Does a Mummy Makeover Include a BBL?

No, a mummy makeover does not usually include a BBL. A standard mummy makeover combines breast surgery, such as a lift, augmentation or reduction, with a tummy tuck, because those are the areas pregnancy changes most. A Brazilian butt lift (BBL) can be added to your overall plan, but at Centre for Surgery it is never performed in the same operation as a tummy tuck. Instead, the two are staged 3 to 6 months apart, so each operation is shorter, safer and easier to recover from.

A “mommy makeover with BBL” or “BBL mom” plan has one goal: a flatter tummy, restored breasts and a fuller, rounder bottom. This guide explains where a BBL fits, why it is kept apart from the tummy tuck, how staging works, how to time surgery around breastfeeding and future pregnancies, and what recovery looks like with young children at home. If you are mainly comparing the two operations side by side, our guide on whether you can combine a tummy tuck and BBL goes into more detail on the tummy tuck itself.

What Does a Mummy Makeover Usually Include?

There is no fixed mummy makeover package. The combination is chosen at your consultation, based on what has changed and what you want to address. At Centre for Surgery the building blocks are:

• Breast surgery: a breast lift (mastopexy), breast augmentation, an augmentation with a lift, or a breast reduction, depending on whether you have lost volume, gained sagging, or both.
• Abdominal surgery: a full tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) to remove loose skin and repair separated stomach muscles, or a mini tummy tuck where the changes are limited to below the belly button.
• Liposuction, where recommended: liposuction is not included as standard. It is added to the waist or flanks only when your surgeon thinks it will improve the result.
• Optional extras: a mons lift, labiaplasty, 360 liposuction, fat transfer to the hips or belly button reshaping (umbilicoplasty).

Muscle separation is one of the main reasons a tummy tuck sits at the heart of a mummy makeover. In a prospective study of 300 first-time mothers, 60% had a separation of the stomach muscles (diastasis recti) 6 weeks after the birth, and 32.6% still had one at 12 months^[1]. Exercise improves core strength but cannot remove stretched skin or reliably close a wide gap.

A combined breast and tummy operation takes around 5 to 6 hours and is carried out as a day case under TIVA (total intravenous anaesthesia), given by a consultant anaesthetist. You go home the same day with a responsible adult who stays with you for at least 24 hours. Patient-reported outcomes for this combination are encouraging: a 2026 prospective study of 36 postpartum women who had a tummy tuck with breast surgery found significant gains in physical functioning, energy and self-esteem 12 months after surgery, with no major complications^[2].

Where Does a BBL Fit in a Mummy Makeover?

A BBL treats a different part of the body. Pregnancy, breastfeeding and weight change can leave the bottom flatter or less defined, while fat settles around the waist, back and flanks. A BBL moves that fat: it is removed by liposuction, purified and grafted into the buttocks and hips, giving a slimmer waist and a fuller, rounder bottom from one operation.

It helps to think of your plan in two parts:

• The front of the body: breasts and tummy, treated by breast surgery and a tummy tuck. This is the classic mummy makeover.
• The back of the body: waist, flanks, back and buttocks, treated by liposuction and a BBL.

Some mummy makeover plans include fat transfer to the hips. This is a much smaller graft than a BBL, used to soften hip dips rather than to reshape the whole buttock, and your surgeon will tell you whether it can sensibly be added to your operation. A full BBL, with fat placed across the buttocks, is always planned as its own stage when a tummy tuck is involved.

So mummy makeover vs BBL is rarely an either-or choice. Many women want both, and the real question is how to sequence them safely.

Can You Have a Mummy Makeover and a BBL at the Same Time?

Not if your mummy makeover includes a tummy tuck. Centre for Surgery never combines a tummy tuck and a BBL in the same operation, and there are three clinical reasons for this.

1. The recovery positions conflict

After a tummy tuck, you rest on your back with your upper body raised and your hips slightly bent for about 6 weeks, which takes tension off the long scar and the muscle repair. After a BBL, you must keep pressure off your buttocks: no sitting directly on them for 2 weeks and no sleeping on your back for 2 weeks, so you sleep on your front or side. Lying flat on your front stretches a fresh tummy tuck scar, and lying on your back squashes newly grafted fat. Doing both at once leaves you with no safe position to rest in, which raises the risk of wound problems and of losing part of the fat graft.

