months to see.
Insurance Coverage
The short answer is yes. Some procedures included in a Mommy Makeover can be covered by insurance. Breast reduction is often covered by insurance if the procedure is deemed medically necessary, whereas breast lift is considered a cosmetic procedure and typically not covered by insurance. Thanks to a law called the No Surprises Act, you won’t have to pay more just because your surgeon isn’t on your insurance’s preferred list, as long as your surgery is done at a hospital.
The "Ozempic Makeover" Trend
Ads aplenty, from social media to Super Bowl Sunday, tout the newest "magic bullet" for weight loss - semaglutide drugs. The extreme rise in popularity of weight loss drugs like Ozempic is helping people shed pounds like never before. Unfortunately, most people are only just realizing that rapid, significant weight loss comes with loose, sagging skin and hollow cheeks.
"Ozempic makeover" is the catchy name given to a set of plastic surgery procedures that address the physical issues that can come from rapid or significant weight loss. Semaglutide is the "active" ingredient in Ozempic and other weight loss medications like Wegovy. It mimics the natural hormone GLP-1, which promotes insulin production to reduce blood sugar.
Why is the Ozempic makeover gaining such popularity?
"In 2023, 40 percent of the United States adult population was classified as obese, and as of today, 12 percent of Americans have been on a GLP-1, so there are a significant number of people losing a significant amount of weight," said Dr. Hamilton. "After the fat melts away, these patients are left with a substantial amount of excess skin that cannot be 'exercised' away. The Ozempic makeover helps patients address facial and body changes to feel comfortable in their "new" body.
Like the mommy makeover, an Ozempic makeover is customizable. "As we are seeing more and more patients lose weight with medication, a new wave of people is flooding into the plastic surgery offices," said Ashley Amalfi, MD. "For surgical planning for these individuals, we are often addressing the arms, back, abdomen, breasts, thighs and even the face and neck in many cases due to this significant deflation," said Dr. Hamilton. "I also suggest they start with the body area that 'bothers' them the most, so they can see improvement immediately, and that helps build confidence as well," said Dr. Hamilton.
While you may know which areas of your body you want to address with an Ozempic makeover, it is vital to work with an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon. "Often patients need a breast lift procedure and sometimes the addition of volume with fat grafting or a breast implant," said Dr. Amalfi. "Also, because their tissue has stretched and deflated very quickly, they often need soft tissue support or the use of mesh in their breast cases. For their abdomen, there's loose skin, and a tummy tuck is an obvious next step. There is often inflation of their backside as well, and radiofrequency devices for skin tightening can be used here.
Considerations Before an Ozempic Makeover
There are a few things that you need to consider before you rush out to schedule a plastic surgery consultation for an Ozempic makeover. "Patients should be at or near the end of their weight loss journey before having surgery," said Dr. Hamilton. Patients must also understand that they will need to discontinue the use of their weight loss medication before surgery. Semaglutide drugs complicate anesthesia. "I ask them to stop their GLP-1s one month in advance so that they can work on their nutrition," said Dr. "Patients also don't need to worry about gaining weight in that early postoperative period," said Dr. Hamilton.
"As always with rapid weight loss, we recommend a lot of protein intake and regular weightlifting so there is no loss of muscle mass," said Dr. Amalfi. "For surgery, in general, and for patients on GLP-1s specifically, they should be maintaining a high protein diet and - when surgically appropriate - pursuing strength and resistance training to build muscle, maximize their health and optimize aesthetic results," said Dr.
Rapid weight loss can lead to a hollowed or aged appearance in the face, especially around the cheeks, jawline, and under the eyes.
Finding a Qualified Surgeon
Choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon ensures you’re receiving care from a specialist with extensive training, a deep understanding of anatomy, and a commitment to safety. To find a qualified plastic surgeon for any cosmetic or reconstructive procedure, consult a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All ASPS members are board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, have completed an accredited plastic surgery training program, practice in accredited facilities and follow strict standards of safety and ethics.