BODY CONTOURING
Mommy Makeover
Confidence, Considered Carefully
Restore changes in the breasts, abdomen and waist with a Mommy Makeover planned around your anatomy, lifestyle and personal goals.
20+ Years of Experience | RealSelf Hall of Fame
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Pregnancy and breastfeeding can change several areas of the body at the same time. The breasts may lose volume, fullness or support. Abdominal skin and muscles can become stretched, and stubborn fat may develop around the waist, hips and flanks.
For Dr. Shain Cuber, a Mommy Makeover typically combines breast surgery with a tummy tuck and liposuction. These procedures work together to improve the relationship between the breasts, abdomen and waist rather than treating each area in isolation.
The right combination is different for every patient. Some women want to restore breast volume with implants. Others need a breast lift, or a combination of augmentation and lifting. The abdominal plan is also tailored to the amount of loose skin, muscle separation and unwanted fat present.
The objective is not to recreate someone else’s figure. It is to restore balance, improve clothing fit and create a shape that looks natural on your frame.
What Is Included in a Mommy Makeover?
A Mommy Makeover is not one standardized operation. It is a personalized combination of procedures selected according to how pregnancy, breastfeeding, aging or weight changes have affected your body.
A Mommy Makeover with Dr. Cuber commonly includes:
- Breast augmentation, breast lift or both
- Tummy tuck surgery
- Abdominal muscle repair when needed
- Liposuction of the waist, hips, flanks or other selected areas
Dr. Cuber begins by asking what changes matter most to you. He then evaluates your breast tissue, abdominal skin, muscle support, fat distribution and overall proportions before recommending the appropriate combination.
Breast Surgery Options
Pregnancy and breastfeeding can affect breast volume, position and skin support in different ways. The appropriate procedure depends on what has changed and the result you would like to achieve.
Breast Augmentation
Breast augmentation may be appropriate when the breasts have lost volume but remain in a suitable position. Implants can restore fullness and improve breast shape while maintaining proportions that complement the patient’s frame.
Breast Lift
A breast lift repositions and reshapes the breasts when stretched skin and tissue have caused sagging. The procedure uses the patient’s existing breast tissue to create a higher, more supported shape.
Breast Augmentation With Lift
Some women experience both volume loss and sagging. In these cases, a breast augmentation with lift may be needed to restore fullness while improving breast position.
The decision is not based on a predetermined procedure or implant size. Dr. Cuber considers the amount of natural breast tissue, skin elasticity, nipple position, chest width and the patient’s preferred degree of enhancement.
Tummy Tuck With Liposuction
The abdominal component of a Mommy Makeover commonly combines tummy tuck surgery with liposuction.
A tummy tuck can:
- Remove loose abdominal skin
- Reduce some lower-abdominal stretch marks
- Repair separated or weakened abdominal muscles
- Tighten the abdominal wall
- Create a flatter, firmer abdominal contour
However, a tummy tuck alone does not fully address fat around the waist, hips and flanks. Dr. Cuber commonly incorporates liposuction because the two procedures complement one another.
The tummy tuck tightens the skin and abdominal wall, while liposuction refines surrounding areas that contribute to the shape of the waist. Treating these areas together can create smoother transitions and a more defined waistline.
Many patients find that this comprehensive approach also makes it easier to wear fitted tops, dresses and other clothing comfortably.
Abdominal Muscle Repair
Pregnancy can stretch and separate the abdominal muscles, a condition known as diastasis recti. This separation may contribute to abdominal protrusion that does not improve through exercise alone.
When muscle separation is present, Dr. Cuber repairs and tightens the abdominal wall during the tummy tuck. This creates stronger internal support and contributes to a flatter abdominal profile.
Low Tummy Tuck Scar Placement
Scar placement is an important part of tummy tuck planning. Dr. Cuber places the incision as low as the patient’s anatomy safely allows so that it can be concealed beneath many styles of underwear and swimwear.
The length of the incision depends on the amount and location of loose skin that must be removed. Patients who need more extensive correction may require a longer incision to create a smoother result.
Creating a Natural-Looking Belly Button
A natural-looking belly button is essential to an attractive tummy tuck result.
The patient’s existing belly button remains attached internally while the surrounding abdominal skin is repositioned. Dr. Cuber then brings it through the tightened skin and carefully refines its size, shape and position.
His goal is to create a belly button that fits the newly contoured abdomen without appearing overly round, stretched or surgically created.
Before and After
Natural-Looking Mommy Makeover Results
These before and after photos show how personalized combinations of breast surgery, tummy tuck and liposuction can restore balance across the breasts, abdomen and waist while creating proportions that look natural for each patient.
Can a Mommy Makeover Be Performed After Weight Loss?
Despite its name, a Mommy Makeover is not limited to women who have had children.
