A Mommy Makeover describes a set of procedures designed to restore a woman’s body to its pre-pregnancy state, focusing on areas affected by childbearing and breastfeeding. The Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) is a specific body contouring procedure focused on enhancing the size and shape of the buttocks and hips. While both are popular cosmetic surgeries, the BBL is not typically included in the standard Mommy Makeover package. It is usually considered an elective add-on, meaning the makeover can be customized to incorporate the BBL if a patient desires it and meets the necessary criteria.
The Standard Components of a Mommy Makeover
A traditional Mommy Makeover concentrates on the torso and upper body, addressing physical changes that persist after pregnancy and weight fluctuation. The core procedures generally target the abdomen and the breasts. The abdominal area is often addressed with an abdominoplasty, commonly known as a tummy tuck, to repair stretched muscles and remove excess skin.
Pregnancy can cause diastasis recti, where the rectus abdominis muscles separate. A tummy tuck surgically repairs this separation, tightening the abdominal wall to restore a firmer, flatter midsection that diet and exercise cannot correct. The removal of redundant skin in the lower abdomen also eliminates many stretch marks that formed below the belly button.
The second primary focus is the breasts, which often lose volume and elasticity after pregnancy and breastfeeding. A breast lift (mastopexy) is frequently performed to remove loose skin and reposition the nipple and areola to a more elevated position. This procedure restores a more youthful contour to the breasts.
In many cases, a breast augmentation is combined with the lift to restore lost volume, using either implants or fat grafting. The standard Mommy Makeover centers on skin excision, muscle repair, and glandular repositioning in these two areas. Combining the procedures offers a single recovery period for the body areas most dramatically altered by motherhood.
Understanding the Brazilian Butt Lift Procedure
The Brazilian Butt Lift is a body contouring procedure that enhances the projection and shape of the buttocks without synthetic implants. This procedure is defined by a two-step fat transfer process. The first step involves liposuction to harvest adipose tissue from designated donor sites, often including the flanks, abdomen, or back.
The fat is carefully removed through a cannula and then processed to separate intact fat cells from excess fluids or damaged tissue. This purification step ensures only the healthiest fat is used for the transfer. The second step is the controlled injection of this purified fat into the buttocks.
The surgeon strategically places the fat cells in small amounts into the subcutaneous layer of the buttocks (the layer just beneath the skin). Injecting fat superficially, rather than deep into the gluteal muscle, is a technique that has significantly improved the safety profile of the BBL. The goal of this fat grafting is to create a fuller, rounder appearance and improve the overall body silhouette.
Integrating the BBL into a Customized Mommy Makeover
While not standard, the BBL can be successfully incorporated into a comprehensive Mommy Makeover, transforming it into a full body contouring session. This combination requires careful planning because the procedures significantly increase the total operative time under anesthesia, which increases associated risks. A surgeon must assess the patient’s overall health and ability to withstand an extended surgery, which may last six hours or more.
A primary consideration for combining the procedures is the recovery protocol, as the requirements for a BBL directly conflict with those of a tummy tuck or breast surgery. After a BBL, patients must avoid direct pressure on the buttocks for several weeks to allow the transferred fat cells to establish a new blood supply and survive. This means avoiding sitting or lying on the back.
Recovery from an abdominoplasty or breast procedure often necessitates avoiding lying on the stomach. When combined, the patient is limited to side-sleeping or using specialized cushions that redistribute pressure away from the buttocks. The BBL also requires the patient to have sufficient excess fat in donor areas to harvest and transfer, which is not always the case for Mommy Makeover candidates. Due to these complexities, some surgeons recommend separating the BBL and the tummy tuck into two staged procedures.