When you combine an abdominoplasty with a breast augmentation, breast lift or breast reduction you have a Mommy Makeover. While Dr. Reath is not a real fan of the term “Mommy Makeover” lots of people are asking about it because it's a catchy way to describe a great combination of operations that is becoming increasingly popular with women who have had children.

Here are before and after photos of Knoxville patients who have had Mommy Makeovers.

Before and After Mommy Makeover: She is 5’3” and weighs 139 pounds. Here is a 27-year-old mom who was concerned about excess skin in her abdomen which had stretched out during her pregnancies. She was also interested in a modest increase in the size of her breasts to achieve the figure she always wanted. Dr. Reath performed a full abdominoplasty along with a breast augmentation using 250cc silicone gel breast implants which he placed on top of her chest muscles. She is pictured before and six months after her procedure thrilled with her result.

Before and After Mommy Makeover: She is 5'8" and weighs 143 pounds. Here is a 30-year-old mom who came to our office to correct the changes in her body after having two very large children. She noticed changes in her abdomen which became worse after her second child. In addition she was not pleased with the new laxity in her breasts. After working with sizers she chose silicone breast implants in a very modest size, 300cc. Dr. Reath performed a full abdominoplasty and a breast augmentation placing the implants on top of her chest muscles. She is pictured here before and six months after her Mommy Makeover looking like a new woman!

Before and After Mommy Makeover- She is 5’8” and weighs 128 pounds. Here is a 22-year-old mother of two who gained about sixty pounds her one of her pregnancies. Although she was happy with her weight when she came to our office, she was concerned about the appearance of her abdomen and the volume she had lost in her breasts. Dr. Reath performed a mommy makeover (full abdominoplasty with a breast augmentation) using 350cc silicone breast implants which he placed underneath her chest muscles. She is pictured six months later looking incredible. As you can imagine she is very pleased with her results.

Before and After Mommy Makeover:  She is 5'3" and weighs 135 pounds. This mother-of-four came to us with concerns about both her abdomen and her breasts. Through diet and exercise she lost over 30 pounds, which was great for her health but left her with some saggy skin which she wanted removed. Dr. Reath did a full abdominoplasty and a full mastopexy augment with 350cc silicone cohesive gel implants placed on top of the chest muscles, (subglandular position). What a difference!

Before and After Mommy Makeover: She is 5’4” and weighs 127 pounds. Here is a 29-year-old mom who came to us after having had twins. During her pregnancy she had gained over 50 pounds and her breasts increased to a D cup. She worked very hard to lose the weight she gained during her pregnancy, but in the process she lost volume in her breasts. Although her abdomen did not have excess fat, she developed separation in her abdominal muscles was unhappy with the way her skin was sagging on her stomach. Dr. Reath performed an abdominoplasty (in her case without liposuction) and a breast augmentation with 350cc silicone breast implants placed underneath her chest muscles. She is pictured here 6 months later with an incredible result.

Before and After Mommy Makeover: This is a mother-of-three who had gained around 70 pounds with her pregnancies and had excess skin as a result. She was close to her ideal weight before her surgery and Dr. Reath performed a full tummy tuck procedure which is known as a lipoabdominoplasty, that repairs the abdominal muscles and removes excess fat and skin. She also had a breast augmentation at the same time as her tummy tuck for a true "mommy makeover". She chose 400cc Mentor saline implants which were placed underneath her chest muscles.

Today Show Episode: Mom, would you erase the signs of pregnancy?
More and more women are turning to post-childbirth cosmetic surgery.

The Mommy Makeover was featured on the Today Show February 8th with the stories of two patients and their experiences with Kathie Lee and Hoda before and after their Mommy Makeover surgeries. It's a great segment to watch because the patients on the show are very similar to the ones we see everyday in our office. Just so you know, the prices they are mentioning are higher than what you see in our area. Take a look below. It's about 7 minutes.

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It is important to understand that a Mommy Makeover is not considered a weight loss procedure and is best suited for women that are in relatively good shape. A Mommy Makeover is not recommended for you if you still need to lose a significant amount of weight or if you plan on becoming pregnant again.