Patients who have lost a significant amount of weight can develop many of the same concerns, including:
- Deflated or sagging breasts
- Loose abdominal skin
- Weakened abdominal support
- Persistent fat deposits
- Changes in overall body proportion
Dr. Cuber has treated many patients after substantial weight loss, including younger women who may not have experienced pregnancy. When the breasts and abdomen require correction, the surgical combination may be similar to a traditional Mommy Makeover.
Patients with extensive loose skin affecting the arms, thighs or circumference of the torso may need additional body-contouring procedures. These are often performed separately to keep each operation within an appropriate scope.
Who Is a Good Candidate for a Mommy Makeover?
You may be a candidate if pregnancy, breastfeeding or weight loss has caused changes that cannot be adequately corrected through diet and exercise.
Appropriate candidates generally:
- Are in good overall health
- Maintain a stable weight
- Have finished breastfeeding
- Have loose abdominal skin or muscle separation
- Have breast volume loss, sagging or both
- Have stubborn fat around the waist, hips or flanks
- Understand that surgical scars are part of the procedure
- Have realistic expectations for the outcome
- Can arrange appropriate help during the early recovery period
Women considering future pregnancy may choose to postpone surgery because another pregnancy can stretch the repaired muscles, skin and breast tissue. Dr. Cuber discusses timing during the consultation so each patient can make an informed decision.
Benefits of a Mommy Makeover
By addressing the breasts, abdomen and surrounding contours together, a Mommy Makeover can create a more balanced relationship between areas affected by pregnancy, breastfeeding or weight changes.
A personalized Mommy Makeover may:
- Restore breast volume and shape
- Lift and support sagging breasts
- Remove loose abdominal skin
- Repair separated abdominal muscles
- Flatten and firm the abdomen
- Define the waist through liposuction
- Improve the contour of the hips and flanks
- Create better balance between the breasts and midsection
- Help clothing fit more comfortably
- Address multiple post-pregnancy concerns during one surgical plan
- Consolidate recovery when procedures can be safely combined
The specific benefits depend on the procedures selected, with every plan tailored to the patient’s anatomy, priorities and desired degree of change.
How Dr. Cuber Plans a Mommy Makeover
Dr. Cuber evaluates the breasts, abdomen, waist, hips and flanks as parts of one figure. This allows him to determine which procedures will work together and where treating one area without another could leave the result incomplete.
Your surgical plan may consider:
- Breast volume and position
- Nipple position
- Chest width and existing breast tissue
- Abdominal skin laxity
- The presence and degree of muscle separation
- The location of stretch marks
- Fat distribution around the abdomen, waist and back
- Skin elasticity
- Previous abdominal or breast surgery
- Overall height, weight and body proportions
- The changes you consider most important
The plan is built around your anatomy rather than a predetermined Mommy Makeover package.
Why Additional Procedures May Need to Be Staged
A Mommy Makeover already involves surgery on several areas, including the breasts, abdomen, waist and flanks. Dr. Cuber carefully considers the total scope and expected operating time when determining what can be combined appropriately.
He generally does not add procedures such as an arm lift or thigh lift to an already comprehensive Mommy Makeover. When additional body-contouring surgery is desired, it may be safer and more practical to perform it during a separate operation.
Staging procedures can limit the length of any single surgery and allow recovery to be organized around the areas treated. Dr. Cuber determines the appropriate sequence based on the patient’s anatomy, health and priorities.
Recovery After a Mommy Makeover
Mommy Makeover recovery is more involved than recovery from a single procedure because multiple areas are healing at once.
Dr. Cuber encourages patients to reserve at least two weeks for rest and recovery at home. During the first several days, patients commonly experience tightness, pressure, swelling and discomfort, particularly through the abdomen.
Help is usually needed with getting in and out of bed, preparing meals, managing household responsibilities and caring for young children.
Early recovery generally includes:
- Prescribed medication to manage discomfort
- Antibiotics as directed
- Short, frequent walks around the home
- Careful attention to hydration
- Compression garments
- Incision and drain care when applicable
- Sleeping and positioning instructions
- Regular postoperative appointments
Walking every few hours is important during the early recovery period, even when most of the day is spent resting. Patients should also drink adequate water and follow all instructions provided by the surgical team.
Managing Early Discomfort
During tummy tuck surgery, Dr. Cuber may use a long-acting local anesthetic within the abdominal area to help reduce early postoperative discomfort. Patients may still experience tightness and pressure from the muscle repair and skin tightening.
Pain medication and muscle relaxants may be prescribed when appropriate to help patients through the first stage of recovery. Medication needs and recovery experiences vary from person to person.
Compression Garments
Compression garments support the treated tissues, help manage swelling and encourage the skin to adapt to the new contour.
Dr. Cuber commonly instructs Mommy Makeover patients to wear compression approximately 23 hours per day during the first eight weeks, removing it for bathing. During the third month, patients may transition to approximately 12 hours of compression each day.
