Rhinoplasty or breast lift with implants, easier recovery?

Question

I am a 21 year old mother to a 14 month old. I have wanted both a rhinoplasty and breast implants since before I had my daughter. My breasts have drooped no is w after having her as is normal. But I was wondering, which recovery would be more manageable for a stay at home mom to a toddler, the rhinoplasty or breast augmentation? Or would it be better for me to wait a few years until she is in school. Thank you!

Manish H. Shah, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello mlsrankin,Thanks for your question.Having three children myself, I know how buy the toddler years are for a young parent.When I was a chief resident in general surgery, I had three kids in diapers!In general both rhinoplasty and breast implants are fairly easy surgeries to recover from.  That being said, I think that rhinoplasty would be the easier recovery in your situation.The reason I say this is that with breast implants and breast lift, there are a large number of restrictions to the use of your upper arms in the early weeks after surgery.  Taking care of a toddler requires your arms in so many ways: lifting, feeding, bathing, laundry, cooking, play, etc.  To avoid complications, you need to be compliant with your surgeon's post-surgery instructions.  Because of pain or discomfort in your chest wall for several weeks after surgery, it may not be easy to drive a child to daycare or the doctor, etc.  Finally, you are really young.  Have you decided you are done ever having any other children?  This question is important because having children after breast implant and lift surgery can change your breast remarkably, necessitating revision breast surgery.With rhinoplasty surgery, the recovery in all aspects tends to be quicker.  Pain goes away faster in general.  Physical restriction periods are shorter for some activities.  You have full use of your arms from day one.  Other than changes due to aging and trauma, your rhinoplasty results are not changed by the number of future children that you may have.  The one caution I give my rhinoplasty patients with young children, is that they must be careful to watch for how the child might push up with their legs when sitting in your lap.  When they thrust, they often smack their little heads into your nose!If you are fortunate enough to have great support, in theory, you could perform either procedure, or both at the same time, because you could rest and allow yourself the time and space to heal safely.I hope this helped?Thanks,Dr. Shah

Young R. Cho, MD, PhD · Answer

Thank you for your question. You definitely want to follow your own 
surgeon's post-op activity instructions. This is a general guide I give 
to my patients as to the recovery after breast surgery:Week 1)  Discomfort and tightness 
level progressively decreases with each day.  Swelling decreases a great
 deal after one week.  Most people return to work in some capacity.Week
 2)  Unlikely to need any narcotic support except maybe at night.  
Swelling and tightness continues to improve compared to week 1Weeks 
3-6)  May need tylenol or ibuprofen for intermittent discomfort. 
Swelling completely resolved.  Tightness may continue as the implants 
over an additional few months into their final position.   As far as activity, here is a safe guide:1)  No heavy lifting or strenuous activity for 6 weeks (a gallon of milk as a guide).2)  Resume walking at a leisurely pace right after surgery (e.g. 2 mph)3)  At 2 weeks, you can walk 2 miles at 2mph4)  At 3 weeks, you can walk 3 miles at 3mph5)  At 4 weeks, you can walk 4 miles at 4mph6)  At 5 weeks, you can jog 5 miles at 5mph7)
  At 6 weeks, you can resume all activities, but listen to your body and
 use discomfort or tightness as a guide so you don't over do it. So
 as far as the little ones, I would recommend having help for basic 
needs like lifting into the car seat.  You can cuddle with them while 
you are sitting down, but you should avoid the tendency to multitask 
with one child in your arms while you are busy doing other tasks.In contrast, a rhinoplasty really requires limited contact with the nose for first week or two and can be protected with an external splint.  You won't be restricted to lifting as much as a breast lift procedure so caring for your child should be much easier.

Gregory Mesna, MD, FACS · Answer

Most patients would report that the recovery following a rhinoplasty is easier than the recovery following a breast augmentation. However we have single moms with toddlers and infants that undergo either of these procedures on a regular basis. It usually comes down to the patient's priorities, support system, goals, etc. Both your nose and your breasts will continue to change so I would encourage you to have a couple of consultations with Board Certified Plastic Surgeons to help you decide if, when, or what procedures might be right for you.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

If you are concerned about the amount of recovery time, both procedures could be performed at same time under one anesthetic with one recovery period. In our practice,  the rhinoplasty procedure is not  very painful due to the fact that we did not place any packing/splints the inside of the nose, and use closed rhinoplasty techniques. Rhinoplasty is one of  the hardest procedures to perform in the entire field of cosmetic surgery so choose your rhinoplasty surgeon wisely

Richard W. Fleming, MD (retired) · Answer

Recovery in the immediate post-op period is similar; depending on the patient the rhinolasty is probably a little easier. Does a 21 year old lady who may decide to have more children want to do breast surgery at this time?

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Rhinoplasty or breast lift with implants, easier recovery?

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Answer: Rhinoplasty and breast lift with implants

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