My Doctor Wants To Split My Lift And Implants Into Two Surgeries, Is This Normal?

Thank you for the question.

This is not a question agreed-upon by all plastic surgeons. There are good plastic surgeons who will insist on doing the procedures separately and there are good plastic surgeons who can produce excellent outcomes in a single stage.

The combination breast augmentation / mastopexy surgery differs from breast augmentation surgery alone in that it carries increased risk compared to either breast augmentation or mastopexy surgery performed separately. Furthermore, the potential need for revisionary surgery is increase with breast augmentation / mastopexy surgery done at the same time.

In my opinion, the decision  to do the operation in a single or two  staged fashion becomes a judgment call made by a surgeon after direct examination of the patient.  For me, if I see a patient who needs a great degree of lifting, who has lost a lot of skin elasticity, or  whose goal is a very large augmentation then I think it is best to do the procedures in 2 stages (in order to avoid serious complications). However, doing the procedure one stage does increase the risks of complications in general and the potential need for further surgery. This increased risk must be weighed against the practical benefits of a single stage procedure (which most patients would prefer).

Conversely, if I see a patient who requires minimal to moderate lifting along with a small to moderate size augmentation (and has good skin quality), then doing the procedure one stage is much safer. Nevertheless, the potential risks  are greater with a 1 stage  procedure and the patient does have a higher  likelihood of needing revisionary surgery.

I hope this helps.

Hello! Thank you for your question! These two procedures can and effectively and safely performed in one setting.  Staging the procedures to have
them performed at various times will likely not have any cost benefit
for you. When you combine procedures, there is often a discount that is
provided by the surgeon for multiple procedures. Also, when having
multiple procedures performed at the same time, you save on anesthesia
and facility fees, which otherwise are paid for with each individual
procedure. In addition, you may benefit by the single recovery time. However, your plastic surgeon will have to determine for you if the viability of the breast as well as nipple-areolar complex may be placed at jeopardy if done at the same time.  For this reason, it would be wise to stage these procedures.Certainly it is you decision as to whether
you have your procedures performed in one or multiple stages, but your surgeon will give his/her recommendations.   I would
discuss your concerns with your surgeon and see what your options are.
Hope that this helps! Best wishes for a wonderful result!

The augmentation/mastopexy in one procedure is desirable for most women because of reduced cost and going under anesthesia once.  The outcome is harder to predict for challenging cases - where there is a heavy degree of breast sag (ptosis) or when the degree of desired augmentation is high.  Staging the lift and breast augmentation surgery is a very safe approach to getting the best aesthetic result.  I would make sure that you feel comfortable with your surgeons assessment, and also seek another opinion if you are unsure.  Good luck.