Can I have multiple cosmetic procedures in one surgery session?

Khet,

Yes, it is very common to have multiple procedures at the same time. However, you must also be cautious that you are having your procedures done by a qualified surgeon. In general, if your procedures can be completed within six hours, then it is reasonable to combine them. However, as the length of surgery increases, then the risk also increases. The procedures which you describe: Rhinoplasty, Tummy Tuck, and Breast Augmentation are reasonable to complete at the same time.

I hope this is helpful.

David Shafer, MD

In general, it's fine to do multiple procedures at the same time-- but you need to have a detailed discussion with your surgeon as to the details of the procedure, how long it will take, recovery, etc. Some patients are better candidates for this than others, and the plan needs to be individualized to the patient.

Certainly a tummy tuck and breast augmentation together is no problem. The rhinoplasty can be done at the same setting as well or a few weeks before or after the tummy tuck/breast augmentation.

Many of my patients choose to have two or three procedures done at the same time.  Just make sure that you are having surgery done by a "Board Certified Plastic Surgeon" or Facial Plastic Surgeon.  That way you know that your safety will be their number one concern.   Do your research and ask many questions.  If you can ask the Doctors office for referrals from other patients that have had the procedures you are  thinking about. 

Many patients desire multiple procedures to be done on one surgery date.  This approach has the obvious advantage of accomplishing multiple cosmetic goals with one period of post-operative recuperation.  Also, most offices offer a discount on these "add-on" multiple procedures.

However, both patients and their surgeons must exercise prudence when it comes to doing multiple procedures on one day.  The longer the duration of an operation, the greater chance there is of potentially serious or life-threatening complications such as deep venous thrombosis (DVT) which can lead to pulmonary embolus (PE).  There also may be a slightly greater risk of infection when the surgery involves multiple surgical areas.

In my practice, I prefer to focus on the combination of procedures that can be done in a reasonable amount of time with great attention to detail and a focus on patient safety, rather than trying to "hit for the cycle" and rush though multiple procedures on different areas of the body.  I believe this leads to better and safer results.

It is common to do multiple procedures at the same sitting, however one cannot be cavalier about it. Some factors to take into consideration are total expected blood loss,  total surface area of surgical fields, total length of surgery and anesthesia time, surgeon fatigue (both mental and physical), expected recovery process not interfering  with or compounding each procedure (such as positioning issues, ambulation, or pain with concommitant increase in pain medication requirements), technical aspects of the procedures so blood supply or tension issues do not increase risk of procedure, increased risks of deep veinthrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and pneumonia. With breast reduction and tummy tucks, it is possible to do both but attention much be paid to technical aspects so undermining and incisions do not compromise blood flow to certain flaps and that landmarks, such as the inframammary fold, do not get distorted or moved significantly that may affect the cosmetic result. Plan all these procedures carefully with your surgeon and discuss each risk and advantages and disadvantages of combining or separating these procedures. As an original member of the Extreme Makeover show, I routinely performed multiple procedures safely with careful and judious planning. Your board-certified plastic surgeon should be able to guide you as well.

Good luck!

Cosmetic surgical procedures are commonly combined for optimum efficiency and minimizing the numbers of recoveries and anesthetics required for your desired outcome. Breast and abdominal surgeries work very well together for example.

I personally wouldn't do a rhinoplasty at the same time as putting in breast implants. The nose is not a sterile area and surgery on the nose causes bacteria to be released into the blood stream. These can go to the implant and possibly increase the risk of infection. Infected implants have to be removed and replaced months later. Consequently, I would do the rhinoplasty first and the other surgeries a few weeks later.

Cosmetic procedures are often combined... many people want more than one area addressed, and there is certainly an economy of scale when multiple procedures are completed at the same time.... additionally there is benefit in having only one recovery period.

While it's nice to get all you want done at once, also seriously consider the overall picture: safety!  Longer operations have greater rates of infection, blood clots, needs for blood transfusion, etc. Also, consider the challenge of recovery... for example if you have a tummy tuck, you'll need to rely on your arms more - so don't have a brachioplasty at the same time!

We generally limit our office procedures to six hours or less - though there is no golden rule.  Carefully consider what is important to you can ask your surgeon about the pros and cons of combining the procedures you want!