Combining Procedures: Benefits and Considerations

Combining Procedures: Benefits and Considerations

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Whether elective or reconstructive, plastic surgery has rigorous effects on the body like any other surgical procedure. Beyond that, surgery requires varying degrees of downtime, anesthesia, and financial responsibility. Combining plastic surgery procedures when possible is an excellent solution for patients looking to optimize their time and money while achieving high-level results and a full-body makeover. With the demand for plastic surgery spiking in the last five years, a recent American Society of Plastic Surgery survey found that 80% of the members surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that their patients sought combination procedures specifically for longer-lasting results and shorter recovery times. Some procedures complement each other naturally, like including a breast lift while getting implants, while patients should avoid others, like targeting two vastly different parts of the body, for safety reasons. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits and considerations of combining plastic surgery procedures. 

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What are the benefits of combining surgeries?

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The biggest advantage of undergoing multiple plastic surgery procedures at once is that it saves us two things we never have enough of, yet we’re constantly spending: money and time. Plastic surgery is the most accessible it’s ever been, but human life remains complicated, and it’s challenging to carve out time for invasive procedures. And not every patient’s budget includes room for multiple surgeries to achieve their dream results. For patients looking for the most streamlined approach for their aesthetic makeover, here are the significant benefits of combining procedures:

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• Saves you money: Individual surgery means individual bills. Every charge reflected on a bill reimburses the practice for its services while covering supply costs and other expenses. Combining procedures reduces the resources and labor required for two surgeries. In an interview for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, one doctor compared combining surgeries to a nonstop flight versus two direct flights.

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• Saves you time: For most people, saving time can be as valuable as saving money. Carving out time away from work, child care, pet care, or any other intensive duties doesn’t happen quickly, and having to do it more than once can be daunting—patients seeking to be time-efficient benefit from consolidating their procedures to include a single period of downtime. 

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• Saves the surgeon time: There are less than 8,000 board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States, and cosmetic surgery is at the height of its popularity, so it’s safe to say your surgeon’s time is precious. Between juggling multiple cases, leading the team at the office, and handling their personal lives, surgeons love any way to improve their time management.

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• Customization: Not every patient’s desired results are achievable through a single operation. Combining surgeries allows for a larger spectrum of customization — including fat grafting with liposuction or adding a neck lift to a facelift are great ways to fine-tune results to the patient’s specifications. 

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• Less anesthesia: Anesthesia works by preventing the brain from signaling pain and reflexive responses. Though general anesthesia is very safe and a standard part of invasive surgery, it still impacts the body, and there are risks to the medication. One surgery means one round of anesthesia, reducing the possibility of complications.

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• Less risk: All surgeries involve the risks of infection, bruising, scarring, bleeding, nerve damage, and swelling. Spending less time on the surgical table minimizes the patient’s probability of encountering such risks. 

What procedures are easiest to do at the same time?

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The mommy makeover is the most popular combination procedure, as it targets multiple areas — usually with a combination of liposuction, breast augmentation, and fat grafting — in one session without the patient having to make return trips for the final results. Barrett Plastic Surgery provides completely customizable Los Angeles mommy makeovers featuring various combinable procedure options to target the entire body. 

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Mommy makeovers are so effective as a combination procedure because the focus is on the same area of the body. The easiest procedures to do together are the ones that don’t require entering the body at too many different points; for example, if the surgeon is already operating on the breasts for implants, incorporating a lift or areola reconstruction is easy. Other common combination surgery examples include but are not limited to:

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• Facelift and Neck Lift
• Fat grafting to breast and Implant
• Rhinoplasty and Chin Implant
• Breast reduction and Liposuction
• Liposuction and Brazilian Butt Lift
• Tummy tuck and Vaginal Rejuvenation
• Upper/lower eyelift and Dermal Fillers
• Explant Surgery and Fat Grafting
• Chin Liposuction and Chin Implant

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Is combining procedures safe? 

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Combining surgeries is reasonably safe, provided all procedures are done in the same body region and patients are not under anesthesia for too long. One surgeon’s rule of thumb is to keep any surgery under six hours; if the total time exceeds that, it’s best to break up the procedures. Above all, finding a board-certified plastic surgeon with a reputation for high patient satisfaction rates will always reduce the risk of complications.

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Is recovery more intense?

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Patients may experience a singular recovery time when they streamline their procedures, but the increased trauma on the body can lead to a more complex healing journey. Both breast augmentation and abdominal surgery take an average of two weeks to recover; by doing them together, the total recovery time is around a week and a half versus four total weeks. However, patients should expect more stitches, pain around incision sites, and longer time under anesthesia. 

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Will my results change if I combine procedures?

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The results of each independent procedure remain the same whether the surgeon performs them individually or simultaneously. But, when patients combine their surgeries, the final results are more dramatic as they come together cohesively. Instead of an isolated change, the outcome is more holistic, creating significant changes working together in aesthetic harmony.

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I’m interested in multiple procedures — what are the next steps?

If you’re interested in combining plastic surgery procedures in Beverly Hills, Barrett Plastic Surgery offers consultations to determine what is correct for you. To learn more about Barrett Plastic Surgery, subscribe to our blog and follow us on social media at TikTok, Instagram, Realself, and YouTube for updates. Are you interested in combining plastic surgery procedures? Call us at (310) 398-2648 or fill out this virtual consultation form, and we will contact you as soon as possible. We’re excited for you to take this next step!  

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