Combining Plastic Surgery Procedures to Enhance Results
May 10, 2012
You’ve booked your plastic surgery consultation appointment seeking options to improve one or more areas of your face. Your Minnesota facial plastic surgeon will evaluate and discuss a comprehensive plan that will help you meet these goals. Combining surgical and non-surgical procedures may be part of the plan. Is it right for you?
If your plastic surgeon determines that two surgical procedures would be necessary to achieve the desired effects you are looking for, there are some advantages to having them done at the same time. For example, if a patient is unhappy with the size of their nose, a surgeon may recommend rhinoplasty (nose surgery) to reduce the size of the nose, in addition to a chin implant to balance the proportions of the face. Rhinoplasty surgery to enhance the appearance of the nose can also be combined with septal work to correct nasal obstructions caused by an injury or natural development, which may be a nose surgery covered by health insurance. The patient could opt to have these performed separately; however, combining the procedures—recommended on a case-by-case basis—can offer certain benefits. They include: Less overall plastic surgery appointments, less time spent undergoing plastic surgery, overlap in your recovery from plastic surgery, less time off of work after plastic surgery, and less cost for plastic surgery due to decreased time needed for the plastic surgeon’s fee, anesthesia and operating room costs.
The ability to combine a surgical and non-surgical procedure at the same time depends on the combination. For example, if a patient is unhappy with the appearance of their neck, jaw line, and area around his or her mouth due to laugh lines, the facial plastic surgeon may recommend a facelift and dermal filler injection or fat graft injection. The facelift would reduce the sagging skin in the lower face and neck. The dermal filler would specifically target and improve the appearance of the laugh lines.
Combining minimally invasive treatments is quite common, although the advantages are not as dramatic as plastic surgery for the face. For example, a patient concerned with wrinkles between the brows and on the sides of the mouth (laugh lines), may decide to have Botox injections to treat the forehead wrinkles and a dermal filler to treat the laugh lines. While it is more efficient to get them done at the same time, there may not be a cost advantage.
Whether you are combining procedures or considering having them individually, the most important decision is finding a board-certified plastic surgeon with specialized training and experience to promote patient safety and comfort. You can ensure that you will be presented with all of the options to achieve natural and realistic results.
