Mr Omar Quaba
Consultant plastic surgeon
GMC 4586300
Post-pregnancy surgery in Edinburgh
A mummy makeover combines the procedures that address the changes pregnancy and breastfeeding leave behind — most often a tummy tuck, breast surgery, and liposuction — in one planned course of treatment. At Quaba Plastic Surgery, the consultant plastic surgeon who assesses you plans your combination, performs your surgery at Waterfront Private Hospital in Edinburgh, and reviews you afterwards.
- Anaesthetic
- Varies
- Length
- Varies
- Hospital stay
- Varies
- Recovery
- Up to 6 weeks
- Consultant plastic surgeons on the GMC Specialist Register
- Surgery at Waterfront Private Hospital, regulated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland
- Your consultation and your operation with the same consultant
Contents
Results from our patients
See all 18 post pregnancy before and after results
Real patients, shared with their consent and not retouched. Results vary from person to person.
Is it right for me?
The ideal candidate for post-pregnancy surgery has completed her family, is at a stable weight, and finished childbirth or breastfeeding at least 6 to 12 months ago.
- Surgery is best performed once you have completed your family. A later pregnancy will cause no harm to you or your child, but it may undo the effects of the surgery.
- Cosmetic surgery after pregnancy is ideally performed at least 6 to 12 months after childbirth or breastfeeding.
- Recovery from a tummy tuck or breast surgery can take up to six weeks — worth planning carefully when there are young children to look after.
- Good general health, a stable weight, and realistic expectations.
Where concerns are limited to one area, a single procedure may be all that is worthwhile. Your consultant will give you an honest assessment at consultation, including where surgery — or part of a combination — is not advisable.
Unsure? Try the free AI consultation, or ask at your appointment.
What post-pregnancy surgery involves
Profound changes occur to the body during pregnancy and immediately afterwards, and many mothers never fully recover their pre-pregnancy shape — especially after several pregnancies. For most women this is not a problem. For some, loose abdominal skin, separated muscles, or changes to the breasts remain a persistent concern that diet and exercise cannot address.
Post-pregnancy surgery — often called a mummy makeover — addresses these changes surgically. The most common requests are for tummy tucks, breast enlargement or uplift, and liposuction, performed alone or in a planned combination.
Surgery takes place at Waterfront Private Hospital in Edinburgh. The consultant plastic surgeon who assesses you at your first appointment plans your treatment, performs your surgery, and reviews you afterwards.
What a mummy makeover can include
A mummy makeover is not a fixed package — it is a combination, chosen for your anatomy, of the procedures that address post-pregnancy changes:
- Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) — removes loose skin and repairs separated abdominal muscles.
- Breast implants — restore volume lost after pregnancy and breastfeeding.
- Breast uplift (mastopexy) — lifts and reshapes the breast, alone or combined with an implant (augmentation mastopexy).
- Liposuction — treats localised fat that persists despite diet and exercise.
Loss of breast volume is the most common concern after pregnancy: lack of volume can result in droopiness (ptosis) of the breasts. Mild sagging can usually be treated with breast implants alone; more severe droopiness may require an uplift combined with an implant. Which procedures are worthwhile in your case — and whether they should be combined or staged — is decided at consultation.
What post-pregnancy surgery can and can't do
A mummy makeover is not one operation but a combination, most often a tummy tuck with breast surgery and sometimes liposuction, chosen for your body. Each part can do real things and each has limits, and combining them trades one anaesthetic and one recovery for a longer operation. We want you to see all of that before you decide.
It can
- Remove loose, overhanging skin and some fat from the lower tummy, and repair tummy muscles that pregnancy has separated.
- Remove the stretch marks that sit on the skin being taken away, usually those below the belly button.
- Lift breasts that have dropped and raise the nipple, or restore fullness lost after pregnancy and breastfeeding with implants, or both.
- Remove localised pockets of fat that have not shifted with diet and exercise at a stable weight.
- Do this with one anaesthetic and one recovery, where it is safe to combine the operations.
It can’t
- Help you lose weight. Each operation removes skin or fat from chosen areas, not body weight, and the result holds best at a weight you can keep.
- Be done without scars. A tummy tuck leaves a low scar from hip to hip and one around the belly button; an uplift leaves scars around the areola and usually down the breast; implants leave a scar in the fold under each breast. They fade but are permanent.
