The Hollywood Curtain/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Last month, Rihanna confessed in one Interview cover the postpartum surgery she’d go under the knife for – and it’s not a tummy tuck. “If I had to pick one thing, I’d pick my boobs,” she told the magazine. “I want my glasses back on my shoulders, right where they used to be. I don’t want implants. I just want a lift.” After giving birth to her two sons, the superstar revealed how her breasts changed as she weighed in on the popular “mommy makeover” surgery.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, a breast lift (also known as a mastopexy) has “significant increase30% in 2022 with over 140,000 surgeries that year. “A breast lift procedure allows us to reshape the breast, specifically the nipple position, using techniques that tighten the skin and lift the breast tissue,” a double board certified breast microsurgeon. Dr. Divya Srinivasa says SUBSTANCE. “I like to use the analogy of re-stitching a pillowcase.”
During pregnancy, the the breast begins to increase in size around week 6 to 8, as moms-to-be can also expect to go up a cup size or two. However, breasts can continue to change in size, shape and appearance even after birth. “Breastfeeding typically increases a woman’s breast size with a rapid onset of shrinkage that follows once breastfeeding stops,” says Srinivasa. “This stretched skin that once held breast milk now covers a smaller breast, resulting in a ‘sag’ and ‘saggy’ skin and breast.”
Although Rihanna says she doesn’t want a tummy tuck despite “third-trimester cellulitis,” preferring to avoid belly button reconstruction and abdominal scarring, “the ‘mommy makeover’ traditionally involves breast surgery and a tummy tuck or tummy tuck,” says Srinivasa . However, board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon and president of ASPS Dr. Steven Williams She notes that “the term ‘mommy makeover’ is usually a fluid term designed to address concerns related to post-pregnancy bodily changes.”
Expanding on previous breast and tummy tucks, Williams says the makeover can include changes to the appearance of facial skin, body and breast appearance, and even laser hair removal. Meanwhile, a mastopexy can also involve more than just a lift. “Sometimes, this procedure can be combined with other breast enhancement techniques, such as fat grafting or breast augmentation with implants,” says Williams.
But before you make like Rihanna and pin your boobs back, researching the risks is also part of the process. Although mastopexy is one of the safest procedures in plastic surgery, according to Srinivasa, you can expect minimal scarring that may fade to a faint white line over time. “The most common complications may be mild asymmetry or protrusion of the surgical scars,” cautions Williams. The scars, “while designed to be well camouflaged, are [still] permanent.”
