Your Questions
Your Questions
Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m wanting to do a Brazilian Butt Lift lift. Can that be done at the same time as with a Mommy Makeover?
A: A Mommy Makeover (breast and abdominal reshaping) and a BBL (Brazilian Butt Lift) can be done at the same time but it create a very difficult recovery. It would all depend on what the exact Mommy Makeover procedures need to be and whether such a combination may negatively impact the results of any of the three procedures. For example if the Mommy Makeover needs to include a full tummy tuck there will be less fat that can be harvested for the BBL to avoid compromising the healing of the tummy tuck incision. I would need to make that evaluation during an actual consultation or you can send me pictures of your body type for a preliminary evaluation.
While it is always desirous to maximize the number of operations one can do in a single setting for economy of recovery and economic resources, there are operative combinations that can ‘fight’ against each other and may even compromise their results. This needs to be looked are carefully in these type of body contouring procedures.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I would like to get a tummy tuck, breast lift and aug, as well as some liposuction. I have a vacation in April that I would like to look like a million dollars for!! What is the best time to have this surgery?
A: Your description of plastic surgery to help reverse the effects of pregnancy is a classic one for the well known Mommy Makeover procedure. In reality this is a combination of procedures that focus on the breasts and abdomen/waistline area. Although technically it could be any body contouring procedure that helps to reverse the changes induced by pregnancy.
Given your April vacation target date (and this is later December) and the magnitude of recovery really needed for a full recovery from major body contouring surgery, such as a Mommy Makeover, you need a minimum of eight weeks between surgery and the day you leave for vacation. Ten to twelve weeks for Mommy Makeover recovery is even better. This way you will have complete freedom any residual issues that can linger after surgery during the second month thereafter and be only be thinking about what you are doing on vacation and not what you can’t or don’t feel like doing.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, Looking into the mommy makeover. I am 35 years old and I have five kids. Exercise is not gonna get it done, I can see that now. I wanna be ready for this summer. I have attached some pictures of my body so you can determine what needs to be done.
A: Thank you for sending your pictures. They give me a clear idea as to the exact Mommy Makeover procedures you need. From an abdominal standpoint, you need a full tummy tuck with flank liposuction. You have excess abdominal skin that is loose and hanging over your waistline. Full ness from fat extends around your waistline into your back. From a breast standpoint, you need implants with a vertical breast lift. Your breasts have lost substantial volume and are saggy (ptois) with the nipples hanging below the lower breast crease.
Both breast and abdominal reshaping procedures can be done during the same surgery, hence the derivation of the Mommy Makeover name. In a single operation, often lasting 3 to 5 hours depending on what is being exactly done, a women’s body can be very positively changed.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, what is the cost of Mommy Makeover surgery? My body has been destroyed by having three children and I desperately need a body makeover. My breasts have shrunken and my stomach is so stretched out. I don’t look anything like I was once was fifteen years ago.
A: It is a very common request for the cost of Mommy Makeover surgery. This type of plastic surgery, however, is more of a concept that has many components and is not just one standard set of procedures. There are many variations in Mommy Makeover surgery which includes options of breast lifts (4 types), breast implants (2 types), tummy tucks (2 types) and liposuction. (6 areas) Until I know exactly what specific combinations of these breast and abdominal reshaping procedures you need, there is no way to give you any accurate pricing. I would need to see some pictures of your body to be able to determine what you need and what it would cost to do.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I am finished having children and my body is a wreck. I have tried to get back close to my pre-pregancy body, but it is not happening. I want to have a Mommy Makeover procedure but my husband says I am just not working at it hard enough. When is a good age to have it done?
