Increased Risk in Combining Tummy Tuck and Breast Lift?

One pearl of knowldege I learned long ago is that "combination does not mean complication" if you select the proper patient and use an adequate facility.  You can avoid the jam of having 2 surgeries, 2 downtimes, 2 exposures to anesthesia and higher expense if you opt for a combination procedure.

Hello! Thank you for your question! These procedures can be effectively and safely performed in one setting. The breasts and tummy tuck are commonly performed together, often referred to as the "mommy makeover". If you are healthy and your surgeon decides that s/he could perform the procedures in a safe time for you, these procedures certainly can be done in one stage. 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. It is your decision as to whether you have your procedures performed in one or multiple stages, but your surgeon will give his/her recommendations. I would consult with a plastic surgeon well-versed in these procedures and discuss your concerns with your surgeon and see what your options are as well as have an examination. Your safety is ultimately the most important factor and is always on the mind of your surgeon when making such decisions. Hope that this helps! Best wishes for a wonderful result!

Hi there-
The combination of a Tummy Tuck and Breast Lift (or Breast Augmentation, for that matter) is fairly standard practice in many centers, and in fact is so commonly performed as to have been given nicknames like the "Mommy Makeover".
It would be difficult to answer your question definitively without knowing more details, but if you are a healthy person and a good candidate for the procedures in question, doing them together makes a great deal of sense by lowering your costs and combining your recovery- and should not increase risks to you significantly.
Congratulations on your new body- I hope it's everything you wanted it to be!

It is always safer to perform smaller operations, so combing two large procedures does increase the risks. In my mind, the most serious increased risk of combining the two procedures is that the possibility of venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism increases with longer surgical times. That being said, operations lasting less than 6 hours are relatively safe, and combining a tummy tuck with a breast reduction is quite common. Speak with your individual surgeon to review the risks and ask how long it would take them to perform the combined procedure.
Dr.B

We combine Tummy Tuck and Breast Lift (Mastopexy) with or without implants all the time in our practice in Memphis. This commonly done combination procedure falls under the grouping of cosmetic procedures known as MOMMY MAKEOVER operations.
All things being equal, assuming you have no preexisting health issues, the only real determinant of surgical risk is the duration of the procedure , in other words, time in the OR. The longer the procedure, the higher the risk of blood clot formation in your veins and the higher the chance of these clots going to the lungs (IE pulmonary emboli). Most board certified Plastic surgeons are very aware of this and take precautions to reduce this risk.
I hope this answers your question.

All surgical procedures have some risks. Combining two surgical procedures such as a breast lift and a tummy tuck can increase risks associated with bleeding, infection, anesthetic risks, and deep venous thrombosis, among other things.
Having said that, a breast lift and tummy tuck combination is a very common procedure. I recomend that you discuss the options and increased risks with your surgeon. Be specific.
Ask the surgeon how many combination cases he/she performs. How long will the procedure take? What have been the outcomes?What additional steps if any do they take to help guard against these increased risks?
Good luck.

If I have a patient who needs both procedures, I will routinely do them at the same time. The total time for me is less than 4 hours so it is a reasonable and safe combination to do. 

Although TT and breast lift &/or augmentation are commonly performed together, there is a slight increase in risks with the extended anesthesia time. There is a wide variation in operating times among surgeons. Generally, however, the economic and other benefits (recovery time,etc.) far outweigh the increase risks for most patients.