2. The operation would be too long

A breast and tummy mummy makeover already takes 5 to 6 hours, and a BBL takes 3 to 4 hours on its own. Combined, you would be under anaesthetic for most of a working day. Longer operations carry more risk: a 2014 analysis of 1,753 plastic surgery cases in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal ↗ found that each extra hour of surgery raised the odds of a complication by 21%, with the risk 3.1 times higher after 4.5 hours and 4.7 times higher after 6.8 hours^[3].

3. Complication rates rise with each added procedure

The largest study of tummy tuck safety, a 2015 cohort study of 25,478 abdominoplasties in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery ↗, found a major complication rate of 3.1% for a tummy tuck alone, 4.3% when breast surgery was added and 4.6% with breast surgery and liposuction. When another body-contouring procedure was added, the rate rose to 6.8%, and to 10.4% with liposuction and body contouring together^[4]. One in five of the complications was a suspected or confirmed blood clot. A 2026 meta-analysis of 138,020 patients reached a similar conclusion for the classic combination: a tummy tuck with breast surgery carried a complication profile comparable to a tummy tuck alone, which is why that pairing is the standard mummy makeover^[5]. Adding a BBL on top is a different matter.

How Do You Stage a Mummy Makeover With a BBL?

Staging means splitting your plan into two shorter operations with a recovery in between. The order depends on your anatomy, how much spare fat you have and what bothers you most. The most common plans are:

• Plan A: BBL first, classic mummy makeover second. The BBL, with liposuction to harvest the fat, is done on its own. The breast surgery and tummy tuck follow together 3 to 6 months later. This suits women with limited spare fat, as the abdomen can be used as a donor area before the tummy tuck removes that skin.
• Plan B: classic mummy makeover first, BBL second. The breast surgery and tummy tuck are done together, then the BBL follows 3 to 6 months later, once you can lie on your front comfortably. This suits women whose tummy is the priority and who have enough fat elsewhere, such as the flanks, back or thighs.
• Plan C: no tummy tuck needed. If your skin and muscles have recovered well, you may not need a tummy tuck at all. Breast surgery and a BBL as two separate operations, or 360 lipo with a BBL, may then be all you need.

Centre for Surgery does not combine a BBL with breast augmentation in one operation either, whether the breasts are enlarged with implants or fat. After breast surgery you are usually asked not to lie on your front, and after a BBL you should not lie on your back, so recovering from both at once would leave only your side to sleep on. Adding a BBL also lengthens the operation, and longer combined operations carry a higher risk of complications. Staging them gives each operation its own, simpler recovery.

How Long Should You Wait Between a Tummy Tuck and a BBL?

Your second operation is usually planned 3 to 6 months after the first. That interval lets you recover properly in between:

• Swelling settles and scars begin to mature, so your surgeon can judge the result of the first stage before planning the second.
• You finish wearing your compression garment, which is worn day and night for 6 weeks after both a tummy tuck and a BBL.
• If the BBL comes first, most of the result is visible by 3 months, and the final shape by 3 to 6 months, so the surviving fat has settled before you are positioned for a tummy tuck.

Your surgeon may suggest a longer gap if you had a complication, your weight has changed or you need more time before a second recovery at home.

When Can You Have a Mummy Makeover or BBL After Having a Baby?

Your body continues to change for months after the birth, so surgery too early risks treating a shape that has not settled. The general guidance at Centre for Surgery is:

• At least 6 months after delivery before a mummy makeover, so your tummy, skin and muscles have had time to recover.
• At least 3 months, ideally around 6 months, after you stop breastfeeding. Breasts keep changing in size and shape after feeding ends, and planning breast surgery before they settle makes the result harder to predict.
• A stable weight. For a mummy makeover, your weight should be stable for at least 6 months; for a BBL, at least 3 months, or 6 to 12 months after major weight loss.
• Not pregnant or breastfeeding at the time of either operation.

Our guide on BBL results after pregnancy explains how grafted fat responds to pregnancy and breastfeeding, and why a BBL soon after the birth is usually too early.

Should You Wait Until You’ve Finished Having Children?

