What to Expect After Your Mommy Makeover

Undergoing a mommy makeover gives a woman a new chance to love the way she looks. In our last post, we focused on one of the top questions about this beneficial treatment: how to get ready. Here, we tackle the next big question: what to expect during mommy makeover recovery. Understandably, there is more to think about in this recovery process because there is more healing to do. There is a lot going on internally after a combination of plastic surgery procedures but that doesn’t mean the journey has to be long and unpleasant. Here, we discuss some of the recovery points you may not see everywhere.

Your surgery day may be a blur.

The day you come to the surgery center for your makeover, you will be very excited and probably slightly unnerved. Perfectly normal. Before your surgery, you are given general anesthesia. The sedative medication will take hours to wear off completely. For a short time after your surgery, the nursing staff will watch over you in the recovery area. Once your anesthesia has worn off a little and you can stand and take a few steps with assistance, a caregiver will be able to take you home. You will probably go straight to bed and be given your first dose of prescription pain medication within a few hours. The first 24 hours or so will most likely not be remembered at all due to the combination of medication and fatigue.

You may develop unusual sensations.

Most patients anticipate some tenderness and soreness in areas that are treated during surgery, such as the breasts and stomach. However, they may not expect to feel low back pain. This is a common effect of abdominoplasty, in particular, because the stomach muscles are unable to fully stretch for a few days. As a result, you are not able to stand upright. When you stand or walk, you will slouch forward, exerting more pressure on the low back than is normal. Once your posture straightens, your low back should feel much better.

Your medication may cause constipation.

This side effect is no fun, we understand. However, constipation is not a reason to stop taking prescription pain medication. There are remedies that can protect comfort as you recover from surgery. Make sure you are drinking plenty of clear fluids and consuming fresh fruits and vegetables as much as possible. If you do become constipated, talk with your doctor about the use of a stool softener.

Emotional disruption: someday you’ll look back and laugh.

Surgery is a major event both physically and mentally. Highs and lows are common after all kinds of surgical procedures, including the mommy makeover. If you’re calm and happy one minute and crying the next, you are doing what just about every surgical patient before you has done; you are instinctively releasing the stress your body and mind have held. Let it go as a part of your healing.

Is it time for your makeover to begin? We’re here to help. Schedule a consultation at our Cincinnati office by calling 513.985.0850.