Dr. Paul Pin is seeing an increasing number of patients that wish to combine plastic surgery procedures. In most of these cases, the procedures work together to help patients achieve their cosmetic goals. A good example of this would be combining a breast augmentation with a breast lift to improve both the shape and the size of the breasts, as well as the location of the nipple-areolar complex. In our example, the end result would be fuller, rounder breasts that sit higher on the chest wall.

Why Combine Procedures?

Patients may have any number of reasons for wishing to combine procedures. Nevertheless, the most common can be described as "in for a penny, in for a pound." In other words, the patient may opt to combine procedures simply because they are already slated to undergo one procedure, so it would seem to make sense to add on another procedure. As noted in the example above, patients may combine procedures that are closely related to gain the overall results they want.

In other instances, economics may drive the decision to combine procedures. Using our example again, combining a breast lift with an augmentation means that there will only be one fee for the surgery center where the procedure will be performed. It may also mean reduced fees for both the anesthesiologist and Dr. Pin, as multiple procedures will be done at the same time. Combining procedures can save patients on out-of-pocket expenses.

Common Combined Surgeries

There are several ways in which surgical procedures can be combined. Below are a few case examples of the results that patients might achieve from combined plastic surgeries.

Breast lift, breast reduction, and abdominoplasty: This case is perhaps the most common type of combined surgery. Here, the Before picture shows both excess abdominal skin and lack of muscle definition. In addition, the decrease in breast weight allowed the breasts to lose their shape and droop, to the point that the nipples point down instead of straight ahead.

Dr. Pin opted to lift the breasts to a higher position on the chest wall and reduce their size. The After photo shows that the breasts are fuller and the nipples have been repositioned to point outward. He also performed an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) to remove excess skin and tissue that is seen in the Before photo. The abdominal muscles were also tightened to provide better definition in the After photo.

Breast lift, breast augmentation, and abdominoplasty: This case is another example of commonly combined surgical procedures. The abdominoplasty and breast lift procedures were performed in a manner similar to the previous case, but an augmentation was performed instead of a reduction. Not only are the breasts higher on the chest wall, but they are larger and fuller, with the nipple structure pointing forward.

Breast lift, abdominoplasty, and arm lift: This case is an example of a patient who was looking for an overall change to her body contour. Following her gastric bypass surgery, this patient was left with excess skin in the abdominal region, saggy breasts, and flabby underarm skin. In addition to an abdominoplasty and breast lift, she underwent an arm lift to tighten up the appearance of the upper arms. Note that the upper arms in the After photo have a significantly sleeker contour than in the Before image.

Many patients that wish to combine cosmetic surgical procedures have undergone dramatic changes in the overall contours of the body, whether as a result of pregnancy or dramatic weight loss. Combining procedures allows these patients to get the results they want more quickly, as compared to undergoing multiple surgical procedures.