Can a myeloma survivor have plastic surgery?

Question

I was diagnosed with myeloma. I had chemotherapy in 2013 & 2015. I have not had any more problems since (other than I gained so much weight during the illness) I am seeking to have TT, BBL, and 360 Lipo. I cannot find any cases of survivors having plastic surgery other than mastectomy. Is plastic surgery not an option for me? I have survived the worst of everything and was stripped of the opportunity to have kids due to the myeloma treatment at 35. I am healthy & all of my labs are normal now.

Nelson Castillo, MD · Answer

Thank you for sharing your question.  Assuming you have been cleared for surgery by your oncologist, and you are an otherwise good candidate for surgery, you should be able to pursue a plastic surgery procedure.  Hope this helps.

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

Hello, thank you for your question. Your board certified plastic would require a medical clearance from your doctor, if you are in good health, you should be a  good candidate for cosmetic surgery.

Tim Neavin, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Yes you can still have surgery after a myeloma removal with proper clearance. I would advise you to schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon for a detailed examination to discuss all possible treatment options and what your expectations are.

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

congratulations on your cure! You can certainly get plastic surgery if any kind although clearance from your cancer doctor would be a good idea.

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear Gottoloveme2017,
you might need a clearance from your doctor prior to surgery. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

I would recommend beginning by speaking to your oncologist about the desire for elective plastic surgery.  If given medical clearance you can then proceed by scheduling a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon.  If you are healthy and an overall good candidate for the procedures you mentioned, you should be able to have surgery.

Chad Robbins, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question.   I don't see why you couldn't have surgery.  If you are still seeing an oncologist , your PS might just want medical clearance.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

I don’t think your cancer history will prevent you or put you at significantly higher risk from cosmetic surgery.The first person to check with is your oncologist and primary care doctors. There’s a good chance your plastic surgeon will want medical clearance from either or both of those providers.The next step is to determine if you’re a good candidate for these procedures and find the right plastic surgeon who can deliver the best results in your area.Personally I would suggest doing these as two separate procedures. Personally I think doing those together is a bit much.It’s possible that your previous history and previous treatments may put you at a theoretical slight increased risk for something but most likely you will be just like anybody else Which I’m sure it’s what you really want.Outcomes from these procedures vary quite a bit based on both the skill of the surgeon and the individual candidacy of the patient.understanding what type of candidate you are will help set expectations which has a lot to do with how patients feel about the outcome down the road. (This is really important)Finding the best plastic surgeon may require finding someone who is great at a BBL and another who is great at tummy tucks. Perhaps you can find someone who is really terrific at both procedures.finding the best plastic surgeons requires time and effort. It requires meeting surgeons in person and having extensive consultations. You need to review lots of before and after pictures that the surgeon has to present and you should see clear evidence that this provider has done these procedures hundreds and preferably thousands of times.Read the reviews on all the various websites including vitals, health grades, rate MD, yelp, Google and real self. Providers who do not manipulate reviews will have an equal distribution on number of reviews on the various websites. Having hundreds of reviews shows more evidence of potential manipulation especially if they are skewed Towards one or two websites.  read all the bad reviews and see if there is a consistent theme.  highly motivated people seem to be able to get in Normas numbers of positive reviews quite easily. My dentist is superb and has been in practice for 30 years but only has three reviews. Maybe his clientele is a little older. When I see someone who’s been in practice for two years and they have several hundred reviews than big? Pop up in my mind.During the consultation did the surgeon explain things thoroughly. Did they talk about complications? Did they tell you what type of results you can get and they show you pictures of comparable patients that have similar characteristics to your own?most patients cannot change their candidacy so that variable is set. You can choose which provider you go to and it makes a big difference.talk to your medical doctors and have a few in person consultations to start. If you’re not sure then just keep having more consultations with board-certified plastic surgeons who have extensive experience specifically with the BBL procedure.(most plastic surgeons do a pretty nice job with tummy tucks but with this to some are much better than others)Best, Mats Hagstrom MD

Can a myeloma survivor have plastic surgery?

Answers (8)