PROCEDURE OVERVIEW
What Is a Mommy Makeover?
A mommy makeover is individualized planning for one or more breast and body procedures after pregnancy, breastfeeding, weight change, or another life-stage transition. It is not one standard operation, and it does not require every woman to address the same areas.
The consultation separates breast volume or position, abdominal skin or wall changes, localized fat, scars, and other concerns before deciding whether one focused procedure, a combination, staged surgery, more time, or no surgery offers the best balance.
PERSONAL CONCERNS. INDIVIDUAL DECISIONS.
Why Women Consider Mommy Makeover Surgery
Pregnancy and time can affect different tissues in different ways. The goal is to understand the specific changes you notice, consider each one on its own merits, and decide which, if any, are worth addressing.
- Breast volume, position, skin, or proportion changes
- Abdominal skin, wall, navel, or contour concerns
- Localized fat that remains despite stable habits
- A C-section scar or another focused area
- A desire to consider one recovery without assuming every procedure belongs together
A thoughtful consultation should make each concern, option, and tradeoff clear before any combination is considered.
A THOUGHTFUL CONVERSATION
Mommy Makeover Candidacy, Alternatives, and Consultation
Mommy makeover surgery may be appropriate for a healthy adult with defined breast or body concerns, stable weight, realistic expectations, and the ability to complete the recovery required by the actual plan. Timing may be influenced by breastfeeding, future pregnancy plans, nicotine exposure, medications, caregiving, and available help.
Consultation may lead to one procedure, a combination, staged surgery, more time, or a nonsurgical option. Future pregnancy or weight change does not make consultation inappropriate, but it may affect the value and timing of a surgical plan. An in-person examination is completed before the operative plan is finalized.
When Surgery May Not Be the Right Choice
The purpose of consultation is to identify the most appropriate next step—not to presume that an operation is needed. Dr. Howarth may recommend waiting, further evaluation, a different setting or approach, nonsurgical care, or no surgery when that is the more appropriate recommendation.
PERSONAL DECISIONS. THOUGHTFUL CARE.
Privacy During Body Surgery Consultation and Care
Questions about body surgery can feel personal. When you contact us, you can indicate whether you prefer a call or text. Your consultation with Dr. Howarth is a thoughtful conversation about your anatomy, concerns, and goals.
JUDGMENT MATTERS
Choosing a Mommy Makeover Surgeon: Why Dr. Howarth
Choosing a surgeon for a mommy makeover involves more than reviewing a package or a gallery. Look for appropriate board certification, experience evaluating both breast and body anatomy, balanced counseling about combination versus staged surgery, and a clear plan for follow-up and complications.
Ashley Howarth, MD, FACS, is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Scottsdale, an Instructor in Plastic Surgery at Mayo Clinic, and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Her background includes nine years of formal surgical training.
Combined planning asks the surgeon to evaluate each concern separately and then decide whether the procedures, operative burden, and recovery restrictions reasonably belong together. [1] Convenience alone should not determine the scope.
Your consultation should leave you understanding why a focused, combined, or staged plan fits your anatomy, health, goals, and practical support—or why surgery may not be the right next step.
PLASTIC SURGERY
OF SURGEONS
SCOTTSDALE · MODERN OFFICE SETTING
FROM CONSULTATION TO CONFIDENCE
Mommy Makeover Consultation and Patient Care Coordination
From your first inquiry, your patient care coordinator helps organize the practical next steps. Your coordinator can assist with scheduling, estimates, financing, forms, travel, and follow-up logistics. Dr. Howarth and her clinical team answer medical questions and make all clinical recommendations.
A thoughtful beginning.
Your patient care coordinator can arrange an in-person or virtual consultation with Dr. Howarth and explain what photographs, records, or other information to have ready. The consultation focuses on your concerns, health history, anatomy, and goals. An in-person physical examination is completed before the operative plan is finalized.
Clear information before you decide.
After Dr. Howarth recommends a plan, your patient care coordinator can review the written cost estimate, available financing options, scheduling requirements, forms, and next steps. Your coordinator can explain the practice process and help you understand what is needed before you decide whether to schedule.
Practical details, clearly organized.
If you are traveling to Scottsdale from elsewhere in Arizona or out of state, your patient care coordinator can help align required appointment dates and practical planning for consultation, surgery, and follow-up. Dr. Howarth and her clinical team provide individualized medical and recovery guidance.
