Scared of Anesthesia for Mommy Makeover

The risk of anesthesia when patients undergo cosmetic
surgery is relatively low. Despite this,
it’s not unusual for patients to have significant anxiety about going to sleep.In your
case, the combination of tummy tuck, breast augmentation, breast lift,
liposuction, thigh lift and arm lift may be overly aggressive.When these procedures are performed in
combination, safety has to be the first priority. For
this reason, we believe that the length of the procedure should never exceed 4
to 6 hours.Complications from surgery
increase significantly when these numbers are exceeded.An experienced surgeon and surgical team that
focus on efficiency can minimize the length of the surgical procedure.Even when these steps are taken, it may not
be appropriate to perform this many procedures at the same time.Under these circumstances, it’s probably
appropriate to stage these procedures.If
you’re considering this type of surgical combination, it’s appropriate to
consult a board certified plastic surgeon.This surgeon should be able to formulate a treatment plan that addresses
your anatomic findings and achieves your aesthetic goals.

Thank you for reaching out and expressing your concerns about undergoing anesthesia for your mommy makeover. It is completely normal to feel scared and anxious about anesthesia, but please rest assured that anesthesia has come a long way over the years and is now safer than ever before. As a board-certified plastic surgeon, I work with MD board-certified anesthesiologists who have extensive training and experience in administering anesthesia safely and effectively.

As for the timing of your procedures, it is possible to combine multiple procedures into one surgery, but it ultimately depends on your individual health and medical history. During your consultation, we will assess your medical history, current health, and the extent of the procedures you want to undergo to determine if it is safe and feasible to combine them into one surgery or if it would be better to break them up into separate procedures.

I understand that you have young children, and it is important to take the necessary time to heal and recover properly before resuming normal activities such as lifting and caring for your children. I recommend waiting 6-8 weeks before returning to any strenuous activities and lifting more than 10 pounds. This will allow your body to fully heal and recover, and reduce the risk of any complications.

Please know that we will take every measure possible to ensure your safety and comfort during your surgery and anesthesia. If you have any further concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to bring them up during your consultation. Thank you again for considering me for your mommy makeover, and I wish you all the best in your journey towards achieving your desired results.

Sincerely,
Dr. Katzen

The Mommy Makeover is a combination of procedures to bring a woman’s body back to the way she looked prior to pregnancy. Most commonly some variation of a #TummyTuck and #BreastSurgery are performed. Additional procedures can include liposuction, umbilical hernia repair.  The most common #breastprocedures include #mastopexy or #breastlift, #breastaugmentation, or #breastreduction.    

#Combining these procedures decreases anesthetics, costs, and recovery time.  All surgical procedures carry some degree of #risk. Always discuss your issues and concerns with the Plastic Surgeon during and following your consultation. Information that you read online may not apply to your personal situation.It is imperative you select a plastic surgeon who is #board-certified and has a great deal of experience with the procedures included with a Mommy Makeover. . Aside from checking board-certification, it is suggested that you look at before and after photos of the surgeons actual patients, and read patient reviews. Gathering all of this information will help you make a well-informed decision.

It's normal and common to be a little fearful of anesthesia.  But modern anesthesia, with a well-trained board-certified MD anesthesiologist or CRNA in attendance is very safe, when done in an accredited surgical facility.  Most people have a very smooth wake-up from anesthesia, with a very low risk of issues or problems, provided their state of health is good.

You have an extensive list of procedures that you would like to have.  Try to prioritize these, as it won't be possible to do them safely and well in just one procedure.  I like to keep the length of anesthesia under 6-6.5 hours, for my patients.

 

All the best,

As long as you're having your procedure done by qualified individuals, eg board certified anesthesiologists and plastic surgeons, you should be in good hands. 

No need to be "scared," just continue learning more about the procedure(s) you are considering.  Whether or not they can all be done at one sitting depends on the degree of correction needed in each area.  For safety, be sure your procedure is scheduled in a fully accredited surgery center or office operating facility (or even hospital).  All members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons must operate only in such facilities, so seeing an ASPS surgeon assures you the highest standard of safety available.

I would definitely break up those procedures into two different days for a variety of reasons. The main reason is for safety and to reduce the incidence of developing a blood clot in your legs-deep vein thrombosis (DVT).  I would do the tummy tuck and your breasts on one day followed several weeks later by the thigh and arm lift.  Please obtain medical clearance from your primary care physician prior to scheduling this type of surgery.

Consult with a board certified plastic surgeon who can outline the surgical plan and tailor it to your specific anatomy and your needs.

Best wishes,

Dr. Bruno

Your concerns are valid but if you do everything right i.e. pick the right surgeon, have surgery in an accredited facility, follow the instructions after surgery etc the risks are quite minimal. Thousands of people around the world have this surgery every day and wake up after surgery without any problems. Your surgery list is too long/too much for a single procedure and probably unsafe.

Looking at that photos I am not sure you need arm and inner thigh lifts. I do not think the minimal improvement will justify the necessary degree of skin scarring. My suggestion would be abdominoplasty & liposuction of the areas of concern at a first stage and breast surgery at a later stage. If you open the outer corners of the abdominoplasty skin excision you will get some thigh lifting and tightening. With liposuction you will get some shrinkage of the overlying skin given that the current skin condition is not excessive.

Lastly in my opinion it is a little too early after pregnancy to start the surgery. I prefer to wait 6 months after weight loss has stabilized for body work and 12 months after stopping breast feeding for breast work. Some surgeons prefer more time others prefer less.  Based on my experience I would not require additional weight loss before surgery since you are not morbidly obese as long as the weight has been stable for more than 6 months.

I understand your concern.   As long as you let your surgeon's office know about your ENTIRE health history and habits and you have a clean health history, you have nothing to worry about.  #1 reason not to worry is that if you are going to a board certified anesthesiologist, they will let you know the maxumum time you can go under general anesthesia.  You will be carefully monitored. 

Thank you for the question.

Your concerns are natural  and commonly experienced prior to surgery.

Assuming you are working with a board certified plastic surgeon and board-certified anesthesiologists in a fully accredited  surgery center/hospital ( and have had medical clearance prior to surgery)  you will be extremely likely to have a safe procedure.

If I were you I would break up the planned procedures into 2 stages.

I hope this helps.