A mommy makeover is a combined surgical procedure that typically pairs abdominoplasty with breast surgery (augmentation, lift, or both) to restore body contour after pregnancy and breastfeeding. It is a marketing term rather than a single defined operation, and the right combination is highly individual. Performed under general anaesthetic in an accredited hospital and regulated under the AHPRA July 2023 cosmetic-advertising guidelines.
Dr Michael Kernohan FRACS (Plast) - Pure Visage Specialist Plastic Surgery is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Gledswood Hills. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dr Scott J Turner - Plastic Surgeon Bondi Junction is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Woollahra. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dr Scott J Turner - Plastic Surgeon Manly is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Manly. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dr Joseph Rizk - Plastic Surgeon is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Double Bay. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
The Plastic Surgery Clinic & Medispa is a surgical cosmetic practice located in St Leonards. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Bella Plastic Surgery is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Bella Vista. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dr Mohaghegh | Specialist Plastic Surgeon is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Edgecliff. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Sydney Plastic Surgeryยฎ - Dr Barnouti is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Glebe. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
A/Professor Bish Soliman - Sydney Plastic & Cosmetic Surgeon is a surgical cosmetic practice located in St Leonards. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Sydney Plastic Surgeon - Dr Laith Barnouti is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Parramatta. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dr Robert Drielsma is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Bondi Junction. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Asian Plastic Surgery Sydney is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Northbridge. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Sydney Breast & Cosmetic Surgery is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Woolloomooloo. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Panthea Clinics Sydney Plastic Surgery is a surgical cosmetic practice located in St Leonards. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons is a surgical cosmetic practice located in St Leonards. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Sydney Body Contouring is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Surry Hills. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
GRIP Hand, Wrist and Reconstructive Surgery - Adelaide SA is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Eastwood. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Sydney Plastic Surgeon - Dr Ellis Choy is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Northbridge. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Coco Ruby Plastic Surgery is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Hawthorn East. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dr. Michael Miroshnik is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Bondi Junction. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dr Craig Rubinstein - Specialist Plastic Surgeon is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Hawthorn East. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dr Gillian Dunlop - ENT Specialist and Rhinoplasty Surgeon is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wahroonga. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Artiste Plastic Surgery - Dr. Jack Zoumaras is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Bondi Junction. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Sydney Plastic Surgeryยฎ- Parramatta is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Parramatta. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Northern Sydney Dermatology & Laser is a dermatology cosmetic practice located in Northbridge. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Northern Beaches Cosmetic Surgery, Sydney is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Belrose. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dr Alex Phoon - Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Surry Hills. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dr Mark Kohout - Specialist Plastic Surgeon is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Glebe. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Liposuction Sydney - Levant Cosmetic Surgery is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Randwick. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Central Sydney Dermatology is a dermatology cosmetic practice located in Sydney. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dr Jeremy Hunt - Sydney Specialist Plastic Surgeon is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Woollahra. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dr Benjamin Norris - Sydney Plastic Surgeon is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Bondi Junction. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dr George Marcells is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Bondi Junction. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
The Skin Hospital is a dermatology cosmetic practice located in Darlinghurst. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Sydney Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery Clinic is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Sydney. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
ICCM - Hair Transplant and Cosmetic Surgery Sydney CBD is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Sydney. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dermatology North Sydney is a dermatology cosmetic practice located in North Sydney. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Aesthetic Dermatology is a dermatology cosmetic practice located in Darlinghurst. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dr Tony Tonks - Canberra Plastic Surgery is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Barton. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Ashbrooke Cosmetic Surgery - Liposuction in Sydney is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Surry Hills. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
ASPIRE Plastic Surgery is a surgical cosmetic practice located in The Junction. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery Sydney is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Chatswood. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Dr. Breast Augmentation Sydney is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Bondi Junction. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
'Mommy makeover' is a marketing term for any combination of post-pregnancy body-contouring procedures โ most commonly abdominoplasty plus breast augmentation, breast lift, or breast augmentation-mastopexy. Other components may include flank liposuction, mons-pubis lift, or vaginoplasty. The right combination is highly individual and depends on your specific anatomy, goals, and medical history. The combined operative time can reach 5โ6 hours, which has implications for thromboembolic and wound-healing risk.
How mommy makeover works
Performed under general anaesthetic. The breast component is typically performed first while the patient is supine, followed by the abdominal component. Drains are placed as required. Hospital stay of 1โ3 nights is standard for combined cases. Compression garments are worn 24/7 for 4โ6 weeks. Thromboprophylaxis (mechanical and often pharmacological) is used during and after surgery.
Who is mommy makeover for?
