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Does it Normally Take 7-8 Hours for Mommy Makeover? Should I do TT and Breast Red. Separately?

asked 5 months ago by confuse mom
Latest answer by Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS
Question viewed 272 times
Tags: combination, safety, timing

i am a 35 year old female 2 children the last one by c-section i need to have a breast reduction and lift due to medical problems so i ask the doctor if is ok to do a tummy tuck at the same time he say is ok but i will be under anesthecia for about 7 to 8 hours that bothers me I am in general good health do you think there is a big risk? should I do the 2 procedures separately the recovery will be long and painfull?

20 answers to Does it Normally Take 7-8 Hours for Mommy Makeover? Should I do TT and Breast Red. Separately?

Shortening Surgery Time for Mommy Makeover with same great results

Great question - as there are pros and cons whether it is better to have one long procedure with increase risk vs two anesthesia's, two recovery times and two recovery periods. Remember healing for both procedures at the same time is simultaneous not sequential as the latter scenario would require.. Ask your surgeon specifically for his breakdown of the relative merits of each approach. Putting aside the issue of slower vs faster surgeons; Here are my personal thouights - You... more

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Length of Surgery Depends on your Surgeon, and After 6 hours, the Risks go Up

Hi there- The amount of time it takes to complete any operative procedure will depend a lot on the surgeon you choose (some will take a bit longer to complete the same procedure than others). Also, while there is no "magic number" in terms of the time period which is safe for you to be under anesthesia, it is generally accepted that for healthy people the risks of complications seem to significantly increase after about 6 hours. If you have selected your surgeon for all... more

Armando Soto, MD
Orlando Plastic Surgeon

www.DrArmandoSoto.com

Surgery time for a mommy makeover

8 hours would be quite a long time for those procedures. As many have posted the two can probably be done is less than 5-6 by many plastic surgeons. That said, there is nothing wrong with taking extra time to get excellent results. If you are happy with your surgeon then I'd say do the surgeries in two stages to limit the risk, if you are committed to having them done together then get a second opinion. Good luck! Dr K

Mahlon Kerr, MD
Austin Plastic Surgeon

7 to 8 hour money makeover surgery.

Thanks for your question. As you can see from this forum your safety has to come first. 8 hours is a long time to be on the table for elective cosmetic surgery. It certainly exceeds the guidelines for ambulatory or outpatient surgery. While we commonly combine breast reduction with tummy tuck If your surgeon does not feel that he or she can accomplish these two surgeries within a shorter time frame I think it would be prudent to separate them. Best wishes... more

Adam Tattelbaum, MD
Washington DC Plastic Surgeon

www.atcosmetics.com

7-8 hour mommy makeover too much in one day

If your surgeon is not able to accomplish the full mommy makeover carefully within 4-5 hours, I would advise that you separate them into 2 surgeries or find another surgeon who can do it in one safely. The risks rise after 6 hours of surgery in one day.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

www.randcosmeticsurgery.com

Does it Normally Take 7-8 Hours for Mommy Makeover?

If you are healthy, then doing the two procedures can be done as long as precautions are taken to avoid blood clot formation in the legs. When one does surgery on the chest and the abdomen, their ability to move around and even get out of a chair or bed is less because you have pain in your abdomen and in you chest. Having the procedures done separately might be safer, but then you will have two recovery periods too. The combined procedure will likely leave you 4-6 weeks until back to normal... more

Julio Garcia, MD
Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

lvcosmeticsurgery.com

Combined or separate tummy tuck and breast reduction?

There is nothing wrong with combining the procedures and many plastic surgeons would recommend it for convenience and a single recovery. Personally, my appetite for risk with cosmetic procedures is very low and I would separate a full tummy tuck and breast reduction EVERY time. I separate the procedures by a day or two, breast surgery first. In my opinion this greatly reduces the surgical risk while not adding much time to the recovery. My patients find that separating... more

York Jay Yates, MD
Salt Lake City Plastic Surgeon

www.yorkyates.com

Surgical time & Risks

Surgical risks are pretty straight forward and are present with every operation. Some include: Bleeding Infection Healing problems Scar Clot (DVT / PE) Of the complications that could actually result in death, blood clots are very concerning. Avoidance is key, as once you develop a clot, it has to be treated with blood thinners, which then makes bleeding more of a problem. The risk of clots increases with time under anesthesia, and... more

Michael A. Bogdan, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

www.drmichaelbogdan.com

Eight hours may be too long for a mommy makeover

Thank you for your question. 7-8 hours seems like a long time for a standard breast reduction and tummy tuck. If you are quite large and this is the reason that your surgeon feels that your surgery will take that long, I would suggest that you lose weight first, otherwise, you may consider breaking it up into two surgeries.