A: The effects that pregancy has on a woman’s body are largely irreversible by natural efforts for many women. Loose or separated abdominal muscles (rectus diastasis) can not be made to fuse back together by any amount of abdominal situps. Abdominal skin that has been stretched out and partially torn (stretch marks) can not have elasticity restored by situps, creams or weight loss. Breasts that have lost volume and sag can not be lifted up by chest exercises or alleged skin tightening creams. The onething a women can do is lose her pregnancy weight but all other changes require outside help
A so-called Mommy Makeover procedure, which combines breast augmentation with or without a lift and some form of a tummy tuck with or without liposuction, can be done at almost any age. But, by far, the majority of these procedures are done between the ages of 35 to 50. This is an age range where women are done having children and have proven to themselves that diet and exercise just can’t get the body improvement they desire. But age alone is not the only criteria. As long as one is finished breastfeeding, a Mommy Makeover can be done as soon as three to six months after one’s last pregancy.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in getting maybe a mommy makeover. I have 2 kids, tubes are tied and I plan to have no more! I have a terrible big flabby stomach and my breasts are saggy :'( I got pregnant and thought it was a time to indulge. I wanted to have a chubby baby so I ate a lot. Gained almost 100lbs during my pregnancy. In the end my baby wasn’t chubby (weighing only 7lbs 11oz) but I was left with stubborn fat that won’t go nowhere. I don’t want bigger breasts though, my breasts are big enough, I would honestly maybe even like them a cup or more smaller but as long as they sit right on my chest they may just look better with possibly just a lift. I want my stomach flat again though. I am a thicker woman. 5’8″ 230lbs. I plan to lose some weight though (I’m working on it) prior to having these operations done. What would this cost? Could I pay like… $4000 then the rest in payments? Is that offered for operations, as these? How much weight do you think I should be before having this done? I don’t smoke or do any drugs, I drink occasionally but overall healthy, just overweight, or obese, I guess I should say… Please help me to feel better about myself again. PLEASE!
A: Thank you for your inquiry. While I will ultimately need to see some pictures of your body or see you in an actual consultation, let me provide you with a few thoughts/recommendations based on the description of your concerns.
From a breast standpoint, you are describing a classic full breast lift. This will leave most of your breast tissue but will significantly tighten and lift your breasts back up on your chest wall and center the nipple on the newly positioned breast mound.
From an abdominal standpoint, you most likely need some version of a full tummy tuck to get rid of any skin overhang and make your stomach flat again. Whether this is what we call a full tummy tuck or an extended tummy tuck awaits my visual assessment of your body.
Putting any form of breast and abdominal reshaping garners the moniker of a Mommy Makeover, changing what has been affected by pregnancy the most…one’s breasts and stomach area.
When it comes to weight loss before a Mommy Makeover, a general rule is that one should be between 15 to 25 lbs of their desired ‘realistic’ weight goal. Notice that I didn’t say your ideal body weight which for some patients is not a truly realistic goal.
I will defer cost estimates to my assistant. But cosmetic surgery is never paid in installments which is more typical in the banking and retail industries. We have no means to reclaim the surgical results if the patient defaults or fails to pay after the work is completed.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m 38 years old and had 3 children by age 22 that I breastfed. I have small breasts which is cool with me, I just want them a little perkier. My tummy and love handles need to go. I can work on my legs in the gym and they have always been strong. Can my breasts, tummy and love handles all be done at the same time?
A: When you put breast and tummy reshaping together as a single procedure, that has become known as a Mommy Makeover. Most forms of breast reshaping include implants with some type of lift although breast lifting can be done alone. If volume is not an issue then breast lifts by themselves will be just fine. Tummy tucks, mini- or full versions, almost always include liposuction of the flanks. (aka love handles) Most people envision a near circumferential waistline reshaping and tummy tuck scars stop at the hips. So fat reduction beyond that needs to involve liposuction to extend the 180 degree effect of a tummy tuck into more of a 270 degree wrap around waistline effect. It would be very common and would have a more profound body change if what was affected by pregancies is reversed in a single operation. This explains the popularity and the effectiveness of the Mommy Makeover of which you desire.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I was wondering what are the prices of your procedures I have been looking into mommy makeover for several years, (breast life/augmentation,tummy tuck, and some liposuction of the inner thighs and back flanks. I’m not looking to be a supermodel/size 6, I would be quite happy size 12 – 16. I just want a flatter tummy, non droopy boobs and thighs that don’t rub together. I have attached several pictures, could you please tell me what the cost would be, and if there is anyway to have our insurance company pay. I’m very depressed with the way I look, I just want my outside to reflect the way I feel on inside. I want to be that sexy person for my husband, and confident for myself. I hate trying to find clothes that hide my tire ring for a tummy, and replace pants because they got worn in the thigh area. I would also like to wear shirts without having my breast hang down to my tummy area. I need help, can you help me………..