Patients with stable weight, completed family planning, no active smoking, BMI typically below 30, and no significant cardiovascular comorbidities. Patients with body dysmorphic disorder are not appropriate candidates. The seven-day AHPRA cooling-off period is mandatory.
Sydney context
Mommy makeover in Sydney: market context
Sydney holds the highest density of specialist plastic surgeons (FRACS) in Australia, partly because two of the country's largest plastic-surgery training programs are based at Sydney teaching hospitals. The market is mature and segmented: long-established practices on the Lower North Shore and in the CBD focus on reconstructive and high-complexity work, while a newer generation of CBD and Eastern Suburbs cosmetic clinics target rhinoplasty, breast aesthetic surgery, and combination 'mommy makeover' procedures. Non-surgical injectable practice in Sydney is similarly mature, with medispa operators clustered in Paddington, Surry Hills, and the Northern Beaches alongside doctor-led clinics. Patients can typically secure consultations within two to four weeks for routine procedures and four to eight weeks for high-volume rhinoplasty surgeons.
Where surgery is performed in Sydney
Most surgical cosmetic procedures in Sydney are performed at private hospitals or at accredited day-surgery facilities. The major networks used by cosmetic and plastic surgeons include Mater Hospital North Sydney, Macquarie University Hospital in Macquarie Park, St Vincent's Private in Darlinghurst, North Shore Private at St Leonards, and Norwest Private in the Hills District. Several specialist plastic surgeons also operate at their own dedicated, ACHS-accredited day-surgery suites in Bondi Junction, Edgecliff, and the CBD. Confirm hospital privileges and facility accreditation in writing before booking surgery.
Travel and access
Sydney attracts a steady stream of interstate patients, particularly from Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart, and regional NSW, drawn by surgeon-specific reputation rather than price (Sydney is rarely the cheapest market). Practices that take regular interstate cases generally bundle accommodation guidance, post-operative review scheduling, and a written interstate-care plan. If you are flying for surgery, allow at least 7 days locally before flying home for most surgical procedures (longer for rhinoplasty and breast surgery), and confirm what the surgeon will charge for a video review at week 6 vs an in-person review.
Practical notes for recovery in Sydney
Most Sydney cosmetic and plastic surgery practices are within a 15-minute taxi or ferry ride of either Sydney Airport or Central Station. The CBD and Eastern Suburbs clusters are well served by the T8 Eastern Suburbs Line and the new L2/L3 light rail. Ample on-site or nearby paid parking is the norm in North Shore practices; CBD locations are typically public-transport-only. If you are recovering at a hotel rather than at home, book accommodation within walking distance of your surgeon's post-operative review address.
Cost factors
What drives the cost of mommy makeover
Typical Australian cost ranges from $25,000 (abdominoplasty + augmentation) to $50,000+ (extended abdominoplasty + augmentation-mastopexy + liposuction). Quotes should be itemised. Stage-vs-combine considerations may shift the total cost but rarely halve it.
What mommy makeover costs in Sydney
Itemised view of where the $25,000 โ $50,000 typically goes. Quoted prices vary by surgeon
experience, hospital, and case complexity โ these shares are indicative.
Component
Typical share
Indicative range
What drives it
Surgeon fee
50%
$12,500 โ $25,000
Reflects experience, demand, and complexity. Highest variability between practices.
Anaesthetist fee
12%
$3,000 โ $6,000
Driven by procedure length and sedation type (twilight vs general).
Hospital or day-surgery fee
25%
$6,250 โ $12,500
Includes theatre time, recovery bay, and overnight stay if required.
Garments and supplies
3%
$750 โ $1,500
Compression garments, dressings, and post-op kit.
Follow-up and reviews
5%
$1,250 โ $2,500
Standard follow-ups for the first 12 months are typically bundled.
Pathology, imaging, and other
5%
$1,250 โ $2,500
Pre-op tests, imaging if needed, and miscellaneous fees.
Total
100%
$25,000 โ $50,000
Source: editorial estimates based on Australian Medical Association advisory notes and
publicly disclosed clinic schedules. Actual quotes will vary; ask your surgeon for an
itemised written quote before paying any deposit.
Mommy makeover recovery timeline (Sydney)
A typical recovery curve. Individual recovery varies โ confirm specific milestones
with your surgeon's post-operative plan.
Day 0
Procedure day.
No work No exercise
Day 9
Early recovery.
No work No exercise
Day 18
Halfway point.
Desk work OK Light only
Day 35
End of standard recovery window.
Work OK Light only
Day 70
Final result and return to all activities.
Work OK Normal
Recovery + practitioner
Recovery and downtime
Hospital stay 1โ3 nights. Compression garments 24/7 for 4โ6 weeks. Drains typically removed at 5โ10 days. Most patients return to desk work at 3โ4 weeks. Strenuous activity restricted 8โ12 weeks. Lifting toddlers restricted for 6 weeks โ plan child care accordingly.