- Make the two sides identical. Small differences in the tummy, the breasts and the nipple position usually remain.
- Promise a cup size. The same implant gives different people different cup-size changes; your consultant can give a considered estimate, not a guarantee.
- Protect the result from another pregnancy. Pregnancy can stretch the skin and muscles again and change the breasts, so it is best to wait until your family is complete.
- Always be done in one operation. Where the combination would be too long or your health makes it unwise, surgery is staged.
Your consultant will tell you at your consultation which of these apply to you.
What is the cost of post-pregnancy surgery?
A mummy makeover is quoted individually, because every combination is different. The component guide prices are:
- Tummy tuck: mini £7,000; standard (full) £11,200.
- Breast augmentation: £6,800.
- Breast uplift: £8,800; uplift with implants £11,800.
- Liposuction: £4,100 (local anaesthetic) or £5,850 (general anaesthetic).
Each price covers the surgeon’s fee, the anaesthetist’s fee, the hospital and theatre fee at Waterfront Private Hospital, and all post-operative reviews until you are fully discharged. Your written quotation for the combination follows your consultation.
The full price for your individual case can only be confirmed after a face-to-face consultation with the consultant who will perform your surgery.
Our consultation fee with a consultant plastic surgeon is £200. Where a further consultation would help you reach a decision, this is offered without additional charge.
Quick answers
Will the same surgeon plan, perform and review my mummy makeover?
Will the same surgeon plan, perform and review my mummy makeover?
Yes. The consultant plastic surgeon who assesses you at your first appointment plans your combination of procedures, performs your surgery at Waterfront Private Hospital, and reviews you afterwards. There are no handovers between consultants.
Who will perform my mummy makeover?
Who will perform my mummy makeover?
Your mummy makeover is planned and performed by Mr Omar Quaba, consultant plastic surgeon on the GMC Specialist Register. You meet Mr Omar Quaba at your first appointment, and the same consultant operates and sees you afterwards.
Can I see results from your surgeons?
Can I see results from your surgeons?
Yes. Our mummy makeover before and after gallery shows patients treated at Quaba Plastic Surgery, shared with their consent. Results vary between people, and your consultant will show you what is realistic for you at your consultation.
I live in Glasgow. Can I have my surgery with you?
I live in Glasgow. Can I have my surgery with you?
Yes. Many of our patients travel from Glasgow and elsewhere in Scotland. Your consultation, surgery and reviews are in Edinburgh, about an hour away from Glasgow by train or car, and your surgery takes place at Waterfront Private Hospital.
What happens if I have concerns after my surgery?
What happens if I have concerns after my surgery?
Your Quaba consultant stays responsible for your care after surgery. A nurse sees you a week after your operation, more often if you need it, and your consultant reviews you at around six months, when the result has settled. If anything worries you before then, contact us and your consultant will reply directly and see you as soon as needed.
How much does a mummy makeover cost?
How much does a mummy makeover cost?
Each combination is quoted individually. Component guide prices: tummy tuck £7,000 (mini) or £11,200 (full); breast augmentation £6,800; breast uplift £8,800; liposuction £4,100. Your written quotation follows your consultation, and our consultation fee is £200.
All our guide prices are on our pricing page.
What is a mummy makeover?
What is a mummy makeover?
A mummy makeover is a combination of procedures that address the changes pregnancy and breastfeeding leave behind — most often a tummy tuck, breast implants or uplift, and liposuction. The combination is chosen for your anatomy at consultation.
How soon after having a baby can I have surgery?
How soon after having a baby can I have surgery?
Cosmetic surgery after pregnancy is ideally performed at least 6 to 12 months after childbirth or after you finish breastfeeding. This allows the tissues to settle and your weight to stabilise.
Should I wait until I have finished having children?
Should I wait until I have finished having children?
Yes, ideally. Procedures such as abdominoplasty and breast uplift give the best long-term results once your family is complete. A later pregnancy will cause no harm to you or your child, but it may undo the effects of the surgery.
Can a tummy tuck and breast surgery be done in one operation?
Can a tummy tuck and breast surgery be done in one operation?
Often, yes. Combining procedures means one anaesthetic and one recovery period. Whether a combination is safe and sensible in your case depends on the extent of surgery and your health, and is decided at consultation; where it is not, surgery is staged.
Will surgery remove my stretch marks?