James McMahan, MD
Columbus Plastic Surgeon

Combined Procedures in Mommy Makeovers

Multiple procedures can be safely performed in one setting. But it depends on your health status (past medical history), your anatomy, and the amount of surgery/type of procedures to be done. Please visit with a board certified plastic surgeon for a formal evaluation. He/she will determine the how long it will take and whether you are a safe/good candidate for these combined procedures. Hope this helps.

C. Bob Basu, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

www.basuplasticsurgery.com

Length of surgery time for mommy makeover.

Time can be an important consideration in having surgery performed. Outpatient surgery should not extend beyond 6 hours without being admitted to a hospital. If you feel comfortable with your surgeon and choose to have the surgery performed by him or her, you may want to consider separating the operations into shorter time intervals, although this will creats two recovery times for you. Risks from surgery may increase slightly with longer times... more

Francis (Frank) William Rieger, MD
Tampa Plastic Surgeon

Mommy Makeover

The length of surgery depends upon the nature of the procedures. When considering combining procedures (ie tummy and breast), it is important to discuss this with your plastic surgeon. There are advantages and disadvantages of combining these procedures. In addition, it is important to choose an accredited facility as well.

Loren Schechter, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Tummy tuck and breast reduction for mommy makeover.

First question: Does it normally take 7-8 hours for Mommy Makeover? No, it usually doesn't take that long but some surgeons may be a little slower and still get good results. Second question: Should you do TT and Breast Red. separately? It's up to you. They can easily be done together and it is safe to have them done together as long as you are at a reputable, safe, accredited facility under the care of qualified and board certified anesthesiologist and plastic... more

J. Jason Wendel, MD
Nashville Plastic Surgeon

www.mc.vanderbilt.edu

Can combine the 2 procedures of mommy makeover.

Different surgeons operate at different speeds but faster doesn't mean better. The most important issue is your safety. If you are a healthy person, this length of surgery should not be a problem as long as you can comply with all pre and post operative instructions in caring for yourself. Combining the procedures saves you time in recovery and cost of an additional anesthesia. If you have any concerns, splitting this into 2 sessions is a reasonable option. more

Jeffrey M. Darrow, MD
Boston Plastic Surgeon

Mommy Makeover Time of Surgery?

Thank you for the question. I would not suggest that you undergo elective surgery that is estimated to take 7 to 8 hours. I think in doing so you are exposing yourself (and your dependents) to unnecessary risk. Either you should break the procedures up into 2 procedures or you should find a surgical team that can perform excellent work with less operating room time. Best wishes.

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

www.poustiplasticsurgery.com

Depends on what exactly you're having done

Mommy makeover is a catch all term. usually a breast reduction alone may take anywhere from 2-5 hours depending on your breast size, the surgeon etc. a breast augmentation on the other hand or lift may only require 1-2 hours. a tummy tuck usually takes another 2 hours or so, and of course there is some time before and after the actual operating that is needed in the OR for setup.

Eric Chang, MD
Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

www.columbiaaesthetic.com

Surgical time

No one online can tell what is safe for another surgeon and facility, only their own. I will say 7-8 hours is almost double the time it would take for me to perform your surgery. Faster is not necessarily better, but this amount of time seems a bit long for what you listed unless more is being done or you have unusual circumstances

Michael Hueneke, MD
Nashville Plastic Surgeon

Risks with combined surgical procedure

The key question is a 7 - 8 hour safe. In order to determine this a history and physical examination must be performed. There are risks with any surgery and multiple factors must be considered. It would be advisable to discuss these risks with your plastic surgeon so that you can make an informed decision.

Jeffrey Zwiren, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Mommy make over

Having tummy tuck and breast reduction together is very possible in a healthy individual. In general combination surgery carry a slightly higher risk of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary emboli. This risk can be reduced with the use of blood thinners after the surgery. Will need complete clearance by the family physician, and complete work up. Again need a certified plastic surgeon, anesthesiologist, and the office based surgicenter need to be accrideted by a certifiying... more

Samir Shureih, MD
Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

Combined surgery

You should do both procedures together as long as your surgeon thinks it's safe and you don't have any serious health or risk factors. Combining surgery sill save you time in your overall recovery and possibly cost. As long as the anesthetist is qualified and the center is certified, the anesthesia should be safe. Good luck.