Choosing a surgeon in Sydney
Specialist Plastic Surgeon (FRACS) registered with AHPRA, with high-volume experience in both component procedures. Confirm the procedure is performed in a fully accredited private hospital with overnight observation capability. Ask about thromboprophylaxis protocol. Ask to see un-retouched photos of combined results at 6+ months.
Before you book
Complete your family before booking
Optimise weight before surgery โ most surgeons require BMI <30
Stop smoking at least six weeks before surgery
Plan child care for at least 6 weeks of restricted lifting
Confirm hospital accreditation and overnight stay capability
Discuss thromboprophylaxis protocol
Use the seven-day cooling-off period
Red flags
Day-only facilities offering combined breast + abdominoplasty
Practitioners using 'cosmetic surgeon' without FRACS registration
Pressure to combine 'just one more area' at consultation
Quotes that don't itemise each procedure separately
Discount packages for surgical procedures
No discussion of staging vs combining trade-offs
Risk profile for mommy makeover
How the most-discussed risks for mommy makeover sit on a frequency-by-severity grid.
All cosmetic procedures carry risk; the goal of this view is to help you ask better
consent questions, not to dismiss any single complication as unlikely.
Frequency \\ Severity
Mild
Moderate
Serious
Common
โ
โ
โ
Uncommon
โ
All risks of each component procedure (abdominoplasty + breast surgery)
Wound healing complications
Seroma
Visible scarring in multiple areas
Asymmetry
Need for revision surgery
Risks of prolonged general anaesthesia (typically 4โ6 hours total)
โ
Rare
โ
โ
Bleeding and haematoma
Infection
Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (risk increased by combined operative time)
Frequency and severity classifications are editorial summaries based on Australian
Society of Plastic Surgeons consent literature and TGA / AHPRA guidance. Your surgeon
should explain each risk individually as part of the formal informed-consent process โ
this matrix is a starting point for the conversation, not a substitute.
How to verify any cosmetic surgeon on AHPRA
AHPRA registration is the baseline credential check for any cosmetic procedure in
Australia. The five steps below take roughly two minutes and are the single most
important due-diligence step before paying a deposit.
1
Open the AHPRA register
AHPRA publishes a free public register of every registered medical practitioner in Australia. Open the official register โ never rely on a third-party "verification" site.
2
Search by name and "Medical Practitioner"
Search by the practitioner's full name and select Profession: Medical Practitioner. The register returns active registrations only โ if the name does not appear, do not proceed.
3
Confirm the specialty (or its absence)
Look at the "Specialty" field. A FRACS specialist plastic surgeon will list "Specialist Surgery โ Plastic Surgery". Anyone who calls themselves a "cosmetic surgeon" without a recognised specialty is a general medical practitioner under AHPRA โ that is a meaningful difference for surgical work.
4
Check for conditions, undertakings, or restrictions
The register flags any conditions on a practitioner's registration, including AHPRA undertakings or restrictions. Treat any flag as a reason to ask the practitioner directly what it relates to before booking.
5
Verify hospital privileges separately
Hospital privileges are issued by the hospital, not AHPRA. For surgical procedures, ask which accredited hospital or licensed day-procedure centre the operation will take place in, and verify the surgeon has admitting rights there.
Combining reduces total anaesthesia exposure, recovery time and overall cost โ but extends operative time and increases the risk of certain complications (especially venous thromboembolism). Staging spreads risk and recovery but doubles many fees. The right answer depends on your medical history, BMI, and the specific procedures involved. A genuinely cautious surgeon will sometimes recommend staging.
Should I wait until I'm done having children?+
Yes. Pregnancy after abdominoplasty undoes the muscle repair and stretches the skin. Pregnancy after breast surgery alters volume and shape. Most surgeons strongly advise completing your family first.
Is any of it Medicare-rebatable?+
Generally not. Post-pregnancy abdominoplasty and breast surgery for cosmetic reshaping are not Medicare-funded. Diastasis-recti repair is no longer Medicare-rebatable. Massive-weight-loss patients may qualify for Medicare item 30177 abdominoplasty if all criteria are met.
How long is the recovery, really?+
Most patients describe weeks 1โ2 as significantly more demanding than they expected โ particularly arranging child care, since lifting toddlers is restricted for 6+ weeks. Return to desk work at 3โ4 weeks. Strenuous exercise restricted for 8โ12 weeks.
Who should perform mommy makeover surgery?+
Specialist Plastic Surgeon (FRACS) experienced in both component procedures, with hospital privileges at an accredited facility offering overnight stay capability and Specialist Anaesthetist coverage. Avoid unaccredited rooms or day-only facilities for combined procedures of this scale.