What Procedures Are Included in a Mommy Makeover?

A mommy makeover is a personalized combination of procedures – most commonly a tummy tuck, liposuction, and a breast lift or augmentation – designed to address the physical changes left by pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and weight shifts. Optional add-ons can include breast reduction, monsplasty, a Brazilian butt lift, an arm lift, or non-surgical body contouring. The combination of procedures depends on your unique anatomy and goals, with every plan at Sculpt Cosmetic Surgery in Bluffton, SC, tailored to your needs.

Understanding the Mommy Makeover

A Mommy Makeover is a comprehensive surgical strategy that combines multiple body and breast procedures into a single operative session.

Most plans focus on three zones:

• The abdomen, where stretched skin and separated muscles can leave a bulge that diet does not fix

• The breasts, which may lose volume, sit lower, or feel heavier after nursing

• Stubborn fat on the waist, back, hips, or thighs that stayed after your weight settled

Treating those zones together creates a smoother outline from chest to hip. You benefit from a single surgical event, a single anesthesia administration, and one consolidated recovery. You do not have to be a new parent. Anyone whose body changed after pregnancy, even years later, can be a candidate if they are healthy and finished having children, or at least not planning another pregnancy soon.

Core Procedures in a Mommy Makeover

These four procedures form the backbone of most plans. Many patients choose two or three. Some choose all four.

Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)

A tummy tuck is often the centerpiece of a mommy makeover. It creates a smoother, firmer abdominal profile by removing loose skin and repairing separated muscles. Liposuction alone cannot do this.

Dr. Crace removes the excess skin and repairs diastasis recti by suturing the weakened muscles back together at the midline. That internal corset repair is what truly flattens the abdominal wall.

Tummy tuck options at Sculpt Cosmetic Surgery include:

• A full tummy tuck, which addresses skin above and below the navel and repairs a wider span of muscle

• A mini tummy tuck, which focuses on the area below the belly button when the upper abdomen is still fairly tight

• An Avelar tummy tuck, which pairs skin removal with liposuction of the abdomen

The incision usually sits low, where underwear or a swimsuit bottom can cover it. If you have a C-section scar, that area can often be included so you are not adding a second unrelated line.

Breast Augmentation

A breast augmentation restores volume that pregnancy and nursing often take away. Many women find their breasts look smaller, deflated, or less full in the upper pole after they finish breastfeeding, even if their weight has returned to baseline.

Using saline or silicone implants, Dr. Crace rebuilds shape and symmetry so the breasts sit in proportion with your new waist and hip line. Implant type, size, and placement are chosen during consultation.

Breast Lift (Mastopexy)

A breast lift raises the breast and repositions the nipple and areola to a higher, more youthful position. Pregnancy can stretch the skin and the ligaments that support the breasts. When milk production stops, the tissue inside may shrink, leaving skin that is too loose for the remaining volume.

A lift reshapes that envelope. It does not add size.

• If you like your current cup size but dislike the droop, a lift by itself can be enough

• If you want both a higher position and more fullness, a breast lift with implant combines the two in one operation

• That pairing is common in mommy makeovers because so many patients have both deflation and sagging

The amount of lift you need depends on how far the nipple has dropped and how much extra skin is present. Those details are measured in person.

Liposuction

Liposuction removes stubborn fat and fine-tunes the contours a tummy tuck cannot sculpt on its own. It is a shaping tool, not a weight-loss method, and works when you are already near a stable weight.

Sculpt Cosmetic Surgery offers several targeted approaches:

• Abdominal liposuction for residual fat on the belly that a tummy tuck will not fully address

• Back liposuction for rolls above the bra line or along the lower back

• Lipo 360, which treats the full midsection circumferentially so the waist, flanks, and back stay in balance

• Thigh liposuction when the outer or inner thighs feel out of proportion with a newly flatter abdomen

• Arm liposuction when fullness in the upper arms is part of the picture

• Chin liposuction if you also want a sharper jawline as part of a broader refresh

Dr. Crace may use Lipo 360 or these targeted areas so the sides and back do not look untouched next to a tighter front.

Additional Procedures for Customization

Core procedures cover the belly, breasts, and fat. Beyond those, Dr. Crace can incorporate other treatments to address your unique concerns.

Breast Reduction

Not every post-pregnancy breast is smaller. Some women end up disproportionately large and physically uncomfortable, with chronic neck, back, and shoulder pain and bras that cut in.

A breast reduction removes excess breast tissue, fat, and skin and lifts what remains. In a mommy makeover, reduction can replace augmentation or a lift-only plan. It still pairs well with a tummy tuck because both procedures change how clothes hang through the torso.

Monsplasty

Pregnancy and delivery can change the lower abdomen and the mound of tissue over the pubic bone. Extra fat or loose skin in that area can sit as a bulge above the underwear line, even after a tummy tuck, if it is not addressed intentionally.

Sculpt Cosmetic Surgery offers monsplasty to reduce and reshape the mons pubis. It is a focused refinement. If the mons area is one of the things you notice in fitted pants or a swimsuit, mention it during your consult so it can be evaluated as part of the tummy tuck plan.

Brazilian Butt Lift

A Brazilian butt lift is a dual-benefit procedure that enhances the buttocks while slimming another part of the body. Dr. Crace uses liposuction to harvest unwanted fat from the abdomen, waist, back, or thighs, then purifies and strategically injects it to add volume, improve shape, and create a rounder, more lifted appearance.

Arm Lift

Significant weight fluctuations during and after pregnancy can leave loose, sagging skin on the upper arms, often called “bat wings.” An arm lift, or brachioplasty, removes excess skin and fat to achieve a tighter, more toned, and slenderer arm contour.

Non-Surgical Body Contouring

Not every contour goal needs another incision. Non-surgical body contouring combines cryotherapy and electric muscle stimulation. Cryotherapy targets fat with cold. Muscle stimulation contracts the muscle layer to firm the area.

This option can suit smaller pockets, finishing touches after surgery has healed, or someone close to their goal who is not ready for another operation. It does not replace a tummy tuck when the muscles are separated or the skin is sagging.

How to Choose the Right Procedures for You

Start with a simple inventory in three categories: skin, volume, and position.

• Skin: Is it loose on the belly, arms, or breasts? Does it fold when you sit?

• Volume: Did the breasts shrink, stay large, or become uneven? Are there fat pads on the flanks, back, or thighs that never left?

• Position: Have the breasts dropped? Does the mons sit fuller? Has the waist lost its indent?

Match each note to a procedure:

• Loose abdominal skin and a muscle gap point to a tummy tuck

• Lost breast volume points to augmentation

• Dropped breasts point to a lift

• Extra fat with good skin points to liposuction

• Heavy, uncomfortable breasts point to reduction

• A full mons points to monsplasty

• Loose upper-arm skin points to an arm lift

A tummy tuck plus a breast procedure is the most common pairing because those two areas change the most after kids and heal on overlapping timelines. Adding liposuction around the waist usually does not change the recovery story much. Adding a BBL or an arm lift does, because those procedures have their own movement limits.

Conclusion: Customizing Your Transformation

A mommy makeover at Sculpt Cosmetic Surgery is a deeply personal journey to reclaim your pre-pregnancy body and confidence. Most plans center on a tummy tuck, a breast procedure, and liposuction, with options like breast reduction, monsplasty, a Brazilian butt lift, an arm lift, and non-surgical contouring to further personalize your results. The first step is a simple conversation. We proudly serve patients from across the Lowcountry, including Bluffton.