Most times, the number of surgeries that can be combined is two, including procedures such as breast augmentation or breast surgery with a breast implant, breast reduction, or breast reconstruction performed by skilled surgeons. Accessibility to these options is crucial, and your surgeon will provide you with the necessary information before entering the operating room. With the goal of enhancing your appearance and achieving your desired results, multiple treatment options can bring significant benefits to patients. It’s essential to consider factors such as tests, services provided by doctors, types of hospitals, insurance coverage, location, and type of diagnosis, as these can all play a part in determining the most suitable option for each patient.
It is perhaps not uncommon now to see many people engaging in activities to enhance their appearance and actually go in for more than one cosmetic procedure in their lifetime to achieve their body goals. There is a widespread idea to achieve a near-perfect body – an ideal waistline, a pointy nose, a breast lift, a mommy makeover post-childbirth, brow and neck rejuvenation, butt enhancement, body lift, among others, and oftentimes they want to know the possibility of having these desired plastic surgery procedures done in one sitting. In this sense, accessibility to these options is a key advantage. And so they ask – ‘Can I have more than one procedure at a time?’ A range of symptoms may also be taken into account when considering multiple treatments.
To answer this question, we will take into account the experience of our staff, including the MD and other healthcare professionals providing care, and consider two other important questions:
- How safe is it?
- What conditions are required?
Is it safe to undergo multiple plastic surgical procedures at once?
The answer is yes; one can undergo more than one plastic surgery procedure in one hospital visit provided the person fulfills the needed criteria outlined in the accessibility statement that ensure safety and minimize risk. Comprehensive tests and medical evaluations are an essential part of this process.
In fact, the American Society of Plastic Surgery, which displays its logo in every certified surgeon’s office, in 2016 reported that about 16 billion dollars were spent by Americans on cosmetic surgery, and quite a good number were combined at a time and were safe overall.
3 things to consider before undertaking more than one plastic surgery procedure at once
Before one makes a decision to undergo multiple plastic surgery procedures in pursuit of their body goals, one ordinarily should ensure the following conditions:
- The person should be healthy enough to remain under prolonged anesthesia without complications. This means being without contraindications like hypertension and asthma.
- Due diligence should be done to assess and ascertain the experience and skills of the surgeon. It would be more reassuring if the surgeon has some experience carrying out multiple cosmetic surgeries at once.
- Ideally, opt for a safe combination of surgical procedures. An experienced cosmetic surgeon would expectedly offer recommendations and counsel, and this should be adhered to.
What are the plastic surgery combinations that can be done at the same time?
Most times, the number of surgeries that can be combined is two. When safety and the need for complete recovery are taken into account, Dr. Vitenas recommends some of the common combinations falling under different categories, taking into consideration the patient’s overall health and symptoms:
Breast enlargement involves making pockets of space behind the breast and then inserting inert breast implants in the spaces created in order to make the breasts bigger and firmer. Tummy tuck, on the other hand, involves the removal of excess fat and skin from the tummy, an abdominoplasty, and tightening the weak abdominal muscles, which might be combined with weight loss or fat reduction such as a Brazilian butt lift.
- Facelift surgery and blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery):
Facelift (also called rhytidectomy) is the surgical reconstruction of the face to give it a rejuvenated appearance. It can be combined with eyelid surgery, which involves removing excess skin, fat, and muscles from the eyelids to make them look more youthful. This approach, focusing on areas like the forehead, eyes, ears, lips, and cheeks, often enhanced with fillers, can help to achieve the desired results.
- Facelift and fat transfer:
It involves pulling back flaps of skin on both sides of the face to create a tighter, smoother, and more youthful look. Here, it is done together with fat transfer, involving harvesting fat from areas with excess fat to be transferred to areas lacking in volume, like the face, the breasts, or the buttocks.
- Chin augmentation and nose lift surgery:
Chin augmentation is the enhancement of the symmetry and contours of the chin area, usually achieved by placing implants on the chin bone below the skin. It can be done together with a nose lift (rhinoplasty), which involves the use of dermal filler materials to alter the shape of the nose to improve the facial profile, or an otoplasty to correct ear shape.
- Liposuction and tummy tuck:
Liposuction can be done alongside a tummy tuck. Excess fat is removed from the abdomen while the excess skin is also removed and loose abdominal muscles are made tighter. This gives the abdomen a sleek look.
This includes liposuction, tummy tuck, and/or breast enhancement, such as breast augmentation surgery. It is usually requested by women who are done with childbearing and desirous of a more youthful body, often following significant weight loss or body changes.
Are there any advantages to having more than one plastic surgery procedure done at once?
There are many benefits associated with having more than one plastic surgery procedure done simultaneously, including reduced costs and recovery time. Some of the benefits are highlighted in patient testimonials as follows:
- One gets to go to the doctor only once. Even though there will be more than one consultation with the doctor, the procedures are done at once. It saves time and money and reduces anxiety before each procedure.
- One gets to go under anesthesia only once: This is beneficial when you consider that most complications from surgery result from anesthesia, making it advantageous to go through it only once.
- Lower hospital bill: The patient gets to pay for the theatre room, anesthesia, and sundry only once as against when one chooses to go for the procedures separately.
- More dramatic results: combined procedures are more likely to result in more obvious and even dramatic results. An example is having liposuction and tummy tuck procedures done at once to achieve a better waistline.
Are there disadvantages to having more than one plastic surgery procedure done at once?
For all its benefits, combining more than one plastic surgery may also have some untoward effects and risks, with reasons varying from one case to another:
- Recovery time is longer: since more than one procedure is done, the patient would need a longer time for the body to heal properly.
- Higher anesthesia dosage is required: having more than one procedure at a time would mean a need for stronger and longer-lasting anesthesia and this may not be very ideal for persons with certain underlying health conditions.
- Doctor fatigue: the surgeon may tend to become less sharp in mind and body as the duration of the operation gets longer.
Takeaway
It is very much acceptable to have more than one plastic surgery procedure done at once. However, safety has to be ensured, and in most cases, only about two to three plastic surgical procedures can be combined at a time to allow the body to rest and the immune system to recover before the next procedure. Also, note that only a board-certified cosmetic plastic surgeon should perform these procedures. If you are considering any of these cosmetic procedures, don’t hesitate to reach out to our office in a way that suits you best, either by booking an appointment over the phone, online, or completing our contact form, to discuss your goals, your concerns, and how we can work together to achieve them. Our expert team of doctors and support staff are here to provide exceptional service and help you navigate the process, from diagnosis to treatment, ensuring a smooth experience at every step.