THE PLAN FOLLOWS YOUR PRIORITIES
Mommy Makeover Options and Tradeoffs
One Focused Procedure
When one concern leads, a focused Tummy Tuck, Liposuction, Breast Lift, Breast Augmentation, Breast Reduction, or C-Section Scar evaluation may be clearest.
A Combined Plan
Two or more procedures may be considered when their goals, total operative scope, health review, and recovery requirements reasonably fit together.
A Staged Plan
Staging separates procedures into more than one operation when safety, recovery support, priorities, or total scope are better handled in steps.
No Surgery or More Time
Waiting for breastfeeding, weight, family plans, health, or practical support to settle can be a thoughtful and appropriate decision.
THE DAY FOLLOWS THE FINAL PLAN
What to Expect on the Day of Mommy Makeover Surgery
Procedure day follows the confirmed focused, combined, or staged plan. The setting, anesthesia, preparation, transportation, postoperative support, and follow-up are established only after health review and final scope. Dr. Howarth reviews the operative plan with you before surgery begins.
Your complete plan, confirmed.
The team confirms preparation, medication, fasting when required, transportation, support, and the procedures included in that operation.
Each component follows its plan.
Dr. Howarth performs the confirmed breast or body procedures according to the markings, anatomy, and scope reviewed with you.
One coordinated recovery plan.
Before discharge, the team reviews written guidance for comfort, movement, garments or dressings, lifting, warning signs, and follow-up.
CLEAR INFORMATION. INFORMED CHOICES.
Mommy Makeover Safety, Risks, and Limitations
Risk follows the procedures selected and may increase as operative scope and recovery demands increase. Careful patient selection, individualized planning, and appropriate postoperative care are intended to reduce risk, but complications cannot be eliminated. Dr. Howarth reviews the material risks of each component and the complete plan.
Possible Complications Include
- Bleeding, infection, fluid collection, or delayed healing
- Wound separation, tissue loss, or additional wound care
- Unfavorable scars, asymmetry, or contour irregularity
- Temporary or persistent sensation changes, swelling, or pain
- Implant- or procedure-specific complications when relevant
- Blood clots, anesthesia complications, or the need for additional surgery
What Surgery Cannot Guarantee
- That every concern belongs in one operation
- A scar-free result or perfect symmetry
- A specific shape or size independent of anatomy
- An easier recovery simply because procedures are combined
- A result unaffected by pregnancy, weight change, aging, or healing
HEALING HAPPENS IN STAGES
Mommy Makeover Recovery
Recovery varies with the exact procedures, whether they are focused or combined, daily demands, and individual healing. The stages below are a general overview rather than a fixed calendar; your clinical instructions take priority.
Rest and practical help
Early needs may include help with comfort, movement, dressings, garments, medication, and ordinary household tasks.
Everyday activities, gradually
Work, driving, travel, and personal routines return according to medication use, mobility, follow-up, and the procedures performed.
Plan support before surgery
Childcare, lifting, exercise, and physically demanding work resume later. Combined plans may create overlapping restrictions.
Healing continues
Swelling changes and scars mature as tissues settle. Pregnancy, weight change, aging, and individual healing can influence results.
RESULTS WITH CONTEXT
Reviewing Mommy Makeover Results Thoughtfully
The most useful examples identify the exact procedures performed, starting anatomy, and healing stage. A photograph of a combined plan cannot show which component created every change, and it cannot predict another woman’s result. Patient-authorized examples may be reviewed privately with appropriate context.
BEFORE & AFTER GALLERIES
Private Mommy Makeover Before & After Gallery
Mommy Makeover before-and-after photographs can feel deeply personal. As both a woman and a surgeon, Ashley Howarth, MD, FACS, understands the trust involved in sharing them. Howarth Plastic Surgery in Scottsdale makes galleries of real patient results available by request through private before-and-after reviews.
Keeping mommy makeover before-and-after galleries off unrestricted public pages helps preserve patient dignity and clinical context while limiting casual viewing, unauthorized reposting, and collection by automated systems or AI agents.
During your private before-and-after review, you can see a range of mommy makeover results and discuss how starting anatomy, surgical choices, healing, and time influenced each outcome. These photographs can support an informed consultation, but individual results vary, and no image can predict your outcome.
