Mommy makeover

At least 6 months after the birth, and 3 to 6 months after you finish breastfeeding — that gives hormones time to settle, the uterus and abdominal skin time to contract, and the milk ducts time to shrink back, which lowers the risk of infection and fluid collection. Ideally you are also not planning more pregnancies, as a later one can undo the abdominal repair and reshape the breasts again.

For healthy candidates it is well-established and spares you several separate recoveries. Total operating time is the main safety variable, so we usually cap the combination at around 6 hours and screen carefully for clotting risk.

Yes — that separation is called diastasis recti, and closing it is what the abdominal half of the operation exists to do. Pregnancy stretches the vertical core muscles apart along the midline, and once they have separated, core exercise will not draw them back. During the tummy tuck the two muscle edges are pulled together and held with permanent internal sutures — a repair called plication — which flattens the abdominal wall, restores deep core strength and tends to help posture. Removing loose skin on its own would leave the gap where it is.

You feel nothing during the operation — it is done under general anaesthesia. Afterwards expect deep tightness across the abdomen and soreness across the chest, worst in the first three to five days, which is part of why you stay two nights on the ward with pain relief managed for you. From there it settles to an ache, though standing fully upright takes longer.

Most people are back at a desk between day 10 and day 14. Anything physical waits for the 6-week clearance, since heavy lifting is off the table until then. You will tire easily and move slowly before that, even once you feel mentally ready.

Day and night for about six weeks, off only to shower. It holds swelling down, keeps fluid from collecting under the abdominal flap and helps the skin settle onto the new contour, so stopping early shows in the result and not just in how you feel.

Nothing — and nobody — over about 5 kg for the first 4 to 6 weeks, while the muscle repair holds. In the early weeks, sit down and let a small child climb into your lap rather than picking them up. This is the main reason to line up help at home in advance.

The abdominal scar runs low from hip to hip, sitting under underwear or a bikini bottom. Breast scars depend on the technique — around the areola, sometimes vertically down and along the fold. All fade over a year, but they are permanent.

Plan for about 10 days in Istanbul — roughly 8 nights in a hotel — with 2 in-clinic follow-ups for wound review and drain removal. We prefer you fly home around day 10, once drains are out and you have a written fitness-to-fly clearance, because major surgery and long-haul flying both raise the risk of a clot in the leg — deep vein thrombosis, or DVT. On the flight itself, wear your compression stockings, keep drinking water, and get up to walk the aisle roughly every hour.

No — it is a contouring operation, not a weight-loss procedure. On average around 4–5 kg (about 10 lb) of skin and fat is removed, and a drop of roughly 2–7 kg (5–15 lb) on the scale is typical after a tummy tuck with liposuction. You should already be close to a stable weight before surgery.

Yes. If your breasts are large and heavy rather than deflated, a reduction — which includes a lift — can take the place of an implant or standalone lift in the plan. The abdominal side of the operation stays the same.

Sometimes. Buttock fat transfer can be combined when total operating time allows, since we cap the combination at around 6 hours. Larger additions such as a facelift are usually staged as a separate operation rather than folded into the same anaesthetic.

Hold a stable weight with a balanced diet, do not smoke, and keep the scars out of direct sun for the first year — sun exposure darkens immature scars. A later pregnancy or a large weight swing can undo both the abdominal repair and the breast result.