If you have to split the two surgeries up of tummy tuck and breast lift, which is better to do first?

I always start with the breasts. The breast lift pulls the upper abdominal skin and may minimize the amount of dissection for the tummy tuck. If you do the tummy tuck first it will pulls the breasts lower making it more difficult to lift the breasts as high as possible.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Hi, thank you for sharing your question. You do not have to split these up but if you prefer to, I would consider doing the tummy tuck first as this is a slightly tougher recovery. This is a personal preference and you may want to consult with your plastic surgeon to guide you.

Hi & thanks for your question.
These two procedures can be done at the same time. Schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon to discus your options. Best wishes!

Hello, Gmom! This can be understood in two ways. First, there is no 'absolute' correct answer as to which surgery should occur first. Planning for each of these steps is important, and they should fit into your home and work schedules. There is more pain and more downtime following the abdominal surgery. The lifting and mobility restrictions are correspondingly more severe and longer. In our practice, we advise patients that it may be 4-6 weeks before you can resume your normal activities, but we do not want patients exercising until 8 weeks, and strenuously exercising until 12 weeks. For most patients, the breast lift procedure is far easier postoperatively. There is less postoperative pain and it tends to resolve much more quickly (almost always). There is very little interruption of their normal activities such as walking, sitting, etc. There are limitations on using your upper body for several weeks, but much, much less that the tummy tuck. So these considerations should be taken into account. Second, that having been said, I would prefer to do the abdominal surgery first because the skin tightening will pull on the lower breast fold (the inframammary fold) and give me a better idea where the fold will be. Often the fold needs to be raised or lowered to achieve the correct proportions for the breast shape. Just some thoughts. Best of luck! Respectfully, Jules A Feledy, Jr, MD American Board of Plastic Surgery, American Society of Plastic Surgery

There's no right or wrong answer. However you might want to do first the thing that bothers you most in case there needs to be a delay for the other. Also bear in mind that the tummy tuck will take a longer recovery compared to the lift so it also would depend on how much time you have for recovery and what kind of work you do

Dear Gmom52,
I understand your concern. It is best however that you consult with a board certified plastic surgeon to determine whether you can have several aesthetic surgeries in one session, as this would depend on various factors including but not limited to your general health condition, the type of anesthesia that will be used, and the type of surgeries that will be performed among others.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

In my practice, we regularly perfom abdominoplasty and mastopexy together. In fact, many of my patients comment that the breast soreness is barely noticable compared to the abdominoplasty after having both procedures done simultaneously. I've actually had patients comment that they barely feel the breast pain because they're more focused on the abdominal pain and tightness that comes after abdominoplasty. That being said, the abdominoplasty is certainly the most intense recovery of any procedure we perfom. However, grouping these procedures together can be financially advantageous as it provides a discount in anesthesia and facility fees. It also provides a beatiful result that improves the silhouette.

I would recommend making a consultation appointment with a board certified plastic surgeon who can assess your anatomy and make appropriate recommendations in person. Hope this helps answer your question and best of luck in your future endeavors.

Thank you for your question. Without knowing any details about your medical history or physical findings, it is difficult to comment specifically. If enough time passes between your two procedures the order or sequence is irrelevant. An experienced plastic surgeon should be able to accomplish both for you under one anesthetic, which would allow you to recover from both simultaneously. If there are no specific contraindications to do both that would be my general recommendation.

Otherwise, you should probably make your decision based on which problem is most concerning to you and get that corrected first. Best of luck to you.

Thank you for sharing your question. As they are totally separate procedures it does not matter which procedure you elect to do first and I would base it on your availability for downtime, cost, and which matters more to you.

Combining procedures is common and considered safe within limits. The two procedures you are considering are often able to be done on the same surgical day. If you choose to split them up they can be performed in whichever order you prefer. The tummy tuck in general has a more complex recovery than the breast lift if that helps.