Mommy Makeover: Info, Photos, Rewiews, Q&A

Healing time varies from person to person, and you may be fine to return in 10 days. However, when you undergo multiple procedures like breast augmentation & tummy tuck we generally advise two weeks off from work.

While the back to work time may be shorter for a desk job, for someone who has a strenuous job, it can take up to a month to return.

It is important to follow the instructions of your surgeon very carefully. (Shain A. Cuber, MD, Edison Plastic Surgeon)

A Mommy Makeover is a surgery that really can be transformational for a women. A link to my mummy makeover gallery is below.

The best results, and the fastest recovery will happen when a patient finds a well trained, experienced plastic surgeon with expertise in providing natural results.

Most women do find that they can go back to a desk job within two weeks after surgery. It is important to find a plastic surgeon who pays attention to pain control during surgery.

Most of my patients find they do not require narcotics following surgery as pain has been managed well intra-operatively. Take your time finding the surgeon who is right for you. (Michael Law, MD, Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon)

Minimum Time Off Work After A mommy package plastic surgery

You have four major components in your Mommy Tuck, and each one has a slightly different minimum recovery time.

1. After liposuction, you should take it easy for 3 days and not exercise until the 6th day.
2. Breast lifts require about 5 days before one can return to a desk job.
3. Breast augmentations normally place the implant partially below the pectoralis muscle (this is usually the most uncomfortable portion of the aug). Patients normally return to work in 5-7 days.
4. A well done tummy tuck with muscle repair requires 10-14 days before one can drive a car, and therefore return to most forms of work.

Needless to say, all patients are different and combined surgeries can increase the discomfort. Every good Board Certified plastic surgeon who does multiple Mommy Makeovers sees the normal bell shaped curve for minimal recovery time.

At the Mommy Makeover Institute of Hawaii, I recently had a female physician who had breast lift/augmentation, liposuction, abdominoplasty and medial thigh tuck and was back on call and doing rounds at the hospital in 5 days.

Also, in my practice, I have had a number of women who owned beauty salons and are under 30 who have returned to work again in less than 1 week. Age, health, and attitude have a great deal to do with recovery.

The Mommy Tuck gets worse for the first 5 days and then gets better rapidly. The average patient under 30 can return to a sedentary job in about 10-14 days. (S. Larry Schlesinger, MD, FACS, Honolulu Plastic Surgeon)

The recovery from a Mommy Makover ( usually breast surgery with abdominoplasty) is much better that 10-20 years ago with newer anesthetics and medications. For example we now us a lot of long acting local anesthesia at the end of the case to make the patient more comfortable.

Also most of our “Mommy Makover” patients will spend one night in our Plastic Surgery post op unit which can really speed the recovery as patients have everything they might possibly need the first night.

Each day and week the patients are doing more- driving in about a week and back to the gym in about a month. (G. Wesley Price, MD, Chevy Chase Plastic Surgeon)

I have patients the are able to get back to a desk job within several days and some that take a couple of weeks to be in the position to going back to work. I think it is fair to say for the standard Mommy Tuck with the procedures listed that you should be able to go back to work even with your drains at about 2 weeks.

Having said that, if you do your procedure on a Friday then you would have the following week to have off and then return on a Monday with the time off being about 10 days.

Discuss the requirements that you are facing post op with your doctor and then you will have guidance on how to return to work. (Steven M. Lynch, MD, Albany Plastic Surgeon)

How much time should you leave for your recovery?

For the procedures above, I generally advise my patients to leave a solid 3 weeks off. Most patients do not need all of this time, but it is better to be back to work a little earlier than expected, then to have Monday looming over your head while you’re still sore, uncomfortable, and not wanting to go in.

You’re about to embark on a major transformation with a large investment of time, energy and resources. Although people naturally tend to focus on the details of the procedure and the day of surgery, the recovery is as important to your outcome and the prevention of complications – so it is worth the extra week to make sure your recovery is as smooth as possible. (Bryan Correa, MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)

If you’re sitting for most of the day, then two weeks would probably suffice if you have a smooth recovery. If you are going to be more active, then I recommend at least a month to 6 weeks. However, always ask your surgeon first for their advice. (Jerome Edelstein, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)

The minimum recovery is 6 weeks. The limiting factor on recovery is the tightening of the abdominal muscles under the surface. This is the difference between a good and a fantastic result.