PATIENT CASE SUMMARIES
Selected Mommy Makeover Case Summaries
These deidentified mommy makeover case summaries show how Ashley Howarth, MD, FACS, evaluates combined breast and body surgery at Howarth Plastic Surgery in Scottsdale, Arizona. Each case connects the patient's priorities with the anatomy involved, the procedures performed or recommendation made, and follow-up when available. To protect patient privacy, some nonclinical identifying details have been generalized or modified. Anatomy, procedures, healing, and results vary.
Case 01
BREAST POSITION AND ABDOMINAL LAXITY
Changes after pregnancy called for a breast lift and tummy tuck rather than added breast volume
Patient presentation
The patient described breast descent and loose abdominal skin after pregnancy. She wanted to address both areas in one coordinated plan but did not want a larger breast size.
Clinical evaluation
Dr. Howarth evaluated breast volume, nipple position, skin quality, abdominal skin excess, the abdominal wall, prior scars, health history, and the total scope of recovery. The breast concern was primarily position, while the abdominal concern involved skin and muscle support.
Procedure performed
Dr. Howarth performed a breast lift and tummy tuck as a coordinated operation, with the breast and abdominal plans tailored separately to the findings in each area.
Clinical rationale
A breast implant was not needed to address the patient's main breast concern. Combining a lift with abdominoplasty addressed tissue position and abdominal laxity without adding an unnecessary volume procedure.
Follow-up
At follow-up, breast and abdominal incision healing, swelling, garment use, posture, activity progression, and the different recovery needs of each operative area were reviewed.
Case 02
VOLUME LOSS AND ABDOMINAL CHANGE
Breast volume loss and abdominal laxity were treated with augmentation and tummy tuck
Patient presentation
The patient reported loss of breast volume and persistent abdominal skin laxity after childbearing. Her priority was restoring breast proportion while improving the abdominal contour.
Clinical evaluation
Dr. Howarth assessed breast width, tissue coverage, skin and nipple position, asymmetry, abdominal skin excess, muscle separation, fat distribution, and the combined operative burden. The breast skin envelope did not require a lift in the selected plan.
Procedure performed
Dr. Howarth performed breast augmentation with an anatomy-matched implant plan and a tummy tuck designed around the abdominal skin and wall findings.
Clinical rationale
Augmentation addressed the volume concern without adding lift scars, while abdominoplasty addressed concerns that liposuction alone would not correct. The two procedures were planned as related but distinct decisions.
Follow-up
Follow-up addressed implant position, breast swelling, abdominal incision and umbilical healing, support garments, mobility, and staged return to normal activity.
Case 03
ABDOMEN AND FLANKS
Within a mommy makeover, tummy tuck and targeted flank liposuction addressed different tissues
Patient presentation
As part of mommy makeover planning, the patient described loose lower-abdominal skin together with localized fullness at the flanks. Exercise and stable weight had not changed the areas in the way she wanted.
Clinical evaluation
Dr. Howarth distinguished skin and abdominal wall laxity from subcutaneous fat. She also assessed skin quality, scar position, contour transitions, medical history, and whether the planned liposuction could be performed safely with the tummy tuck.
Procedure performed
Dr. Howarth performed a tummy tuck for the central abdominal findings and targeted liposuction for selected flank contours.
Clinical rationale
Liposuction alone would not remove loose skin or address the abdominal wall. The tummy tuck and liposuction had separate roles within one proportionate body-contouring plan.
Follow-up
At follow-up, abdominal and flank swelling, incision care, garment use, contour evolution, activity restrictions, and the expected differences between excisional and liposuction healing were reviewed.
Case 04
BREAST HEAVINESS AND ABDOMINAL LAXITY
Breast reduction and abdominal contouring were combined around functional and proportional goals
Patient presentation
The patient reported breast heaviness together with loose abdominal skin after pregnancy and weight change. She wanted a smaller breast proportion and a more supported abdominal contour.
Clinical evaluation
Dr. Howarth evaluated breast size, symptoms, nipple position, asymmetry, skin quality, abdominal skin excess, muscle separation, scars, health factors, and the recovery demands of a combined operation.
Procedure performed
Dr. Howarth performed breast reduction and tummy tuck, tailoring the breast reduction and abdominal repair to the findings in each area.
Clinical rationale
A breast lift alone would not address the desired reduction in volume, and liposuction alone would not address the abdominal skin and wall findings. The combined plan matched the patient's two primary concerns without adding unrelated procedures.
