What is a Mommy Makeover? Is it Right For You?

Pink Magazine — The Glow Up
Special Section 2025  |  November 2025 Issue
By Brendan Smith, M.D.

Women’s bodies experience many changes throughout adulthood. From the freshman 40 in college to losing the freshman 40, to pregnancy weight gain, childbirth and breast feeding, to never losing the baby weight, to being so busy between being a wife, mom and professional, it becomes hard to find time for fitness, it all feels like a constant losing battle…not to mention perimenopause and menopause. You may wonder “where has my inner glow gone?”

A woman’s inner glow is fueled with self-confidence, which unfortunately can be affected due to unwanted physical changes in her body and the long arduous journey trying to return to her natural shape before life happened. Because these factors, along with many others, are facts of life for most, many women struggle with their mid-life body image, which causes their inner glow to fade into frustration, sometimes even depression.

While some women wear their bodies like a badge of honor without any body-image worries, others agonize with themselves every time they look in the mirror. Every woman is unique, and the great news is there are a variety of solutions to addressing each little nagging problem. However, for those who want to see results without going through a multitude of procedures here and there, the “Mommy Makeover” may be the perfect solution.

Keep in mind, though, there is no standard “Mommy Makeover.” These surgeries are tailored to each individual and can include abdomen (tummy tuck), breast augmentation, liposuction, labiaplasty, arm lift (brachioplasty), thigh lift (thighplasty), and buttock augmentation (Brazilian butt lift). The areas most affected by pregnancy or yo-yo weight gain and loss are the breasts and abdomen. “Mommy Makeovers” are typically a combination of procedures in these areas.

Changes to the breasts can come in the form of a gain in volume, a loss of volume and/or sagging. Should you decide to learn more about getting a “Mommy Makeover”, rest assured, you will discuss in depth individualized options with your surgeon to address all of your concerns regarding your physical anatomy and the procedure. Most women seeking a “Mommy Makeover” generally ask for breast augmentation to help with loss of volume, with or without a lift, depending on nipple position, a breast reduction with lifting, or a breast lift (mastopexy) for those happy with their breast volume but wanting to achieve perkier, less sagging breasts.

To complete the “Mommy Makeover”, these breast procedures can be combined with the above listed procedures to treat multiple areas at once. The most common combination is the breast and abdomen. In addition to the breasts, most women express concerns regarding the stretching of the abdominal skin and muscle and/or stubborn areas of fat. A lipoabdominoplasty is a tummy tuck combined with liposuction which recreates more of an hourglass figure and flatter abdomen. The tummy tuck will remove excess skin, some or all of the stretch marks, and repair the stretched abdominal muscles (diastasis recti).

Some procedures may not be able to be combined due to prolonged operative and anesthesia time. You should consult with a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery to develop a plan specifically designed to address your concerns, your desired results, and most importantly, your safety.

Brendan E. Smith, M.D. is board certified in general and plastic surgery and has served the Lowcountry for nearly 20 years. His medical areas of interest include breast surgery, cosmetic and reconstructive, facial, body contouring, and hand surgeries. To learn more or schedule a consultation, call, 843-705-8940 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow on Instagram @smithplasticsurgery19 or on Facebook smithplasticsurgery.