This layer of the abdomen will take 6 weeks of healing until strong enough to withstand the musculature of your core. You should really limit your daily activity and lifting until then.

Your surgeon will give you his / her protocol and be able to guide you with more accuracy based on the operative experience. (Jason Mussman, MD, Phoenix Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery varies from patient to patient. Ideally in our practice we encourage our patients to at least take 2 weeks off of work. For most undergoing a “mommy make over” the breast augmentation/lift is the easiest to recover in comparison to the tummy tuck.

Tummy tucks usually require more recovery time due to the fact that you have drains in for about 7-10 days. If you work at a desk job you may be able to return to work sooner than 2 weeks as long as you are not lifting heavy items.

Your young age and fast recovery in your previous surgery will play a good factor when it comes to recooperating.  (Kouros Azar, MD, Thousand Oaks Plastic Surgeon)

Most of my patients go back to desk-type jobs after one or two weeks. You have the advantage of already having been through a c section, so you already have an idea about how you recover from surgery. It will be six weeks before you will be back to lifting heavy objects or high impact exercise. (Grant Stevens, MD, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)

The recovery from your combination of surgeries will be dictated primarily by the type of tummy tuck. You will have some discomfort from the breast surgery, but most of your recovery will relate to your abdomen. Particularly, if there’s a lot of muscle plication involved.In our practice, over the last five years is the advent of newer, longer acting local anesthetics that may last up to five days. It has revolutionized recovery.

This along with the combination of using spinal anesthesia at the time of general anesthesia and offering the patient a combination of modalities optimizes recovery.

Patients have less pain and discomfort after this operation. While every patient is different, full recovery generally takes four weeks.(Glynn Bolitho, PhD, MD, FACS, San Diego Plastic Surgeon)

Your recovery after a mommy package plastic surgery with depend on many factors, but the biggest factor is the combination of surgeries that you will have performed.  In your case the Tummy Tuck probably will slow you down the most after surgery.

Many of my patients tell me that this surgery is similar to their cesareans in terms of recovery.  While most of my patients are back to working within about 2 weeks, we still have them avoid strenuous activity and lifting for 6 weeks for a Tummy Tuck.  The other surgeries you mentioned when performed alone have fewer activity restrictions.   (John K. Wakelin III, MD, FACS, Columbus Plastic Surgeon)

Mommy makeover refers to a combination of procedures intended to correct some of the unwanted body changes that occur after pregnancy and breast feeding. Normally this include some type of abdominal recontouring procedure, some type of breast reshaping procedure and oftentimes liposuction of the hips and thighs. Most women undergoing mommy package plastic surgeryr have a full abdominoplasty. Of all of the procedures associated with mummy makeovers, the full abdominoplasty has the longest recovery time.

Normally, patients stay at home and do not leave their house for two weeks after a full abdominoplasty. Following that, the full recovery will last a total of approximately six weeks. If only liposuction is performed, then a person could be driving their car within four or five days. Breast surgery usually entails either a breast enlargement with a breast implant or possibly a breast lift.

This operation by itself would require a total of four to five weeks for full recovery. Usually, the patients are back driving their car and performing most day to day activities within three to four days after breast surgery alone. (John J. Edney, MD, Omaha Plastic Surgeon)

The minimum recovery time after a Mommy Tuck is 1 week. After that you could resume a desk job, but it would potentially be tough to sit at a desk for a full 8 hour day. Ten days is sufficient. I usually allow my patients to resume light exercise after 2 weeks, and regular exercise and activities after 4 weeks. (Cory Goldberg, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)

If you have a sedentary job, it might be possible to return to your regular work within a few weeks. If patients do heavy lifting at work, I recommend they take at least 2-3 weeks off, then return to modified duties for at least several more weeks.

