Beautiful Again After Pregnancy, Birth and Breastfeeding

After giving birth, much is no longer as it was before. This applies to one's own sense of body as well. While life reorganises itself, many women are dissatisfied with their new proportions. A Mommy Makeover can help bring the body back into shape.

The term Mommy Makeover originates from the USA and has long since become established in Germany. It refers to a combination of plastic-aesthetic procedures that can help restore the pre-pregnancy figure.  Many women suffer from stretch marks, a loose abdomen, or changes to their breasts — problem areas that are barely affected even by exercise, muscle training, or a healthy diet. The result is often a dissatisfaction that can also greatly affect one's self-confidence. "The women who come to me for such an operation are typically between 35 and 45 years old. Most of them wish for their body to look as close as possible to how it did before the pregnancy," explains Dr. Karl Schuhmann. The experienced specialist in Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery was chief physician for many years and is the founder of the artethic® Dr. Schuhmann & Kollegen practice in Düsseldorf.

What a Mommy Makeover encompasses is as individual as the women themselves: sometimes the focus is on the abdomen, sometimes the breasts. Often it concerns both — and not infrequently also intimate changes that are rarely spoken about. For example, liposuction in the hip area, or breast augmentation or reshaping with implants. Abdominoplasty also includes correction of rectus diastasis: a common, often overlooked cause of a permanently rounded abdomen — a separation of the straight abdominal muscles following pregnancy. In addition, intimate surgery procedures or thigh lifts can also be part of a Mommy Makeover. Childbirth places considerable strain on the genital area, as the vagina is widened and tears can occur. A Mommy Makeover should be carefully considered and ideally only take place once family planning is complete. Breastfeeding must have ended at least six months prior, so that the mammary glands have fully regenerated. 

Since a Mommy Makeover involves a combination of various procedures, there is certainly the possibility of performing them in a single session. Such a procedure is carried out under general anaesthesia and can, depending on the treatment, last up to seven hours. Whilst Dr. Schuhmann prefers to operate on the abdomen and breasts separately, Dr. Anna Lukyanova advises many younger patients to opt for a combined operation — also for logistical reasons. 

Dr. Anna Lukyanova, specialist in Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, has been running her modern practice in Düsseldorf since 2021. "Only for women older than 50 do I recommend multiple stages." Of course, such a Mommy Makeover is a very major operation, but her patients — often working women or mothers of very young children — tend to prefer one large procedure over several smaller ones. 

How much time one should allow for recovery depends greatly on the procedure and one's own condition — but when in doubt, it is better to allow a little more. Three weeks is considered a good guideline.

Furthermore, not every woman finds the physical changes after pregnancy distressing. And not every woman requires the same treatment or any surgery at all. For many of his patients, says Dr. Schuhmann, it is particularly important to have beautiful breasts again. This is where the priority is especially high. 

The costs depend on the scope and combination of procedures. For an abdominoplasty and breast lift, approximately €15,000 should be budgeted. With a breast augmentation, the amount increases accordingly. Since these are generally not medically necessary but purely aesthetic procedures, health insurers do not cover the costs. Both Dr. Schuhmann and Dr. Lukyanova offer flexible financing options and work with specialist financial service providers who can advise interested patients accordingly. 

And ultimately, it is not only about a procedure, but about the feeling of coming a little closer to oneself again — in one's own body and in one's own life.