Which procedure to do first?

I'm planning a mini face lift and an upper eye blepharoplasty, but am looking at different doctors for each procedure. Which procedure should I do first?

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15 answers to “Which procedure to do first?”

A: If this is your wish, I recommend mini face lift first

By Otto Joseph Placik, MD - Chicago Plastic Surgeon

It appears that many of the physicians are attempting to get you to have one surgeon (which is wise for the reasons mentioned) perform the two surgeries, but obviously that is not your question. So in response to your question, I would perform the mini-face lift first for this reason. When performing a... more

A: Why two doctors?

By Brent Moelleken, MD - Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

You should be able to have the procedure done by a single competent plastic surgeon, with one single recovery period, not to mention one operating room fee. If you have a specific reconstructive problem that warrants an opthalmologist such as ptosis, tear duct issues or strabismus, most plastic surgeons... more

A: Bleph and combined face lift.

By Steven H. Williams, MD - Bay Area Plastic Surgeon

The challenge your situation presents is having different doctors to perform each procedure. It is also somewhat unusual for two plastic surgeons (unless they work together frequently) to combine efforts on a single patient in a combined cosmetic procedure. You should consider finding one board certified... more

A: Fix what bothers you the most first.

By Susan E. Downey, MD - Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

In the ideal world many patients who wish to have more than one procedure done would like to have them done at the same time. However there are many reasons ( time off work, financial etc) patients may not be able to do all the procedures at the same time. I find that patientsa are... more

A: Have one procedure

By D.J. Verret, MD - Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon

I would agree with the other physicians. I would seek out one physician for both procedures or talk with the surgeons and determine if both of them can operate at the same time. In this way you would have one anesthetic, one healing time, and although less important than an excellent result but still a... more

A: Combining Surgery: Facelift with a Blepharoplasty / Eyelid Tuck

By Raffy Karamanoukian, MD - Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

The decision to proceed with a cosmetic surgical procedure is often difficult for the patient. In terms of the procedures you wish to undergo, speak directly with an experienced and board certified plastic surgeon to understand the risks, benefits, and complexities of each anatomic area. Fortunately, in the... more

A: Mini lift and blepharoplasty at the same time

By Gregory Turowski, MD, PhD - Chicago Plastic Surgeon

First of all I would strongly recommend finding experienced board certified plastic surgeon who can perform mini facelift and upper blepharoplasty at the same time. There is no reason to do it separately. The advantage is one recovery time from both procedures, also going under the general anesthesia only... more

A: We are plastic surgeons and we are proud!

By Robert M. Freund, MD - New York City Plastic Surgeon

Upper blepharoplasty is a routine procedure. As a plastic surgeon it is one of the easiest to get right (not so for the lower lid blepharoplasty). In contrast, there are many different techniques for a face lift or mini-face lift. In any case a good plastic surfeon will be able to perform both at the same time... more

A: Make sure you don't need a forehead lift.

By Toby G. Mayer, MD - Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Though upper eyelid skin resection is "simple", most patients can "kill two birds with one stone" by having a forehead lift. Very often we see patients who have been told the skin of the upper lid can be removed, but their brows will still make them look old, angry and tired. You can eliminate both the brow... more

A: Chosing your procedures can be difficult

By Richard W. Westreich, MD - Manhattan Facial Plastic Surgeon

There is no anatomical or medical reason why one of these should be done before the other. Upper eyelid blepharoplasty and facelifting are distinct procedures anatomically. This means that one will not influence the other in any way shape or form. Most patients will chose to have them done simultaneously in... more

More answers to Which procedure to do first?
Boston - Eyelid surgery before facelift if you want separate procedures
Chicago - Facelift and eyelid rejuvenation make an excellent combination
New York City - Stick with one surgeon
Seattle - Get the right doctor and do them both together and have one recovery
Thousand Oaks - Two for One, or One for All?

Comments

What are your priorities?
unregistered guest

10 Dec 2008

I might first ask why you are having two different surgeons doing the procedure? Most board-certified plastic surgeons are capable to do facelift and upper blepharoplasties simultaneously. Often it helps to have a cohesive, harmonizing game plan from one surgeon rather than two separate surgeons unless there is a reason why a precedure might be outside the expertise of the other surgeon. If you insist on doing the surgeries in two different stages with two different surgeons, and since the two areas are anatomically separate (although you might ask each if they are not encroaching on the region the others is operating on), it depends on what procedure holds the great benefit to you. Usually you do the procedure that gives you the greatest bang for your buck or the procedure that holds the greatest importance to you. That way, if something happens to prevent you from doing the second, you get your first priority surgery done first.