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Common Consideration When Combining Plastic Surgery Procedures

Plastic surgery offers a wonderful gift: achieving the outer physical appearance desired to lead a more fulfilling life. However, the hours necessary for preliminary consultations, exams and tests, then surgical recovery itself, can also take a toll in days lost from work, school, or family.

For that reason, many patients elect to combine as many procedures as possible, also saving money on medical facility fees, anesthesia costs, sometimes even surgeon’s rates with packaged services. Further, when a board certified plastic surgeon is enlisted, and conditions deemed safe for the individual, there is no proof that long-term outcomes are any less satisfying when combining plastic surgery procedures.

Thus, in 2007 alone, about 42% of plastic surgery candidates opted for combining at least two or more procedures, the most commonly chosen from the following seven: brow or forehead lift, face lift, neck lift, breast augmentation, breast lift, liposuction, and tummy tuck or abdominoplasty. In fact, the latter procedures have become the focal point of the wildly popular mommy makeover.

Regardless of procedures selected, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reminds candidates of important risk considerations with surgical enhancements, some being of a more critical nature than others.

Therefore, a surgeon should advise which procedures are safely combined per individual.

For example, both a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty, key to a mommy makeover after the birth of a baby, as well as liposuction, are considered major invasive processes that require skill in monitoring anesthesia requirements as well as recovery issues once a patient is released to go home.

As the local anesthesia required for liposuction that is performed with another major procedure may not reach capacity in the blood stream until after a patient is released, there is increased risk for cardiac side effects. Thus, since it requires an especially high dose of local anesthesia to be administered, liposuction is a prime example of one major procedure that should only be combined with others after careful consideration. Also critical when combining plastic surgery procedures is the overall length of time a patient is under anesthesia.

Naturally, the longer periods affect not only recovery but heighten any risks of cardiovascular complications. Up to 5-7 hours is usually safe, while longer periods magnify risks. Surgeries requiring 10-12 hours of anesthesia are considered more dangerous, thus combining such major procedures as tummy tucks, breast augmentations, and face lifts might not be worth the risk that longer anesthesia times necessitate. Consequently, many states are imposing 4-6 hour limits on surgeries performed outside of hospital settings, in ambulatory or office-based locations. When advised by a licensed, board-certified plastic surgeon, however, any safety issues should be resolved in the decision making process. Then a patient can look forward to having multiple procedures completed at once for a more efficient overall process. Such efficiency translates into several positive factors, not the least of which is the ability to more fully appreciate the improved appearance resulting when many troubling issues are improved simultaneously.

Instead of wondering what a neck lift will add to the new face lift or breast augmentation, it is possible to see everything converging to impact the final result. Although recovering from one procedure at a time is surely less expedient time-wise, also more expensive and requiring greater total hours under anesthesia, the more complete transformation experienced is, perhaps, the most exciting reason behind the multiple-surgery approach. Once again, individual situations vary, and this approach should only be followed with healthy, physician-approved candidates.

For anyone with high blood pressure, diabetes, or other health conditions, the one-by-one approach may be the only option.

Although combining plastic surgery procedures requires more extensive surgery and anesthesia time than singular procedures, it has been proven to promote higher patient satisfaction with the outcome and decreased time lost from work. This satisfaction is bolstered by a study released in 2005 that found, over a ten-year period, no statistically critical differences in morbidity or complications, minor or major, from having multiple procedures and prolonged anesthesia.

That is clearly reassuring, allowing patients to achieve faster results without compromising their overall health. While combining plastic surgery procedures can be safe for healthy individuals anxious to experience the outcome of multiple changes, such as those obtained by a mommy makeover with tummy tuck and breast lift, there is one caveat.

For at the very least, selecting a board-certified plastic surgeon with hospital privileges, as well as a board-certified anesthesiologist, is essential. It’s advisable to choose a plastic surgeon experienced in the exact combination of procedures desired. If a surgeon has done many lengthy procedures and can provide examples of satisfied patients, one can feel even more comfortable taking what seems to be the most expedient and cost-efficient approach.

Then, with a great plastic surgeon onboard and a definite individualized plan, there should be few obstacles to happily achieving physical enhancement and the positive lifestyle effects bound to follow combining plastic surgery procedures.

 

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