I need (want!) a facelift and tummy tuck. I understand that it would be unwise to do these in one day.

Question

How much time after a facelift would I would be able to have a tummy tuck. Looking at different specialists for each procedure. Thank you!

Jeffrey M. Darrow, MD · Answer

Surgery that lasts longer than 6 hours may increase risk to you.  Depending on what needs to be done for your abdominoplasty (diastasis repair, flank liposuction) and your facelift (mini vs full with platysma suturing), combining both can create a lengthy procedure.  Separating the procedures by at least a month would allow you recovery time so feel you have returned to normal before proceeding with the next.  The procedures may be done in either order, as you would be fully healed prior to the 2nd procedure if you waited a minimum of 1 month.  Always consult with a board certified plastic surgeon.  Best wishes.

Pedy Ganchi, MD · Answer

Hello,

There is no set rule, but generally speaking, it's best to have comfortably healed (back to all activities) from one surgery before undergoing another.  Most individuals who stage their procedures in our practice wait at least 3 months after a body procedure and about 6-8 weeks after facial procedures before undergoing anesthesia and secondary surgery.  Each surgery and patient has their unique healing timeline and patterns and suitability is best determined on a case by case basis.
I agree that combining the two procedures would be too lengthy and risky and staging them is most safe and appropriate.

Warm regards,
Dr. Pedy Ganchi
Village Plastic Surgery

Frank P. Fechner, MD · Answer

I would recommend 3 months of time between these procedures - starting with the face. Although medically you could do the abdominoplasty much earlier, emotionally you may find yourself in a better place for the second elective surgery if you wait a little longer.

Ben Lee, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. It is clear that surgical risk increases with time in the OR, especially with blood clots, etc.. Personally, I have always tried to limit OR time to 5 or 6 hours. I realize that many surgeons will schedule multiple cases for much longer, but I think patients do better overall by adhering to this limit. Few surgeons are capable of performing both an abdominoplasty and a facelift in this timeframe. Also consider that trying to heal a facelift and an abdominoplasty at the same time is a monumental task for your body. I would suggest that you space the two procedures by at least two months.

Robert M. Tornambe, MD · Answer

Northstar. A lot depends on your schedule and amount of time you can spare for recovery.  Generally speaking, recovery from Tummytuck takes a bit longer then facelift. But both require at least two weeks before normal activities can be resumed. Discuss all aspects of both procedures with your plastic surgeon. Best of luck.

John Michael Thomassen, MD · Answer

It is probably best to wait at least 4 weeks.  You should be fully healed after the facelift and except for being a little numb around the ears, be feeling normal and ready for another procedure.

Jonathan Zelken, MD · Answer

AS a rule of thumb, it is not safe to operate for more than 6 hours on an outpatient basis, making facelift (4 hour operation) compatible with a small handful of other related procedures (blepharoplasty, CO2, scar revision). A tummy tuck can take up to 3 hours and can increase your venous pressure adding risk to the facelift. I'm certain there are surgeons who would offer to do both but it's really not wise. Wait 3 months between. I hope this helps and can't wait to hear about the results of your extreme makeover!

William Portuese, MD · Answer

As long as you're in good health, the two procedures should be separated by at least one to two months to allow time for recovery from each procedure and anesthesia.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

I would probably wait at least 6 -8 weeks in between and do the facelift first. Id you do the tummy tuck first, you likely have to wait longer in between, because the tt will likely have more blood loss.

Deborah Ekstrom, MD · Answer

It is recommended to have at least 1 month in between general anesthesias to decrease risk of blood clots.  You need to be off any female hormones for at least 6 weeks before either surgery, if you take any.I'd suggest you do your tummy tuck first and your face lift second so the anesthesiologist can doesn't need to press a face mask against a newly operated face.

I need (want!) a facelift and tummy tuck. I understand that it would be unwise to do these in one day.

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