Combining Cosmetic Procedures- 3 Situations Where It’s Not Safe

More and more people are turning to cosmetic surgery to help them achieve their desired looks. Plastic surgeons will often recommend multiple procedures to help refine and transform a patient's body.

It is common for multiple procedures to be combined into one surgical event in an effort to save the patient money and minimize the amount of recovery time. Unfortunately, not all cosmetic surgeries can be safely combined.

Here are three situations where it's not safe to combine procedures.

1. High Risk of Infection

Infection is always a potential complication with any surgical procedure. The number of patients who suffer from serious infections following a cosmetic procedure is low, but there are certain patients who may have a higher risk of developing this type of complication.

Studies have shown that individuals who are overweight, who smoke cigarettes, and who have diabetes are more susceptible to infection. If you have one of these risk factors, it isn't safe to perform more than one cosmetic procedure at a time.

Multiple procedures will only increase the risk of infection.

2. Extended Surgical Time

A plastic surgeon will need to carefully evaluate the amount of surgical time needed to complete each procedure before agreeing to combine procedures for a patient. The longer a patient is under anesthesia and on the operating table, the greater the risk of complications becomes.

Extended surgical time could result in complications like infection or bleeding. To avoid subjecting patients to these risks, a plastic surgeon will only combine short procedures with one another.

Two cosmetic procedures that will require several hours each to complete will not be combined to help minimize surgical time.

3. Conflicting Surgical Locations

The location of each surgical procedure will also be a factor in determining whether or not procedures can be safely combined into a single surgery.

As a general rule, plastic surgeons won't combine any face and body procedures in a single session. This is because facial fluid is considered "dirty" and could contaminate surgical sites on the body if contact is made.

Surgical sites that will impede a patient's healing will also be separated to prevent serious complications. The safest procedures to combine are those that are located in close proximity to one another.

Discuss the benefits and risks of combining surgical procedures with your plastic surgeon so that you will be able to ensure your cosmetic alterations are completed as safely as possible.

Contact a local plastic surgeon to learn more.


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