Will surgery remove my stretch marks?
A tummy tuck removes the stretch marks within the skin that is excised — typically between the belly button and the pubic area. Stretch marks elsewhere on the abdomen are not removed.
How long is the recovery with young children at home?
How long is the recovery with young children at home?
Plan for up to six weeks of restricted activity after a tummy tuck or breast surgery. It is essential to remember this when there are young children to look after, and to arrange help during the early weeks.
Do I need every procedure in a mummy makeover?
Do I need every procedure in a mummy makeover?
No. A mummy makeover is not a fixed package. Many patients need only one or two procedures, and your consultant will advise honestly on what is worthwhile in your case.
The surgeon who does this
You meet your consultant at your first appointment. The same consultant plans your surgery, carries it out and sees you afterwards.
Risks, and how often they happen
Every operation carries risk, and combining operations adds to it: a longer anaesthetic, a higher risk of a blood clot, and more chance of a complication overall. In a study of about 25,000 tummy tucks, the rate of a major complication rose from about 3 in 100 for a tummy tuck alone to about 4 in 100 when breast surgery was added and up to 10 in 100 when several procedures were combined. The figures below come from the single operations, taken from UK national guidance and published studies, averaged across many patients, so your own risk may be higher or lower, and the full list for each operation is on its own page. Your consultant will go through what applies to you, and every risk is in your written consent.
- Expected
- Uncommon
- Rare
- For the long term
Expected Almost everyone, and they settle
- Swelling and bruising of the tummy and the breasts for several weeks, settling gradually over a few months.
- Tightness and discomfort across the tummy and chest for the first week or two, eased by painkillers.
- Numbness of the lower tummy below the belly button, which usually improves over 12 to 18 months but may not fully recover, and changes in nipple sensation, usually temporary.
- Scars low across the tummy, around the belly button and on the breasts, red at first and fading over 12 to 18 months.
- A slower recovery than after one operation, with up to six weeks before you are back to normal activity.
Uncommon Some patients, and some need further treatment
- Fluid collecting under the skin of the tummy (seroma), which may need draining with a needle in clinic.
About 1 in 10
- Part of the tummy wound breaking down or healing slowly, most often in the middle of the scar. Smoking and a higher BMI make this much more likely.
About 1 in 30higher in smokers
- An infection needing antibiotics.
About 1 in 30
- Bleeding that needs a return to theatre (haematoma), usually in the first day.
Under 1 in 50
- An uneven contour where liposuction has been done, such as dents or ripples.
About 1 in 30
- Capsular contracture, where scar tissue around an implant tightens and the breast feels firm.
About 1 in 20over ten years
Rare but serious
- A blood clot in the leg or lung (DVT or PE). A tummy tuck carries the highest clot risk of the common cosmetic operations, and a longer combined operation raises it further, so we assess your risk and take steps to prevent it.
Under 1 in 100higher when combined with other surgery
- Loss of part or all of the belly button, if its blood supply is disturbed.
About 1 in 500
- Loss of part or all of the nipple after an uplift, if its blood supply fails. Smoking raises this risk.
Under 1 in 100
- Fat entering the bloodstream and reaching the lungs (fat embolism) after liposuction, which can be life-threatening.
Very rare
- A serious reaction to the anaesthetic.
Very rare
For the long term
- Another pregnancy or weight change still matters. Both can stretch the tummy again and alter the breasts, which is why we advise waiting until your family is complete.
- Breastfeeding may be affected after an uplift, though many people still breastfeed afterwards. If it matters to you, tell your consultant.
- Implants are not lifetime devices. Many people have them replaced or removed after about 10 to 15 years, and they need checking.
- Scars keep maturing for 12 to 18 months, and the shape settles over about six months and continues to refine after that.
- A small touch-up is sometimes needed, for puckers at the ends of the tummy scar or an uneven area after liposuction, once everything has settled.
More from the operations themselves, each with its full list of risks: tummy tuck, breast uplift, breast augmentation and liposuction.
