Motherhood can be one of life's most rewarding experiences—and one that takes the heaviest toll on a woman's body. If you look in the mirror and long for the firm bustline and smooth belly you had before you had kids, it may be time to think about a Mommy Makeover.

You do so much for your family—isn't it time to do something wonderful for yourself?

What is a Mommy Makeover?

A Mommy Makeover is plastic surgery to help restore a woman's pre-pregnancy figure. The most common procedures involved in a Mommy Makeover are:

• A breast lift, sometimes done in conjunction with breast augmentation, to rejuvenate sagging breasts and replace volume lost after breastfeeding.
• A tummy tuck to restore a youthful belly by removing loose, excess skin and tightening abdominal muscles overstretched by pregnancy.
• Liposuction to streamline “saddlebag” hips and slim the thighs.
• A NaturaliftSM for a natural, younger-looking face—without looking like you've had surgery.

No time for surgery or downtime?

Dr. Sterry offers a number of non-surgical in-office procedures to rejuvenate your face:

• Palomar fractional laser treatments make your skin look smoother and younger—with little or no downtime—using state-of-the-art technology.
• Hyaluronic acid facial fillers such as Juvéderm and Restylane smooth out facial lines like the ones that run from your nose to the corners of your mouth.
• Botox® Cosmetic eases frown lines, diminishes crow's feet and gives you a relaxed, refreshed look.
• Sculptra works like hyaluronic acid facial fillers, but lasts up to two years.

Dr. Sterry explains Mommy Makeovers

“Sometimes after childbirth, women will lose breast volume, which makes them very unhappy. They end up with less breast and more belly—it's very upsetting, for obvious reasons.

“A Mommy Makeover can add volume to the breasts and restore a woman's trim, youthful belly, which is often as helpful to her spirits as it is to her body.”

Does breastfeeding cause the breasts to sag?

“We're really not convinced that breastfeeding causes the breasts to lose volume, but certainly some process does take place after childbirth where women lose volume.”

Is it safe to have 2 surgical procedures at the same time?

“As long as the surgery does not take more than 4-1/2 to 5 hours, research shows that undergoing more than one plastic surgery procedure at a time is no more dangerous than having a single procedure.”

Are there advantages to combining breast augmentation and a tummy tuck?

“Yes. Working through the tummy tuck incision, I have open access all the way up to the rib margin. From there, it's only about four centimeters to gain access to the breast region to place breast implants.”

Isn't that approach to breast augmentation the same as a TUBA?

“No. If I try to place breast implants with a TUBA, I'm working through a very small incision at the level of the belly button and without the advantages that a surgeon might have with laparoscopy because it's all being done through one incision.”

Why is the tummy tuck incision approach easier on the patient than a TUBA?

“Basically, the TUBA uses a rigid sigmoidoscope to create a tunnel to gain access from the belly button to the chest. Then there is a lot of blunt pushing and pulling of the implant to obtain the desired placement.

“There is almost no precise dissection of the tissues in a surgical manner. A TUBA involves a lot of ripping and tearing. There is also very little ability to control bleeding in a TUBA procedure. That's why I don't do TUBAs.

“By contrast, using a tummy tuck incision and a standard lighted retractor, I can see the entire surgical field and perform a controlled surgical dissection in a stable environment. This helps avoid complications like bleeding, infection and breast implant asymmetry.”