A mommy makeover is a major investment so it is best to focus on getting better and healing properly, so you will have a great long-term result. (William Andrade, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)

While every women recovers from surgery at different rates, there is a safe minimum time for recovery from your combination of surgeries.

Rushing the recovery and resuming work and other activities too soon can increase the possibility of a complication or compromise your final result.

Though you have a desk job, I would anticipate a 2 week recovery from your mommy make over.

It is the tummy tuck component of the procedure that lengthens the recovery. It is not that you will be completely recovered at 2 weeks.

That will take longer with 6 weeks of no lifting in most cases. However, I would expect that you should be able to return to work after 2 weeks. As with all questions, I would discuss this with your plastic surgeon for the specifics on your recovery and his individual recommendations.  (Jeffrey Rockmore, MD, Albany Plastic Surgeon)

The mommy package plastic surgery recovery can take up to 6 weeks. I recommend that my patients start light walking in the neighborhood a few days after surgery, and they can pick up their babies a few weeks after surgery. With tummy tuck patients I recommend no heavy lifting for the first 5-6 weeks. Since you have a desk job, I would say that 10 days is an adequate amount of time off from work as long as you keep in mind the lifting restriction.

Take it easy when starting back to work. Listen to your body and good luck! (Mark Deutsch, MD, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)

Everyone’s recovery timeline is different

Most of my patients say that recovery after a mommy tuck is faster and easier than recovery after a C-section, so I think you can expect to return to work within your 10-day goal, given your previous experience with fast healing following pregnancy. Just be sure to get up from your desk and move around sometimes to aid with circulation, and don’t lift anything heavy over your head for several weeks. And, as always, listen to your body and follow your plastic surgeon’s post-op instructions. If you feel sore or tired, take a step back and slow down. An optimum recovery is an important part of your final mummy makeover results. (Frank Campanile, MD, Denver Plastic Surgeon)

The recovery time will vary from patient to patient, but I like for my patients to take off 2 weeks from work following this procedure. You will feel much better and more mobile at 2 weeks. This isn’t by any means the end of your full recovery, but most people can start working, driving, etc by this time.

You can have some swelling for up to 4-5 months following a mommy tuck, so give yourself plenty of time before doing strenuous activities. (Juan A. Brou, MD, Oklahoma City Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery after a mommy makeover (breast lift and augmentation with a tummy tuck)
For a tummy tuck, breast lift, and breast augmentation I would say the first day or so you will be a bit tender. At a week you will feel pretty good and by 2 weeks you will feel like getting back to normal activity. It is at that point that I am putting the brakes on my patients.

By 6 weeks you can really do anything you want activity wise. Fitness can start with walking the day after surgery and ramp up to yoga and weights around the 6 week point.For a desk job you could do this with a week off. Two is ideal. (Rodger Shortt, FRCSC, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)

I generally tell patients to take around 2 weeks off from work if they have a nonstrenous job. Usually 4-6 weeks before any strenuous activity. The time depends on how the patient is doing and if there are no complications. You do not want to push the envelope or you could risk compromising your result. Good luck. Donald R. Nunn MD Atlanta Plastic Surgeon (Donald Nunn, MD, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)

I think that 10 days should be sufficient to go back to a desk job. You may still have tightness in your tummy and discomfort and you may be still limited with your ability to move around efficiently. I would check with your plastic surgeon to get a more accurate estimate depending on the surgical plan. (Mohammed Alghoul, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

Most of my patients are back to normal activity by 2 weeks. I want all my patients up and walking the day after surgery to avoid blood clots. By day 2, they can shower. Activity gradually increases from there, with most patients getting back to normal, albeit slower, activity around a week to ten days.

I encourage my patients to resume full activity ( except core workout) once the drains are out from the tummy tuck procedure. Usually 2 weeks. I also recommend they listen to their body as a guide so they don’t overdo it and do too much too fast. (Michael Burgdorf, MD, MPH, Nashville Plastic Surgeon)