Where these figures come from
- Winocour J et al., *AbdominoplastyFor: risk factors, complication rates, and safety of combined procedures*, Plast Reconstr Surg 2015;136(5):597e-606e (CosmetAssure, 25,478 patients): major complications 3.1% alone, 4.3% with a breast procedure, 6.8% with body contouring, 10.4% with body contouring and liposuction; haematoma, infection and clots the commonest
- Salari et al, Aesthetic Plast Surg 2021 (systematic review and meta-analysis); Neaman et al, Plast Reconstr Surg 2013For: seroma after tummy tuck
- Vidal et al, Arch Plast Surg 2017For: wound breakdown; infection; umbilical necrosis after tummy tuck
- Winocour et al, Plast Reconstr Surg 2015 (CosmetAssure)For: haematoma after tummy tuck
- Hatef et al, Plast Reconstr Surg 2010 (systematic review); Vidal et al 2017; Winocour et al 2015; Keyes et al, Aesthet Surg J 2018For: DVT or PE after tummy tuck, including combined surgery
- Khavanin N et al., Plast Reconstr Surg 2014 (PMID 25347628)For: haematoma after breast uplift
- Stevens WG et al., Mastopexy revisitedFor: 150 consecutive cases, Aesthet Surg J 2007;27(2):150-154: nipple loss after uplift
- Capsular contracture (about 1 in 20 over ten years)For: our consultants’ figure for the nanotextured implants we use. The national patient guide gives up to 1 in 10 over ten years across all implant types
- Ahmed et al, Eur J Plast Surg 2025; Habbema, Dermatology 2011For: contour irregularity after liposuction
- Nogueira et al, Liposuction and fat embolismFor: a literature review, Rev Bras Cir Plast 2015: fat embolism
- Royal College of Anaesthetists, Anaesthesia riskFor: anaphylaxis: serious reaction to the anaesthetic
Aftercare and recovery after post-pregnancy surgery
Recovery depends on the procedures performed. A tummy tuck or breast procedure takes up to six weeks of recovery, and specific timelines for each operation are on our aftercare pages.
A nurse reviews you at one week, and more often if needed in the early healing period. Your consultant sees you again at around six months once the result has settled. Between then, your consultant is always available — if anything concerns you, they will respond directly and arrange to see you as soon as needed.
What patients say
5 out of 5 stars on TrustpilotTrustpilot
From my consultation I had every confidence that my surgeon understood what I wanted. I had a tummy tuck and brachioplasty and honestly the results are amazing. Scaring is nowhere near as bad as I expected and my recovery was smooth. I the standard of care was exceptional from everyone involved. I am already considering the next step in my journey and will be seeking the advice of Omar once again.
5 out of 5 stars on GoogleGoogle
I had a breast reduction and tummy tuck with Dr Omar Quaba in April at Shawfair Spire hospital.
My experience was amazing. Start to finish. Dr Quaba was reasuring, warm, professional and every single person who looked after me from reception staff to nurses to the lovely people taking food orders were absolute rays of sunshine.
Read the full review
I genuinely cannot fault in any way my service.
My surgery was a big one and I felt so supported and guided along the way.
Furthermore, my results have given me a new lease of life. I feel happier, more comfortable and with a much wider range of motion.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Dr Quaba or Spire shawfair to anyone who was considering plastic surgery.
5 out of 5 stars on TrustpilotTrustpilot
Fantastic experience from start to finish ! Dr quaba and his team cared for throughout my journey. Had tummy tuck and breast reduction which I had been waiting for on nhs for years . Did lots of research, as a nurse myself and quaba was highly recommended by friends and colleagues who have worked with him . The operation went smoothly and the aftercare was first class ! I look and feel like a new woman . Has changed my life both physically and mentally for the better . Highly recommend
5 out of 5 stars on GoogleGoogle
I couldn’t recommend Dr Omar Quaba enough. Fantastic doctor, listened to my concerns and discussed everything through thoroughly. I had a tummy tuck and breast reduction and it’s changed my life forever.
5 out of 5 stars on TrustpilotTrustpilot
I had my six-month review with my surgeon and once again had a fantastic experience. Communication has been excellent throughout, and I have always felt listened to, reassured and very well cared for.
I am absolutely delighted with my results and very grateful for the professionalism, kindness and aftercare I have received. I would happily recommend the clinic.
5 out of 5 stars on GoogleGoogle
Before & after results of a tummy tuck. After photo is only 6months later and as you can see scar is amazing. Absolutely delighted with my results . Dr Quaba is a genius in his Field . Would highly recommend. His ability to put you at ease and answer every concern helped massively on my journey . Thank you ☺️
Quoted word for word from Trustpilot and Google. Read all our reviews
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