Mommy Makeover Surgery & Contouring

Conveniently located to serve Seattle and Bellevue

The procedure is very rewarding and most women have high satisfaction rates after the procedure with improved self confidence and esteem.

What is Mommy Makeover?

A mommy makeover is a combination procedure that addresses the after-effects of childbearing in mothers. Procedures that can be included are the breast lift, breast augmentation with implants or fat, abdominoplasty, liposuction, and the tummy tuck. It is only performed at least six weeks after childbirth or breastfeeding.

Traditional Tummy Tuck is performed with an incision horizontally across the bikini line. The length of the incision is based on how much excess skin there is and contouring. The incision is kept low and hidden by underwear. The mons area is also lifted with this technique and the belly button is transposed. The rectus or 6 pack muscles are plicated or tightened like a corset and the excess skin and fat is removed. Liposuction may be combined with a tummy tuck and usually performed on the sides or flank areas.

Breast lift may be needed for breasts that are sagging or demonstrate ptosis. The lift may be performed alone or with the addition of breast implants. A procedure known as augmentation mastopexy. The implants add more upper pole fullness and larger cup sizes if desired. Breast augmentation can be performed with implants or fat if no lifting is required.

The procedure can be staged, meaning the tummy tuck and breast enhancement is completed in two operations or single stage where the whole mommy makeover is completed in one single operation. Dr. Rikesh Parikh can do either and this can be discussed at time of consultation.

Dr. Parikh is skilled in all forms of tummy tuck procedures and an expert in body and breast enhancement. In consultation a tailored, customized plan for you will be developed so that you reach your desired goals in a safe fashion.

Your Mommy Makeover Consultation

Dr. Parikh starts the consultation by asking about your goals and expectations for your mommy makeover. He will review your medical history and perform a physical examination of your target areas to ensure compatibility with the treatment. It is an invasive surgical undertaking, so additional laboratory tests may be requested.

Dr. Parikh will customize your mommy makeover with you, helping choose the ideal procedures for achieving your goals. He will create a surgical plan, and a date will be set for the surgery.

Before & After Photos

Before

After

Mommy Makeover Gallery

View Gallery

*Individual Results may vary

The Procedure

The mommy makeover surgery will begin with the administration of general anesthesia. Markings may be made on the target areas.

Incisions will then be made. Tissues may be removed, stretched, or lifted to achieve the best results. Finally, the incisions will be closed with sutures. Depending on the combination of procedures, the mommy makeover can take several hours to complete.

The Cost of a Mommy Makeover

The cost of a mommy makeover varies based on the combination of procedures included in the treatment plan. Surgical and anesthetic fees can affect the overall price.

FAQS about Mommy Makeover

• What does a mommy makeover include?

  It’s whatever pregnancy changed, treated in one plan. Most often that’s a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) to remove loose skin and repair separated stomach muscles, plus breast surgery: a lift, implants, fat transfer, or a lift with implants. Liposuction is often added. There’s no set package. Dr. Parikh builds the plan around what bothers you, so one patient’s mommy makeover is a tummy tuck and a lift, and another’s is a tummy tuck with liposuction and no breast work.

• Do I need the whole thing, or just a tummy tuck?

  Only what you need. If your stomach is the main concern, a tummy tuck on its own may be the right answer, and if it’s your breasts, a lift or implants alone. The combination makes sense when both bother you and you’d rather have one surgery and one recovery instead of two.

• Can it fix my “mom pooch” (separated stomach muscles)?

  Yes. Pregnancy pushes the two vertical muscles of your abdomen apart (diastasis recti), and about 6 in 10 women have some separation after childbirth. If the gap doesn’t close, you can be left with a bulge above or below the belly button that regular ab workouts don’t fix, because the problem is the gap between the muscles, not how strong they are. Crunches, sit-ups, and standard planks can even make it worse. During a tummy tuck, Dr. Parikh stitches those muscles back together (muscle plication), and in his experience almost every tummy tuck patient needs it. Mild separation can improve with physical therapy, so it’s worth finding out which kind you have.

• Will it get rid of my stretch marks?

  Some of them. A full tummy tuck removes the skin between your belly button and the pubic area, so any stretch marks on that skin go with it. Marks above the belly button stay, though they end up lower on your stomach once the skin is pulled down and tightened. No surgery erases stretch marks on skin that stays.

