 Hi, I am Dr. Thomas Joe, a specialist plastic surgeon here at KMC Hospital in Mangalore. Today, I will be discussing a topic related to cosmetic surgery that has gained popularity in the last decade, i.e. the Mommie Makeover. A Mommie Makeover refers to a combination of surgeries which include treatments of the breasts, the abdomen and occasionally the genitalia to restore a woman's body to her pre-pregnancy state. The term Mommie Makeover has become more and more popular worldwide over the last 10-15 years and is probably inspired by women who want to regain the shape they once had prior to their pregnancies. Many women tend to notice changes to their body after each pregnancy and the changes are variable among different women. Probably a few women would tend to have more laks lower abdominal skin, a few may have problems with their breasts. Mommie Makeover is a highly individualized surgery and different women need different aspects, maybe a combination of two or more aspects of the same. The commonly done breast surgeries are one, a breast augmentation i.e. the enlargement of the breast using either implants made of silicone or maybe even using the fatty tissue of the woman itself. More commonly, they usually need a breast lift surgery to try and correct the sagging of the breast that happens after pregnancy. They may or may not be combined with an augmentation using an implant if the woman desires a bigger breast also. Thirdly and rarely, some women also desire to have a reduction of their large breasts and that is the third aspect in the breast surgery. Classically, these breast surgeries are combined with a tummy tuck operation which tends to restore the pre-pregnancy shape of the abdomen to the woman and this may be combined with a liposuction of certain areas such as the flanks, popularly known as the love handles and also occasionally maybe a tightening of the muscles of the abdomen which tend to become lax after multiple pregnancies. One should realize that all these procedures are not a substitute for weight loss. Thirdly, coming to vaginal rejuvenation, commonly done procedure is vaginoplasty also commonly known as vaginal tightening surgery which tends to address the laxity of the vagina that happens after delivery due to the stretching of the tissues in that area. So who is a good candidate for a mommy makeover? Mommy makeover is a highly individualized surgery so the concerned woman has to decide for herself what are the areas she needs addressal and she should be convinced in her mind that she needs these surgeries and it should not be due to the coercion of another person. Women should be free of uncontrolled medical conditions such as diabetes or uncontrolled hypertension and they should be free of substance abuse. Thirdly, one must be close to their ideal weight and as I have stressed on before it is not substitute for weight loss and of course most important the woman should have finished child bearing. Most women ask how long and how will the recovery period be? Now the recovery period depends to a large extent on the type of procedure being done and it could vary from as little as a week to maybe even a month. Now that does not mean that one needs to be in the hospital during the entire recovery period. It only means that after the surgery and once the patient is discharged from the hospital one needs to take care of themselves and be quite cautious and careful. So lastly, when can the woman start appreciating the results of her surgery or in other words when can she get back her pre-pregnancy status? To a large extent it depends on the kind of procedure being done. Some of the results are nearly instantaneous while some others may take a few months for the long lasting effects of the surgery to be appreciated and when these are combined with a healthy lifestyle the women will be able to get back their body shape which they had prior to their pregnancies and probably help them to even restore their self-confidence and maybe even their happiness.