Follow-up
Follow-up included breast and abdominal wound care, swelling, support garments, mobility, activity progression, and monitoring of the complete combined recovery.
Case 05
STAGED SURGICAL PLANNING
The requested combination was divided into stages to keep the operative plan focused
Patient presentation
The patient hoped to address breast shape, abdominal laxity, and several areas of body contour in one operation. Her priorities included both visible change and a manageable recovery.
Clinical evaluation
Dr. Howarth reviewed the number of operative areas, expected duration, positioning, blood-loss considerations, health history, home support, travel needs, and the recovery demands created by treating several regions at once.
Recommendation
Dr. Howarth recommended dividing the requested procedures into staged operations and prioritizing the areas that mattered most to the patient.
Clinical rationale
A mommy makeover is not a fixed package. Staging can be the more appropriate plan when the combined scope would create unnecessary operative or recovery burden.
Follow-up
The patient received a sequenced plan describing which procedure would come first, what recovery would be required, and when the second stage could be reconsidered after healing.
Case 06
TIMING AND CANDIDACY
Surgery was deferred because future pregnancy and weight change could alter the planned result
Patient presentation
The patient requested breast and abdominal surgery but was considering another pregnancy and had not reached a stable weight. She wanted to understand whether proceeding sooner was reasonable.
Clinical evaluation
Dr. Howarth evaluated the current breast and abdominal findings, pregnancy plans, weight trajectory, health history, expectations, and the likelihood that future changes would affect breast position, abdominal skin, and the abdominal wall.
Recommendation
Dr. Howarth recommended postponing a mommy makeover until childbearing plans and weight were more settled, with reassessment when the timing was more appropriate.
Clinical rationale
Operating before anticipated pregnancy or continued weight change could expose the patient to surgery while limiting the durability and predictability of the result. Honest timing guidance was more useful than proceeding immediately.
Follow-up
No operation was scheduled. The patient was given guidance about when to return for reevaluation and which changes would be important to discuss at a future consultation.
PLANNING WITH CLARITY
Mommy Makeover Cost, Financing, and Travel to Scottsdale
Mommy Makeover Cost
At Howarth Plastic Surgery in Scottsdale, a Mommy Makeover typically costs $35,000 to $65,000. More complex plans, including revision or combined surgery, may exceed this range. Your final cost depends on the procedures selected, whether they are combined or staged, anesthesia, surgical setting, and recovery plan. After consultation with Dr. Howarth, you will receive a personalized written estimate for the plan she recommends.
Financing Options
Howarth Plastic Surgery is a cash-pay practice and does not accept or bill insurance. Your patient care coordinator can review financing through PatientFi and CareCredit, subject to third-party approval.
Planning Care in Scottsdale
If you are traveling from elsewhere in Arizona or out of state, out-of-town patient information can help you plan around consultation, surgery, and follow-up. Required appointment dates, how long to remain nearby, and when travel may resume are individualized. An initial consultation may take place virtually, but an in-person examination is required before the operative plan is finalized.
YOUR QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Mommy Makeover Frequently Asked Questions
No. It is a planning term for one or more breast or body procedures. The right plan may be focused, combined, staged, or nonsurgical.
Women may ask about breast position or volume, abdominal skin or wall changes, localized fat, and scars. No procedure is automatically included.
No. A single concern can be evaluated on its own, and declining another procedure does not make the plan incomplete.
Sometimes. The decision depends on health, total scope, anesthesia, recovery support, and Dr. Howarth’s recommendation after examination.
Separate operations may make sense when the full scope, health considerations, recovery burden, or priorities are better handled in steps.
There is no page-wide date that establishes readiness. Breastfeeding, weight change, future plans, health, anatomy, and the proposed operation are considered together.
Future pregnancy can change breast and abdominal tissues after surgery. Consultation can help you weigh proceeding now against waiting.
It depends on the procedures and the lifting or caregiving you do. Planning should identify practical help before surgery is scheduled.
Compare cases by the exact procedures, starting anatomy, and healing stage. Private viewing may provide more relevant context than a broad gallery.
At Howarth Plastic Surgery in Scottsdale, a Mommy Makeover typically costs $35,000 to $65,000. More complex plans, including revision or combined surgery, may exceed this range. Your final cost depends on the procedures selected, whether they are combined or staged, anesthesia, surgical setting, and recovery plan. After consultation with Dr. Howarth, you will receive a personalized written estimate for the plan she recommends.
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