We have included a Body Mass Index calculator for you to get a general idea if you may be a good candidate for a Mommy Makeover at your present weight. You should have a BMI less than 30 to consider it.

Mommy Makeover: Dr. Reath Explains What You Need To Know

"Any woman who has been through it, knows that changes take place as a result of pregnancies.  And, it’s no secret that the breasts and abdomen are affected more than any other areas.  Sometimes these changes are minimal, but for some women they can be profound. Take for instance, a small framed woman who has had twins, or someone who had a large amount of weight gain because of pregnancy induced hypertension (pre-eclampsia). Their shape will be totally changed by the pregnancy.  Since most of these women are still quite young, it’s understandable that they will feel strongly about getting their figure back."

You Don’t Bounce Back Entirely
"What about diet and exercise, you say? There is no question that these can help.  And, getting back to your desired weight is the first step. But, this won’t take care of many of the changes.  Take the tummy for example, as you lose weight the skin becomes more loose and can even look worse!  Hardly fair, and quite discouraging. If you have loose or excess skin, the only solution is to have this skin removed, as in surgically removed (think tummy tuck).  Likewise, the muscles of the abdomen become separated over the course of the pregnancy.  While you can strengthen these muscles, you can not bring them back together in the midline without surgery. I have seen some women with rock hard abs after children and a six pack that makes me jealous, but there is still a significant separation between the muscles that they have not been able to exercise away.

As noted above, there can be significant changes in the breasts as well.  Some women have little or none.  Others can end up with breasts that are saggier than they want, smaller than they want, or even larger than they want.  (This is one of the things that makes it hard for me to tell women how pregnancies will affect their breasts.) Changes can be more profound with multiple pregnancies, prolonged breast feeding, or large changes in breast size as a result of the pregnancies.

How about taking care of the breasts and the abdomen at the same time?  Seems like a good idea right? Right, thus “Mommy makeover”  (there, I said it again).  This can be a great way of taking care of both areas.  But, the operations can be done in stages as well.  I have many patients who have done it both ways, and some that have chose only to deal with one area.  The bottom line, here, is that as long as it is medically safe and reasonable, do what works best for you."

Recovery Time: The Major Advantage
"The advantage of doing this all together is primarily that you will have only one operation, and more importantly one recovery. Now the recovery can be a little longer if both the breasts and abdomen are re-contoured. Abdominal work requires a longer recovery time than breast work because the core muscles that you use for sitting and standing are the ones repaired during an abdominoplasty.

While there may be some cost savings, that is not the main thing.  It’s all about the time off. And this will usually be a little less when the operations are done together. When combining the operations, they are sometimes done as an outpatient, and sometimes with a night in the hospital. Again, this is affected by how much is being done, and the overall health of the patient. We will always look for the safest way to do these."

Alternative Routes
"Other women want to take it one step at a time.  No problem here. Some want to take care of the breasts first, and others the tummy.  One advantage of doing it in this way, is that you know that you are going to be going to the operating room twice.  And if there is a minor revision of the scar from the first operation ( or something else like that), this can be addressed at the second operation. Also, you are looking at two somewhat shorter operations rather than one longer one. Doing them separately will almost always allow them to be done as outpatient operations.

So this process can lead to great and gratifying results.  But a couple of things to point out again.

• Partner with your surgeon. The best results occur when you do all that you can do (usually getting rid of the pregnancy weight, and getting back into shape), and then the surgeon does what he/she can to reshape these areas.
• Wait until you are finished having children. Another pregnancy can undo much of what is achieved surgically.
• Make sure that you allow enough time for the recovery. Giving this enough time will allow you to get back to where you want to be sooner than if you really push it too hard.

So, if you are done having children, and you are not happy with how the process has changed your body, let’s talk. Because there is a lot that we can achieve together."

Mommy Makeover Pricing

Figuring out the cost of a Mommy Makeover before your consultation can be a bit tricky because there are different combinations of procedures for everyone. Below we will list the information for each procedure separately so you can get a general idea of what to expect. There will be a slight price break on the surgery and anesthesia fees when you combine two procedures together. On the other hand, the price break could be offset by a possible overnight stay in the hospital.

