Can I Combine Plastic Surgery Procedures?

If you are like most patients, you live in a fast-paced world. Our lives are busy, and we want to minimize time off after a cosmetic procedure. This may be for family reasons, work reasons, or anesthesia-related reasons. When considering plastic surgery, we want to undergo the shortest amount of recovery while maximizing our cosmetic results.

For these reasons, patients often desire multiple procedures in one setting. Pairing rhinoplasty with breast augmentation at my St. Petersburg, FL, practice is one of the most common combinations here. A patient will say, “I’ve always wanted both, so why not get them done together”? While having two or even three surgeries together has its advantages, one has to also consider ALL factors that influence my decision as a surgeon to proceed with this request. As a double board-certified plastic surgeon, I have this discussion weekly.

What Plastic Surgeries Can Be Combined?

Some plastic surgery combinations seem natural complements to one another, while others may surprise you. What are the most commonly combined procedures in my practice?

• Breast augmentation with rhinoplasty
• Breast augmentation or lift with abdominoplasty (tummy tuck)
• Tummy tuck with liposuction to other areas
• Facelift with eyelid surgery
• Rhinoplasty with a chin implant

One of the most popular combination surgeries is a mommy makeover, which usually pairs a breast enhancement surgery with a body contouring surgery such as tummy tuck or liposuction. We talk more about mommy makeovers in our related blog post. You can see the results one of our patients achieved with a breast augmentation and liposuction in the Instagram post below:

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Advantages of Combining Surgeries

• Recovery time: Unlike waiting for 6 weeks for two procedures separated, there is just one 6-week healing period.
• Time to work: If you are a busy executive or in a fast-paced job, combo procedures can make it a “one and done.”
• Time to exercise/physical activity: If you are a gym nut or even a moderately active person, you can get back just one time after surgery.
• Cost: Generally, when procedures are combined, you are undergoing one anesthesia and operating room session, thus lowering your cost compared to having two completely separate procedures.
• Anesthesia: You will undergo general anesthesia only one time, instead of multiple go-arounds.
• Adjunct procedures: It may make perfect sense to combine, for example, liposuction with a tummy tuck.

Disadvantages of Combining Surgeries

• Longer procedure: While a breast augmentation alone will take 2 hours of room time (surgery plus anesthesia time), a combination with rhinoplasty may take 5 hours. Adding procedures will generally take 4 to 6 hours total of room time. At times I may say “no” if the surgery time will take more than 6 hours total.
• Recovery in two areas: Instead of recovery in only your abdomen, now you will recover in your breast area AND abdomen; thus, slightly more pain medication is required.

The decision to combine surgery procedures is a personal one based on surgical goals, recovery goals, and budget. It is never wrong to separate procedures, but when done safely by a board-certified plastic surgeon, it can be a fulfilling and life-changing experience!

Get Started

Dr. Kailash Narasimhan is a plastic surgeon who is uniquely trained in aesthetic surgery of the face, breast, and body. Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology, he has a long and accomplished training record at some of the most highly regarded and internationally recognized institutions. Cosmetic surgery patients from Clearwater, Tampa, and beyond choose Dr. Narasimhan for his excellent care and results. Contact our office for a consultation today at [phone] and or [consultation]request a consultation[/consultation] using our online form.