Specific instructions depend on the procedures performed and how the patient is healing.
Returning to Work and Exercise
Many patients need at least two weeks away from work, although the appropriate amount of time depends on the procedures performed and the physical demands of the job.
Activity is gradually increased as healing progresses. Heavy lifting, strenuous exercise and movements that strain the abdomen or chest must be avoided until Dr. Cuber provides clearance.
The breasts, abdomen and waist continue to soften and settle as swelling decreases over the following months. Scars also mature gradually and may continue improving for a year or longer.
Why Patients Choose Dr. Cuber for Mommy Makeover Surgery
Dr. Cuber has performed aesthetic breast and body surgery for more than two decades. His Mommy Makeover approach is based on understanding how pregnancy, breastfeeding and weight changes have affected each patient differently.
He does not begin with a fixed combination of procedures. He determines whether the breasts need augmentation, lifting or both, evaluates the abdominal muscles and loose skin, and considers how liposuction can improve the waist and surrounding contours.
His goal is not simply to tighten the abdomen or enlarge the breasts. It is to create a balanced relationship between the upper and lower body while maintaining proportions that look appropriate for the patient’s frame.
This individualized planning also includes deciding what should not be combined. When additional body-contouring procedures would make the operation too extensive, Dr. Cuber recommends staging them rather than trying to address every concern at once.
Schedule a Mommy Makeover Consultation
Meet with Dr. Cuber to discuss the changes you would like to address. He will evaluate your breasts, abdomen, muscle support, skin quality and overall proportions before creating a Mommy Makeover plan tailored to your anatomy and goals.
Mommy Makeover FAQs
How does a mommy makeover compare in value (cost, recovery, downtime) versus doing the procedures separately?
In published reviews, combining breast and abdominal surgery is considered more cost-efficient and reduces cumulative recovery time compared to staging them separately.
How should a patient choose which parts of the body to include in their mommy makeover?
The ideal plan integrates concerns in the abdomen, breasts, flanks, and waist region. The “postpartum reshaping” literature emphasizes customizing which areas to treat based on each patient’s anatomy and aesthetic goals.
How do you choose breast size?
By measurements and try on so you can see how options look on your body rather than chasing a cup size or a cc number.
Will I have scars?
Yes, surgical procedures like tummy tuck or breast lift leave scars, but Dr. Cuber places incisions in discreet locations and uses advanced closure techniques to help them fade over time.
Will a future pregnancy undo the results of a mommy makeover or compromise the outcome?
Evidence suggests that subsequent pregnancy may stretch repaired tissues; however, a recent matched cohort study showed abdominoplasty—when performed before pregnancy—was associated with higher rates of preterm and cesarean deliveries but did not strongly raise other perinatal risks.
Which cosmetic changes are most reliably achieved with a mommy makeover (e.g., waist definition, breast lift, contour)?
The literature and surgical practice emphasize that combining abdominal contouring with breast procedures plus liposuction and flank shaping is often necessary to fully restore pre-pregnancy silhouette.
How much improvement in body image and satisfaction can patients expect after a mommy makeover compared to a tummy tuck alone?
A 2023 prospective study showed combined surgery improved body image perception and overall satisfaction more than abdominoplasty alone.
How long after a mommy makeover will it take to see the final results?
While early contour changes are visible soon after surgery, full settling of tissues, scar maturation, and softening may take 9 to 12 months, in line with comparative studies that assessed patient perceptions at the 9-month mark.
How long is recovery after a mommy makeover?
Recovery depends on the number and type of procedures. Most patients need two to three weeks off work and can return to full activity, including exercise, within six to eight weeks.
How painful is recovery?
Some discomfort is normal, especially in the first week. Dr. Cuber provides detailed recovery instructions, medication options, and post-surgery support to keep you as comfortable as possible.
Am I a good candidate for a mommy makeover?
You may be a good candidate if you are in good health, finished having children, and want to restore your body after pregnancy. Dr. Cuber will evaluate your health, anatomy, and goals during consultation.
Will I still look like myself?
Yes. Planning focuses on balance and proportion so results look natural on your frame.
Can this be for weight loss patients as well?
Yes. Mommy Makeovers are also performed after significant weight loss to address loose skin, weakened muscles and changes in breast shape.
Decades of Expertise in Breast & Body Aesthetics
Dr. Shain Cuber is a breast & body plastic surgeon specializing in aesthetic surgery of the breast and body.
With more than 20 years of surgical experience, he is known for creating natural-looking results through breast enhancement, tummy tuck, liposuction, Mommy Makeover and body-contouring procedures.
Dr. Cuber combines meticulous surgical technique with attentive, patient-focused care, helping each individual feel confident and comfortable throughout their surgical journey.
The Balikian Experience
Patients trust Dr. Shain Cuber for his warm, personalized approach, advanced surgical techniques and results that look natural and refined.
