Mommy Makeovers: Safety Facts You Need

October 22, 2009
Mommy makeover Beverly Hills

If you’re like most of my patients, you’ve probably heard about “Mommy Makeover” combined procedures, but you probably haven’t heard much about why these procedures are safe to combine. Along with several of my colleagues, I recently updated a study (initially published in 2006) that evaluated complications following combined breast surgery and abdominoplasty. We found that the combined procedures performed at Marina Outpatient Surgery Center over the period of the review were safe and effective, with complication and revision rates similar to standalone procedures.

The Rumor

Some people might assume that combining procedures could lead to increased risk – twice the surgery, twice the risk, right? Not necessarily. While this may be true of some combined procedures out of the scope of our study, it was not the case for the combined abdominoplasty/breast enhancement surgery cases we reviewed.

The Reality

We tracked the complication rates for hundreds of women who received breast enhancement (augmentation, reduction, lift, and removal or replacement of breast implants) combined with a Beverly Hills tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) at our Southern California practice. What we found is that not one patient experienced life-threatening complications such as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. The overall complication rate (34%) and revision rate (13%) were very similar to those reported for individual procedures.

As always, it’s important to point out that any surgical procedure carries inherent risk. However, the conclusion that may be drawn from this study is that, all other factors such as physician skill and surgical facilities being equal, combining breast enhancement with a tummy tuck does not appear to be significantly riskier than performing breast enhancement or a tummy tuck alone. This is good news for many patients because combining procedures can be more affordable and lead to a quicker recovery.

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