A: Thank you for sending your pictures. I can not comment on your breasts since the pictures have a bra on but I will assume, for the sake of this discussion, that you need a full breast lift. Otherwise, you would benefit tremendously by having a full abdominoplasty to get rid of the overhanging pannus combined with liposuction of the flanks. This is the one procedure that will provide the greatest overall change. You do not have enough of an abdominal pannus to qualify for insurance coverage based on my experience. From a thigh standpoint, I don’t know that liposuction can ever take you to the point where your thighs don’t rub, that is not a realistic goal. Some improvement can be achieved in their fullness but to say they would not rub together would not be an accurate statement about the achievable result.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Is there a procedure that includes both a breast enlargement and a tummy tuck together? Breastfeeding four babies and having had multiple c-sections has left me with a body that makes me feel insecure and unhappy with my belly and breasts. I’ve never been a heavy woman, I’m 5’5″ and weigh about 140lbs. I haven’t felt comfortable in my skin since having my first child at twenty and now I’m about to turn forty. It would be nice to be happy with myself and feel confident enough to wear a bikini again. Other than these two parts of my body, I’m completely ok with.everything else about myself. Hopefully, a physician will read this question and know exactly how I feel and and be able to help me achieve this type of procedure at an affordable rate before I get too old to enjoy it or even worry about it anymore. Thank you so much.
A: What you are referring to is a very common procedure in plastic surgery known as a Mommy Makeover. This name tells both what the procedures achieve as well as serve as a marketing approach. The Mommy Makeover is a combination of breast and abdominal reshaping, the two body parts that are usually most affected by pregnancies. Breast reshaping options include size enlargement with an implant and correction of sagging with some form of a lift. More times than not a breast lift is needed with the implant. It is uncommon that an implant alone will suffice for breast enhancement in the ‘pregnancy-induced’ breast deformity. Abdominal reshaping always involves some amount of skin removal, known as a tummy tuck. Whether it is a full or mini-tummy tuck depends on how much loose skin exists. Liposuction of the abdomen alone has little role in the post-pregnancy tummy.
The most common scenario is that both breast and abdominal procedures are performed during the same operation. But some patients, due to financial or recovery concerns, may do them in two separate stages.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a story is worth at least five hundred words. Many mothers may find this story of interest.
‘When 34 year-old Kathy opted to get breast implants and a lift one year after having her third child, she didn’t really think of herself as having any type of makeover. She just wanted back what she had before children and to regain the confidence and clothing options that she once had. Before three pregnancies, she was a nice full C cup. But between breastfeeding and the repeated stretching and shrinking that occurs from the pregnancy process, she was now done to nearly an A cup. She knew it was bad when her sister said she really need some plastic surgery.
Two years later, she returned for a tummy tuck. She wouldn’t be seen in a swimsuit or any tightly fitting clothes, lest her stomach bulge be seen complete with all of its stretch marks and an unusually-shaped belllybutton. Despite of years of steady dieting and numerous weekly workouts, no stomach cure had been achieved. She wasn’t fat but had a lot of loose skin of which no amount of exercise is magically going to burn off. She finally realized that she was trying to get rid of something over which she had no control. ‘
Between the two plastic surgery procedures she had undergone a Mommy Makeover, a popular term used for multiple plastic surgery procedures that restore, or improve, one’s post-pregnancy bodies. Unlike the extreme plastic surgery makeovers seen on TV, mommy makeovers are extremely common and the breast and stomach procedures are both done at the same time. Unlike the previous generation, mothers of today want to return to their old body and, in many cases, even have a better one than before the pregnancies.
One interesting thing about Mommy Makeovers is some psychology behind them. Many women feel guilty and little selfish about such ‘self-indulgence’. They may also be worried about taking time away from their children’s and husband’s hectic schedules to undergo surgery. Some may argue that how you feel as a mom is important to one’s family as well. It is not really all that self-centered to feel youthful and more confident. Having an improved body image may also improve one’s interactions with their own family. I am not a women nor have ever been pregnant so I can’t speak for whether this is psychological double talk or fact. But I do know what many women have told me… they may be a mommy but they are still their own person as well.