• What happens to my C-section scar?

  Usually it can be removed. The tummy tuck incision runs low across your stomach, at or just below the line of a typical C-section scar, so the old scar comes out with the loose skin and you’re left with one scar instead of two. Any loose skin that hangs over the scar goes with it.

• How long after having a baby, or after breastfeeding, can I have surgery?

  Dr. Parikh’s minimum is 6 weeks after childbirth or after you stop breastfeeding. For breast surgery, he recommends waiting at least 6 months after weaning. Your breasts keep changing in size and shape for months after nursing ends, and once they’ve stopped changing, the result is more predictable. Your weight should be steady too, since a tummy tuck is planned around the body you have, not the one you’re still working toward.

• Should I wait until I’m done having children?

  If you can, yes, and the tummy tuck is the reason. Another pregnancy stretches the skin and the repaired muscles again and can undo that part of the result. Breast results can change with pregnancy too. Getting pregnant after a mommy makeover is possible. It just may cost you some of what you paid for. If you’re not sure you’re done, say so. Sometimes the answer is to do the breasts now and the tummy later.

• Can I still breastfeed if I have another baby?

  Usually at least partly. Most women who’ve had breast surgery can make some milk, but a full supply isn’t guaranteed. Any breast surgery can affect the nerves and milk ducts, and a lift involves an incision around the areola (the darker skin around the nipple), which is more likely to affect milk supply than an incision in the breast crease. If breastfeeding later matters to you, tell Dr. Parikh at your consultation, because it can change which procedure he recommends and where he places the incisions and implants.

• Can everything be done in one surgery, and is that safe?

  Usually, yes, and many patients prefer it, since you’re under anesthesia once and you recover once. The limit is time. A longer operation means more hours under anesthesia and more of your body healing at once, which raises the risk of problems like blood clots. That’s why surgeons keep a single operation within a safe time limit. Dr. Parikh does a mommy makeover either as one surgery or in two stages, and which makes sense for you is decided at your consultation.

• Will I need to stay overnight?

  No. Dr. Parikh’s surgery center does same-day procedures, so you’ll go home the day of surgery and recover there. You’ll need a caregiver: an adult to take you home and stay with you for at least the first 24 hours, and ideally the first 3 days.

• How painful is it?

  The tummy tuck is usually the most uncomfortable part, and the first few days are the hardest. You’ll have pain medication, and the pain eases a lot over the first week or two. Breast surgery and liposuction tend to be easier: the sharp pain usually fades within the first several days, leaving soreness, swelling, and bruising. Dr. Parikh also has you walk slightly bent at the waist for the first 2 weeks, which protects the incision and the muscle repair while they heal.

• What is recovery like, and when can I go back to work?

  Plan on 2 weeks off work, longer if your job is physical. You’ll walk slightly bent at the waist for those 2 weeks, and you’ll wear an abdominal binder around the clock for the first 4 weeks, then at night for 2 more. Driving usually waits 2 to 3 weeks, until the drains are out and you’re off pain medication. Light activity comes back at about 2 weeks, exercise at 6, and anything vigorous at 6 to 8 weeks.

• When can I pick up my kids?

  Not for the first 3 weeks, if they weigh more than about 15 pounds, and most toddlers do. That’s Dr. Parikh’s rule after a tummy tuck: nothing heavier than 15 pounds for 3 weeks. Heavy lifting, including picking up kids, waits 4 to 6 weeks, because the repair is still gaining strength. In the meantime, have your child climb onto the couch or your lap before you hold them, and arrange help for car seats, baths, and bedtime for the first couple of weeks. For a mom, this is the part of the plan that matters most, so settle it before surgery, not after.

• Will I have drains?

  Probably, if your plan includes a tummy tuck. Drains are small temporary tubes that carry away fluid that would otherwise collect under the skin, and Dr. Parikh uses them for most of his tummy tucks. They stay in at least 10 days and usually 2 to 3 weeks, until the fluid slows down. You can sponge bathe after the first 3 days, but no showering until the drains are out.

• Where will the scars be?

