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. Our surgeons, including Mr Omar Quaba, are on the GMC Specialist Register with over 20 years of experience.
Contents
Post-pregnancy surgery overview
- Anaesthetic: varies by procedure — general anaesthesia for most combinations.
- Length: varies by procedure and combination.
- Hospital stay: varies by procedure — see the individual procedure pages.
- Recovery time: up to 6 weeks for tummy tuck and breast procedures.
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.
Benefits of post-pregnancy surgery
Post-pregnancy surgery restores the body contour that pregnancy and breastfeeding have changed.
- A flatter abdomen, with the muscles repaired where pregnancy has separated them.
- Restored breast volume and shape.
- A better-proportioned contour where localised fat has persisted.
Combining procedures in one operation means one anaesthetic and one recovery period. Results settle progressively: the broad change is visible within weeks, while swelling and scars can take 12 to 18 months to fully mature. Results vary with individual anatomy, and honest expectations are set at consultation.
Who is an ideal candidate for post-pregnancy surgery?
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.
Risks and considerations of post-pregnancy surgery
General surgical risks
General surgical risks
All surgery carries risks — bleeding, infection, scarring, and an unexpected reaction to the anaesthetic.
Procedure-specific risks
Procedure-specific risks
Each procedure in a mummy makeover carries its own specific risks, which are described on the individual procedure pages and discussed in detail at consultation.
Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus
Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus
Combining procedures lengthens the operation, which slightly increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus. Precautions include compression stockings, pneumatic boots that maintain leg circulation during surgery, and blood-thinning injections where required.
Staging where appropriate
Staging where appropriate
Your consultant will only recommend combining procedures where it is safe to do so for your individual case; where it is not, surgery is staged.
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 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 from £7,000; standard (full) from £11,200.
- Breast augmentation: from £6,800.
- Breast uplift: from £8,800; uplift with implants from £11,800.
- Liposuction: from £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.
Frequently asked questions about post-pregnancy surgery
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.
What happens if I have concerns after my surgery?
What happens if I have concerns after my surgery?
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.
How much does a mummy makeover cost?
How much does a mummy makeover cost?
Each combination is quoted individually. Component guide prices: tummy tuck from £7,000 (mini) or £11,200 (full); breast augmentation from £6,800; breast uplift from £8,800; liposuction from £4,100. Your written quotation follows your consultation, and our consultation fee is £200.
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.
Mummy makeover – Breast reduction and tummy tuck
I am now a little over a year breast reduction/tummy tuck post op, and couldn’t speak any more highly of my experience with Omar Quaba.
From my first consultation to my final follow up, the level of care and detail was wonderful. I was listened to and carefully advised every step of the way, and Omar took great care to find the perfect balance between what I was seeking and what he knew would yield the best results.
My recovery wasn’t entirely straightforward, with the superficial healing taking around 10 weeks. However, this was down to how my body reacted to the some of the stitches, and not a reflection of my surgery or surgeon. I really felt well looked after, and that Omar went above and beyond to keep track of my longer recovery, scheduling additional follow ups with him directly, coming in to attend my nurse check ups on his days away from the hospital, and even asking his father, the renowned Mr Awf Quaba, to check up on me when he wasn’t able to. Its also very obvious how well regarded Omar is amongst staff in the hospital. I remember numerous comments from nurses during my immediate recovery about how he in particular uses the best methods and post care products, it was clear that I was “one of Omar’s”. This was tremendously reassuring in those first few hazy hours after surgery!
The nurses and everybody at Spire Murrayfield were fantastic. The only slight negative was that some of the admin left a lot to be desired – being called in on incorrect days etc.
Now that everything is fully settled, I am delighted with my results. It’s a big adjustment to have a new body, no matter how long you’ve dreamt of it. Emerging from the psychological and social weight of having very large breasts requires another very different type of recovery, and perhaps more could be done to warn you of this. However, every second of it is worth it, just be prepared for that journey!
It is so clear that you are not just another surgery to Omar, his work is his art, and by helping me to reclaim my body after two children and a lifetime of having ridiculously huge breasts, he has truly given me a life.
erpopa
Author
Mr Omar Quaba, MBBChir, FRCS (Plast), GMC 4586300, is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon on the GMC Specialist Register with over 20 years of experience in plastic surgery. He is among the first surgeons in the UK to achieve Board Certification under the Cosmetic Surgery Board Certification Scheme overseen by the Royal Colleges of Surgeons. Educated at Cambridge University and trained in Aberdeen and Glasgow, with a fellowship in Australia, he transitioned to full-time private practice in 2020. He is Hospital Director of Waterfront Private Hospital and a full member of BAPRAS, BAAPS, and ISAPS.