During your consultation, you will be given a surgical quote which will detail these costs based on your particular needs. It will include surgery fees, anesthesia, any overnights, all follow-up visits and our exclusive recovery kit. 

[Also included in the price of your surgery is a CosmetAssure policy, which protects you in the unlikely event of a complication after surgery. We are the only plastic surgeon's office in Knoxville to provide this important insurance. Read Dr. Reath's blog post where he explains why he feels so strongly about offering this extra safety net to our patients.]

Cash Discount:
Great news! For our patients who would like to pay with cash or check we offer a 5% discount.

Step One: The Breast Procedure. Augmentation, Lift or Reduction

Breast Augmentation Pricing

The cost of a breast augmentation with Dr. Reath includes both surgical and anesthesia fees, saline breast implants, post-surgical bra, our exclusive recovery kit and all follow-up visits.

$4,865 - ($4,622 with cash discount)
optional Silicone breast implants - $5,865 - ($5,572 with cash discount)

How to Know If You Will Need a Breast Lift

Women who are unhappy with sagging in their breasts regularly choose to have a breast lift. Usually this sagging is a result of pregnancy and breast-feeding or weight-loss, but not always. Most of the time a modest implant is used in conjunction with the lift to restore fullness in the upper part of the breast. This is completely optional and depends on the goal of the individual patient.

During a breast lift, also known as a mastopexy, the breast is lifted by removing the excess skin and restructuring the breast tissue. In many women a delicate incision around the nipple area (areola) is all that is needed. In others, who have a large amount of excess skin, the incision needs to be extended.

The Breast Lift Test You Can Do Yourself

It can be a disappointment if you come to our office for breast augmentation and Dr. Reath explains that to achieve a pleasing shape and perkiness, you’ll need a breast lift as well. So here’s a good way you can tell. Standing in front of a mirror, look at your nipples in relation to the natural crease beneath your breasts. If your nipples are lower than your breast crease before surgery, adding implants without removing excess skin will make them more saggy. And it will just get worse with gravity over time. Sad, but true. You will probably need a lift. If your surgeon tells you he/she can just use bigger implants, don’t go there girlfriend!

If this sounds like you, you may also want to look at the breast lift procedure page for before and after photos. The pictures give you a better idea of when a breast lift is needed and the great results when performed along with a breast augmentation.

Breast Lift Pricing

Breast Lift pricing ranges from around $6,200 to $8,600 before the 5% cash discount. The amount depends on how much skin needs to be removed and the type of implant you choose, if you would like to combine your breast lift with implants.

Breast Reduction Pricing

$6,893 - ($6548 with cash discount)

Step Two: The Tummy Tuck Procedure

Abdominoplasty / Tummy Tuck Pricing

The cost of a tummy tuck with Dr. Reath's includes both surgical and anesthesia fees, our exclusive recovery kit with silicone scar prevention shapes, Spanx and all follow-up visits.

When reviewing tummy tuck pricing please keep in mind that the majority of people are candidates for a full abdominoplasty or mini-abdominoplasty. Some, who have a large amount of excess skin to be removed from major fluctuations in weight, will require an extended procedure which takes more time in the operating room and may require a hospital stay.

Full Lipoabdominoplasty-
$7,965 - ($7,567 with cash discount)

Mini Lipoabdominoplasty-
$5,371 - ($5102 with cash discount)

Extended abdominoplasty-
Prices on a case by case basis and may include a hospital stay. Price starts at $8,863 before cash discount.

Great Resources for Your Plastic Surgery Research

Printable Lists

So you can be better prepared for your consultation, we have prepared a list of important plastic surgery questions you will want to ask your doctor before you have your surgery. If your consultation is with Dr. Reath, please feel free to print this out and he will be happy to go everything with you during your visit. Top Ten Questions to Ask your Plastic Surgeon

Even though the majority of cosmetic surgery patients are pleased with their results, the decision to have a procedure is a big one. It is normal to have questions, and it's important to answer them honestly. In the end, you want to be completely comfortable with your decision.So, are you clear about your motivations for surgery? Are your expectations realistic? Test yourself by answering these important questions. How to Know if You Are  Ready for Plastic Surgery.

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