Yes. A mummy makeover is planned for women whose family is complete, and Centre for Surgery does not operate on patients who are planning further pregnancies. Another pregnancy can stretch the repaired stomach muscles and skin again and change the shape and size of the breasts.

Pregnancy after a tummy tuck is not dangerous in itself. A 2023 systematic review in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery ↗ of 17 studies and 237 women who became pregnant after a tummy tuck found no maternal or newborn deaths, and the authors concluded that pregnancy should not be ruled out after abdominoplasty. The same review documented 96 abdominal wall or cosmetic problems, such as recurrent muscle separation and stretched skin, which is the main reason to finish your family first^[6].

A BBL behaves differently. Grafted fat is living fat that grows and shrinks with your weight, so pregnancy weight gain and loss can change the result, although most of the shape usually returns once your weight comes back close to where it was. If you are unsure whether you want more children, talk this through at your consultation; our article on whether you can have a mummy makeover if you plan to have more children covers the options.

What Is Recovery Like With Young Children at Home?

Recovery is the part of a staged plan that most mothers underestimate. You will have two recoveries, each with its own rules, and both affect how you look after your children.

After the tummy tuck stage

• Arrange help with childcare for at least 3 weeks, and do not lift young children until your surgeon says you can.
• Expect about 2 weeks off desk-based work, longer for physical jobs, and no driving for 2 weeks or while taking prescription pain relief.
• Walk from day 1, return to gentle activity from 2 to 3 weeks, and to the gym from about 6 weeks. Avoid core exercises for 3 months.
• Sleep on your back with your upper body raised for about 6 weeks, and wear your compression garment for 6 weeks.

After the BBL stage

• Do not sit directly on your buttocks for 2 weeks. Have a BBL cushion ready before surgery for times when sitting cannot be avoided, and keep toilet visits brief, leaning forward.
• Sleep on your front or side for 2 weeks, not on your back.
• Do not drive for 4 weeks. Sitting in the driver’s seat puts direct pressure on the grafted fat, so plan school runs and nursery drop-offs in advance.
• Take 1 to 2 weeks off work, walk from day 1, start light cardio such as walking from week 3, and return to full exercise, including weights, from 6 weeks.

With small children, change nappies on a waist-height surface, keep a toddler off your lap for the first fortnight after a BBL, and ask a partner, relative or friend to cover bath time and lifting. Our mummy makeover recovery guide sets out the week-by-week timeline in more detail.

Is a BBL Safe as Part of a Mummy Makeover Plan?

The main safety concern with any BBL is fat embolism, where grafted fat enters the large veins beneath the buttock muscle. A 2017 task force report found that surgeons who injected fat into the deep muscle had a significantly higher rate of fatal and non-fatal fat embolism, and recommended avoiding intramuscular injection^[7]. After those recommendations were adopted, a follow-up survey found the estimated death rate fell from 1 in 3,448 to 1 in 14,952 BBLs^[8].

At Centre for Surgery, fat is injected only into the subcutaneous layer above the gluteal muscle, never into or beneath it, using a blunt cannula and expansion vibration lipofilling. Real-time ultrasound is used on every BBL to confirm where the cannula sits. In a series of 4,150 BBLs, real-time ultrasound allowed surgeons to confirm that fat stayed above the deep gluteal fascia throughout the injection^[9]. Our guide to ultrasound-guided BBL explains how this works.

Staging the BBL separately from a tummy tuck adds a further margin of safety: shorter operations, correct positioning in recovery and time to recover between anaesthetics.

Tap to reveal

Real Centre for Surgery patient, photographed at least six months after BBL surgery.

You can see more results across different body types in our BBL before and after photos.

Do You Have Enough Fat for a BBL After a Mummy Makeover?

A BBL relies on your own fat, so the amount you have to spare shapes both the plan and the order of your operations. A BMI of roughly 23 to 28 usually provides enough donor fat for a full BBL, which typically uses 1,600 to 2,000 ml of fat. Around 50 to 70% of the transferred fat survives, so your surgeon over-fills slightly to allow for the rest being reabsorbed.

