Mommy Makeover is a popular plastic surgery procedure opted by women wanting to tighten and tone their bodies after going through pregnancy. However, one of the most common concerns that most women undergoing this procedure have is how much scarring they will have after the surgery and how much of it will be noticeable.
The most common plastic surgery procedures involved in a Mommy Makeover
Mommy Makeover is a blend of a variety of plastic surgery procedures that have been carefully designed to give mothers their pre-pregnancy look and shape back. It usually includes:
- Tummy tuck: this helps get rid of all the excess fat and loose skin that lies sagging around the abdomen
- Breast procedures: this includes a breast lift to eliminate sagging skin in the breasts as well as a breast augmentation to get the fullness back
- Liposuction: this procedure is included in certain select cases in order to remove the stubborn and hard to remove fat deposits in areas like the thigh, hips, and abdomen
How do the various scars look?
Tummy tuck
The tummy tuck scar usually runs from hip to hip as it is made to remove the excess and unwanted fat and skin from your abdominal area. A good plastic surgeon will usually make the incision as low as possible so that it can remain concealed below your underwear.
Breast lift
The breast lift scars largely depend on the amount of sagging in your breasts. The scar usually shows around your areola. In case you have less sagging, there is a vertical scar along the breast and if the sagging is considerable there is going to be a transverse scar in the inframammary fold.
Breast augmentation
Your scarring in breast augmentation will vary based on how the breast implants have been inserted and the incisions that have been made. Whether you have an inframammary, periareolar, transaxillary, or TUBA incision type, a good plastic surgeon will always make sure that the scars are carefully hidden.
Liposuction
In liposuction, the incisions are very tiny that are made in the concerned areas. During a mommy makeover, the liposuction incisions that are made are mostly unnoticeable especially after they heal and change in hue from pink to your natural skin tone.
How do scars form?
When you undergo a major surgery, your plastic surgeon is required to make prominent incisions in your skin so that they can bring about major enhancements in your appearance. These lead to a certain amount of scarring that is absolutely unavoidable and may require time to fully heal. In the beginning, these scars usually seem thin and pink in color and with time they slowly thicken and turn darker in hue. Finally, they become light and fade away with the passage of time.
Scar formations are also determined by the quality of the skin at the surgical site. For example, the lower border of the areola heals easily but the scars on the lower breast remain prominent for a long time.
How should I care for my incisions?
Apart from the necessary steps adopted by your plastic surgeon to keep scarring at a minimum, there are several steps that you can adopt to minimize the appearance of scars. You may need to adopt any of the below methods or a combination of several methods as advised by your doctor.
Caring for your wounds properly
This involves cleaning your fresh incisions gently at regular intervals followed by an application of scar cream. These creams primarily comprise generous doses of Vitamin E that have the property of helping your wound heal faster. This also helps improve the overall texture of your scars.
Silicone sheets
These are also something that is recommended by many plastic surgeons to be placed on top of your incisions. These go a long way in helping you to flatten your scars and then change them to a more natural looking skin tone as opposed to the red or purple look of fresh scars.
Eat a healthy diet
Taking a healthy diet will help your body heal faster and better. You should avoid smoking as well as keep your incisions and scars from getting exposed to sunlight or harsh UV lights. All these go on to help your incisions heal faster as well as cut down the risk of the scars turning lighter or darker than the natural skin tone.
Adequate rest
Give your body a lot of rest and reduce stresses and strains of any kind on your incision sites as this will go on to help heal your body faster and properly.
To sum up, it is reasonable to expect that your scars will fade away over time. The tradeoff for having an improved body contour is well worth it.
If you are planning to get mommy makeover at Shah Plastic Surgery, Dr. Shah offers Mommy Makeover in Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, Long Island and the surrounding areas of NYC.