  Low across your stomach where underwear covers it, plus a small scar around the belly button with a full tummy tuck. Breast scars depend on the procedure: around the areola (the darker skin around the nipple), and sometimes down the breast and along the crease, for a lift, or in the crease under the breast for implants. Liposuction is done through small incisions placed where they’re hard to see. All of them keep fading for a year or more. Once the incisions have healed, about 4 weeks after surgery, you’ll start a medical-grade silicone gel or sheeting, which the office carries, and keep sunscreen on the scars after that.

• When will I see my results, and how long will they last?

  You’ll see the change in your stomach almost right away, because the loose skin is gone. Swelling hides the rest for a while. It generally settles within about 6 months, your final shape comes in over several months, and the scars keep improving for a year or more. After that, the results last as long as your weight stays steady and there isn’t another pregnancy. You’ll keep aging like anyone else, but the skin that came off doesn’t come back.

• How much does a mommy makeover cost, and does insurance cover any of it?

  There’s no single price, because it depends on which procedures you combine, so you’ll get a quote after your consultation. The main costs are the surgeon’s fee, anesthesia, the surgical facility, and implants if you choose them. Doing it in one surgery is often less expensive overall than two separate operations, because anesthesia and facility fees are paid once. Insurance doesn’t cover a mommy makeover, including the muscle repair for a “pooch,” because it’s cosmetic. A true hernia at the belly button is a separate medical repair with its own billing, so it may be covered. Mention it if you’ve been told you have one, and check with your insurer. There’s financing for patients who qualify.

• Is a mommy makeover safe? What are the risks?

  Yes, when you’re healthy and the plan isn’t too much for one surgery, and both of those get checked well before you’re scheduled. Your health, weight, smoking or other nicotine use, and time since childbirth are all reviewed first, and extensive plans can be split into two stages. The risks are the risks of each procedure: healing issues along the incisions, fluid collecting under the skin (seroma), infection, a scar that heals unevenly, changes in nipple sensation, and the implant-related risks covered in the breast augmentation FAQ. The tummy tuck carries the most risk of the group, and combining procedures raises it somewhat, which is why surgeons limit how long one operation runs. Serious problems are uncommon, and getting up to walk from the first day lowers the risk of blood clots.

• I live in Seattle. How many trips to Bellevue will a mommy makeover take?

  Plan on roughly four or five over the first two months, and the first one can happen from home. A consultation can start by phone, video, or photos, followed by an in-person visit with Dr. Parikh to settle which procedures you’re combining. The pre-op appointment is mostly handled remotely. Then it’s surgery day and follow-ups over the first few weeks, starting about 7 days after surgery when your drains are checked. The office is at 301 116th Ave SE in Bellevue, just off I-405, about 20 minutes from downtown Seattle outside rush hour. You’ll need a ride home on surgery day and to the first follow-up or two, since driving waits until you’re off prescription pain medication, usually 2 to 3 weeks. That’s one more reason to line up help with the kids before surgery. Later follow-ups can be done by phone and photos when that’s easier. If you’re coming from farther away, the travel and stay page covers hotels and timing.

• What are Dr. Parikh’s qualifications?

  A mommy makeover is several operations in one, so you want a surgeon who does all of them. Dr. Parikh is double board-certified by both the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery. He completed his plastic surgery residency at Vanderbilt University and a research fellowship at Cleveland Clinic, and he is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He performs tummy tucks, breast lifts, implant and fat transfer augmentation, and liposuction, so one surgeon does all of it. You can see his patients’ results in the before-and-after gallery.

• Does Dr. Parikh have hospital privileges?

  Yes, at Overlake and Swedish. Dr. Parikh holds surgical privileges at Overlake Medical Center in Bellevue and two locations for Swedish Medical Center one at the First Hill Campus location in Seattle and the other at the Issaquah Campus. Privileges mean a hospital has reviewed a surgeon’s training, board certification, and record and allows him to operate there. Your surgery is done at RP Surgery Center, the practice’s state-accredited surgery center; the privileges are an outside check on his credentials.

This FAQ is general information and doesn’t replace the personal instructions Dr. Parikh will give you.

Get In Touch

Reverse the visible effects of pregnancy by coming in for a mommy makeover in Seattle. No matter the body type, a mommy makeover can result in a slimmer and more youthful figure. Get in touch and schedule your consultation with Dr. Parikh today!