For the tummy tuck, a BMI of 30 or below is usually needed. Many mothers fall within both ranges, but if you are slim, doing the BBL stage before the tummy tuck lets your surgeon harvest fat from the abdomen that would otherwise be cut away. If you have less fat overall, a mini BBL, which uses 800 to 1,000 ml from two donor areas, or a skinny BBL, which gathers smaller amounts from four or five areas, may suit you better. Our article on not having enough fat for a BBL explains the options.

How Much Does a Mummy Makeover With BBL Cost?

A mummy makeover with BBL is priced as two separate operations, as it is performed in two stages. Your surgeon gives you a written quote after your consultation, based on the exact procedures in each stage, such as which breast operation you need, whether liposuction is added and how many donor areas the BBL uses. Our mummy makeover cost guide and BBL cost guide set out current pricing for each stage.

Compression garments and prescribed medication are bought separately. Finance may be available for some mummy makeover procedures, subject to status, but finance isn’t available for BBL at Centre for Surgery, so the BBL stage is self-funded. Your initial consultation is £100, redeemable against the cost of surgery if you go ahead, and any further consultations before surgery are free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Mummy Makeover and BBL in London

Mummy makeover and BBL surgery at Centre for Surgery are performed by GMC-registered surgeons at our CQC-regulated Baker Street hospital, rated Good overall by the CQC. Every BBL is carried out under real-time ultrasound guidance, with fat placed only above the gluteal muscle, and both operations are day cases under TIVA. If you want both procedures, your surgeon will plan your stages, the order and the interval between them, and the consultant who assesses you performs your surgery. Aftercare includes your surgeon’s direct number for the first 24 hours, nurse-led wound checks and follow-up reviews. We recommend a two-week cooling-off period before you go ahead. Your initial consultation is £100, redeemable against the cost of surgery if you go ahead.

Phone: 020 7993 4849 | Address: 95–97 Baker Street, Marylebone, London W1U 6RN
Contact us to schedule a consultation

References

1. Sperstad JB, Tennfjord MK, Hilde G, et al. Diastasis recti abdominis during pregnancy and 12 months after childbirth: prevalence, risk factors and report of lumbopelvic pain. British Journal of Sports Medicine 2016;50(17):1092–1096. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2016-096065 ↗
2. Toto V, Faiola A, Ponzo M, et al. Long-term psychosocial benefits after combined abdominoplasty and breast surgery in postpartum women: a prospective 12-month study. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery 2026;121:49–55. doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2026.07.006 ↗
3. Hardy KL, Davis KE, Constantine RS, et al. The impact of operative time on complications after plastic surgery: a multivariate regression analysis of 1753 cases. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2014;34(4):614–622. doi:10.1177/1090820X14528503 ↗
4. Winocour J, Gupta V, Ramirez JR, et al. Abdominoplasty: risk factors, complication rates, and safety of combined procedures. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 2015;136(5):597e–606e. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000001700 ↗
5. Skorochod R, Wolf Y. Risk of concomitant abdominoplasty and breast surgery versus isolated procedures: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2026;50(13):5013–5022. doi:10.1007/s00266-026-05863-7 ↗
6. Karunaratne YG, Romeo PB, Willis M, Sanki A. The safety and effects of pregnancy after abdominoplasty: a systematic review of the literature. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2023;47(4):1472–1479. doi:10.1007/s00266-023-03423-x ↗
7. Mofid MM, Teitelbaum S, Suissa D, et al. Report on mortality from gluteal fat grafting: recommendations from the ASERF Task Force. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2017;37(7):796–806. doi:10.1093/asj/sjx004 ↗
8. Rios L, Gupta V. Improvement in Brazilian butt lift (BBL) safety with the current recommendations from ASERF, ASAPS, and ISAPS. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2020;40(8):864–870. doi:10.1093/asj/sjaa098 ↗
9. Pazmiño P, Del Vecchio D. Static injection, migration, and equalization (SIME): a new paradigm for safe ultrasound-guided Brazilian butt lift: safer, faster, better. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2023;43(11):1295–1306. doi:10.1093/asj/sjad142 ↗

Related Articles

• Can You Combine a Tummy Tuck and BBL?
• BBL and Pregnancy: What Happens to Your Results?
• Mummy Makeover Recovery and Aftercare
• BBL Recovery and Aftercare: A Week-by-Week Guide