One very common Mommy Makeover questions I get asked is, how soon after my last pregnancy can I have surgery? How long to wait differs on whether it is the breasts or the stomach that is being addressed. Breast augmentation and/or lifts can be done as soon as six months afterwards as time never improves breast shape. One only awaits the completion of breast feeding or the maximal amount of breast deflation. Liposuction and/or tummy tucks should wait until you have put forth your best effort at diet and exercise or have come to the realization that the loose skin is the main problem. This may be six months for some and for other women it may be years later.
Q: Hello! I’d love to schedule an initial consultation with Dr. Eppley. I’m also interested in the program Dr. Eppley offers for military families as my husband is an active duty soldier who’s been in the Army for over 10 years. After two deployments and a new baby, we are ready to try and normalize our lives again. For me, feeling normal and happy is critical and in order to achieve my dreams, I must address my post-baby body! Although I’m nervous about heading down this road; I’m ready and I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you very much.
A: When you consider the post-partum body changes and being in the military, what you need is the Military Mommy Makeover! (M cubed so to speak) All mommy makeovers involve contour changes on the abdomen and breasts. While there are many variations and combinations of these procedures, it could be as simple as abdominal and waistline liposuction and breast augmentation to a full tummy tuck with flank liposuction and breast implants with a lift. More times than not, it is the latter as pregnancies usually leave extra skin on the stomach and sagging skin on the breasts partticularly if one has had more than one child. My Patriot Plastic Surgery program offers military members and their direct family a discount for surgical procedures. This will hopefully enable them to have some desired physical changes done, and as you have described, normalize your life again.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis Indiana
Q: Hello, I have had three very large children (all between 9 pounds and 10 pounds) and have had a very large weight gain/loss after each child. I am getting closer to my goal weight at this time from my youngest child. (Currently 165 pounds-my highest weight was 214 pounds) and my goal weight is around 150. Because of the large multiple pregnancies and weight gains/losses, I am in the need of some body contouring. I have multiple areas that need addressed, my loose tummy, excessive skin in my upper arms, sagging breasts and excess skin and resistant fat deposits in my legs. I am interested in a consultation to start the process of repairing some of the damage to my body that my healthy diet and daily exercise will not fix. I plan to have the surgeries over a few years, rather than all at once, due to cost and my schedule.
A: Body changes that have occurred either from bariatric surgery, extreme weight loss or the impact of multiple pregnancies requires thoughtful consideration about the type and timing of surgical corrections. Sitting down with a plastic surgeon and going over all the surgical options is an obvious first place to start. Having had many of these discussions in my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice, most women will focus first on their tummy and waistline often combining it with another procedure such as an armlift.
These more substantative body problems are more substantial that the more traditional Mommy Makeover which is directly to two combined procedures, breast enhancement (implant with or without a lift) and some form of a tummy tuck.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I have had two babies in three years and have lost nearly 50 lbs through an aggressive diet and execise program. While I have defnitely seen some body changes, I am not happy with the way my breasts and stomach look. I thought with all of this working out that my stomach would look better. I have loose skin and stretch amrks around my belly buttonm and my breasts droop and are floppy. I have read about a plastic surgery procedure called the Mommy Makeover. What is sone in this procedure and can it be done all in one surgery. I am worried about recovery time and getting back into the gym for my workouts. Thanks!
A: The Mommy Makeover has become a popular plastic surgery procedure amongst mothers between the ages of around 25 to 45, although it can be done at any age. It has gotten this catchy name because the procedures involved help reverse the effects that pregnancy has ravaged on a woman’s body. These procedures have been commonly done for many decades so they are not new. They have just been put together and ‘packaged’ for this specific set of female body problems, that being the breasts and the stomach areas. Breasts frequently have lost volume (deflated) and sag and the tummy has loose skin and stretch marks. The combination of breast reshaping (implants with or without a lift) and some form of a tummy tuck (with or without liposuction) is the backbone of a Mommy Makeover. They are almost always done together if a patient’s economics permits. While this combination of a breast augmentation and tummy tuck will have a dramatic change on one’s body, you must tone down the concern about getting back to working out as soon as possible. This is a setup for after surgery problems. It is understandable that you have an addiction to working out as you would not have gotten this far without doing so. But that same addiction, which you think is good, is not so good after this kind of surgery. You must mentally plan on 6 weeks before getting back to working out like you are now. Remember that in a span of a few hours you are going to make changes that you can’t do by working out for the rest of your life. The risk is not worth it for a few extra workouts that, in the big picture, will gain you nothing.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis Indiana
Q: I am looking to have what I think is called a Mommy Makeover. I have it on TV shows and read about it on the internet. For the breast implants, I am looking to have saline implants done. I would like them placed behind the muscle if possible. I am not sure what my ‘true’ cup size is. I know it is between an A and B. I would like to be a full C to a small D. I do need a slight lift but I am concerned about scarring. I would like the incisions to be as discreet as possible. As for the tummy tuck, I think I only need a mini-tuck. I have a little bit of fat in my lower stomach that stays and I cannot get rid of it. I also have a little bit of stretched skin that needs to be removed. I am looking to have the problem fat suctioned out and the muscles to be sutured back together and the little bit of stretched out belly skin removed. After looking at pictures and watching animated videos on tummy tuck; I realize that my tummy problem is quite small compared to majority of the pictures I have viewed. I am a small frame as it is. I am about 5’2” and weight about 115 pounds.
The issues I have may not seem like anything to someone else; but they are BIG to me. I look at myself each day and do not see a young beautiful woman. I wonder each day how in the world is my husband still attracted to me. I am wanting to do this for my self. I would love to love myself again! Does this sound like it can be all done in a single operation?
A: Mommy makeovers are typically a combination of breast and abdominal reshaping. Improving the very problems that being a mommy has created. Saline breast implants can be placed from a remote incision high up in the armpit that will never be seen. The most limited incision breast lift is that of the superior crescent mastopexy, also known as a nipple lift. It puts a fine line scar at the top of the nipple only right at the junction of the areola and skin. Given your body frame size, you are describing perfectly what a limited or mini-tummy tuck accomplishes.
Both breast augmentation with a lift and a mini-tummy tuck can be done in a single outpatient procedures. The combination of the two truly makes for a new body for Mommy!
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis Indiana
Q: I came across your website, while doing research on cosmetic surgery. I currently have depression. After three pregnancies, I feel like my body is mangled. I know that my self-image is what brings on most of my depression. I know that depression alone is not a reason to have surgery. I have been treated for depression for about three years now. I have thought about cosmetic surgery just as long. After the pregnancies and losing weight, gaining weight, and losing weight, my belly definitely needs a tuck. I breastfed all of my children. I breastfed only for about 2 months with the first child but about a year with the last child. With breastfeeding and losing weight; I barely have any breasts at all.
I am only 28 years old. I want to feel young and beautiful again! I know I deserve to and my husband deserves to have a wife who feels good about herself again. My kids deserve a mother that feels comfortable enough to take them swimming. I would love to be able to eventually wear a bikini.
I know that some people may get depressed after they have surgery; whose to know how I will be after surgery. Seeing that a lot of the causes of my depression are due to the way I feel about myself or view my body. I know surgery could not make my depression worse; if anything it will help improve the way I see myself and think about my body. The only way surgery would worsen my depression is if I had surgery by a surgeon who did a lousy job.
I am not interested in looking fake. I just want to look normal again. I would like to either be a full C or small D regarding my breast.
I suppose a ‘Mommy Makeover’ is what I am really looking for. What are your thoughts?
A: Of your situation and feelings, I understand completely and could not be more emphatic. Pregnancies can definitely take a toll on your body, and between the skin stretching and shrinking and the inevitable breast involution (loss of breast tissue), some women can not even recognize the current skin and body that they now have.
As you have correctly pointed out, surgery is not a cure for depression. But at least it can improve one recognizeable and understandable cause of it…the way one looks. The body problems can definitely be improved and, hopefully with that, one’s self-image elevates. In my experience with women and these type of popular ‘Mommy Makeovers’, patient do report a dramatic improvement in their self-confidence and clothing options.
The classic ‘Mommy Makeover’ is some form of combined abdominal and breast rehaping plastic surgery procedures. This is usually a tummy tuck with or without liposuction and breast implants with or without a lift. In about a four hour surgery (or less), a dramatic body transformation can occur.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis Indiana