Question:
What do you think about a plastic surgeon who will only do one procedure at a time?

I was just approved for an abdominoplasty. I was also wanting lipo around my hips and thighs. (And a breast lift!) He said he will only do one procedure at at time, because he believes it is considerably more risky to do more than one. I know insurance won't pay for the Breast lift or the lipo, so I could really save money if I had it all done at once. He is the best surgeon in my area, the others are not highly recommended. I really don't want to travel far, like I did for my RNY. It was expensive to fly back for my followup appt.s. So I guess I should just suck it up and have just the TT done, since he does very nice work? Try to save pennies for the other procedures later?    — raye (posted on November 23, 2003)

November 23, 2003
I think you already know the answer to thise, don't you? (*grin*) You say he's the best surgeon in your area, so---trust his judgment.
   — MsBatt

November 23, 2003
I saw a plastic surgeon and scheduled surgery for 4 days later (he had a cancellation/opening) As the QUEEN of instant gratification, I was READY!.....I had second thoughts (thank God) because I had asked for this doctor's opinion, and he would ABSOLUTELY NOT give me one. It was black and white: "Here are the prices.. What do you want done?".....I decided for a "second" (or in this case, first) opinion. The second doctor was much more personable, and gave his opinion - as to what procedure would give me the "biggest bang for the buck." He was willing to do THREE procedures at once and send me home that day......sooooooooo I went for a third opinion. This third doctor is the one, in spite of my impatience and desires for it to be done NOW. The reasons: 1) He said that this is ELECTIVE surgery, and there is no reason to be "under" for too long. 2)There is no reason to "risk" a blood transfusion that is more likely on multiple procedures. 3)That you should see how you scar in hidden places before you proceed to arms or thighs where possible ugly scars may show. He even said he makes you wait 3-6 months between procedures....to build back up your blood count and energy and general health between procedueres. He also insists that patient spend one nite in the hospital after a tummy tuck or thighplasy (but not a breat aug/lift or arm lift) This man has ME and MY LIFE in mind! He's the one!
   — Debby M.

November 23, 2003
I think he is a very conservative surgeon that wants to make sure he does the best for you. I also got approval for abdominoplasty to be done in 2 stages because of strange anatomy and having so much skin to remove. I just found a new PS that I will actually have do the surgery, even though he wasn't the one I got my approval with. No big deal to change the doc with my insurance. I really wanted a lower body lift which I found out really does not exist. It's an abdominoplasty and lateral thigh lift done at the same time. At first he was balking at doing them at the same time but as we kept talking and he kept thinking out loud he came around to agreeing to do it on me. He has done it a number of times before but not on someone with as much skin as I have to remove. However, my problem is that once the panni is gone I will drop 2-3 pants sizes and my legs literally will not fit on any clothes. SO I do not know what I would do. The lateral thigh lift does a 360 degree cut and lipos the saddle bag area and butt etc and then pulls everything up and recontours it. It will be a 9 hour surgery. The more he talked through it he said that usually he does the abdominoplasty first and then a short time later comes back and does the LTL but then ends up tightening the abdomen again anyway, so he decided it really didn't matter and decided he would do them both at once. It was like I could see the wheels moving in his head as he was thinking how he would go about it. While he hasn't done the two procedures together on someone in my situation I do feel comfortable that he would not do it if he did not feel he could do an excellent job and keep me safe and the blood supply intact etc. He is very particular and a perfectionist. It was obvious when we were looking at pictures that he takes pride in his work and is not afraid to do a touch up if he's not happy with how it turned out. <p>The 2nd procedure will complete the upper section of the abdomen, the roll handing on the back at about bra height and the bra overflow skin on the side. He also said he would agree to do my arms at the same time. The biggest concern is doing too much in any one area and not getting the blood supply reestablished. You don't want to end up with dead skin. So if this is how he is most comfortable in doing it and you know his work is excellent then just accept it and let him do it his way. It's the same when I had WLS. I really wanted LAP but I wanted the particular surgeon more so I had to accept an open. Now it won't matter as I will end up with way more incisions all over after they are done rebuilding my body. I'm gonna have more anchor incisions that I can shake a stick at. <p>The total for the abdominoplasty and LTL done at the same time is $15,500. A very staggering number. I figure if they don't approve the LTL I will have to cover somewhere around $5000, but it will be worth it as it is the best way to deal with how I am built. Good Luck!
   — zoedogcbr

November 24, 2003
My friend had a breast lift w/ implants and a tummy tuck both done with 2 different surgeries. She did it this way b/c she couldn't afford the two procedures at the same time. She told me that she was glad to have the procedures done separately, b/c with a lift she was not able to use her arms to get up, thus she had to use her ABS. When she had her tummy tuck she had to use her arms b/c she couldn't use her abs. She felt that it would have been a lot more uncomfortable for her to have both procedures done at the same time b/c she wouldn't have been able to get up and down very well without using her arms or her abs. So I could understand if he didn't want to combine the tummy tuck and the lift, but depending on how much you wanted to have lipoed a third surgery does seem a little unnecessary. However, you do have to consider how long your going to be under b/c being under for a long time does apear to be a little dangerous. Best Wishes
   — Heather S.

November 29, 2003
hi my plastic surgeon told me that the tt takes 4 and a half hours and that is enough for him he only does one surgery a day because that is a long time and a lot on the back so i am glad that he only does one a day i want him to be well rested when he does that good luck rosemary
   — ROSEMARY A.

December 1, 2003
Not always an easy answer, but it has to do with the comfort level of the surgeon and his confidence in his anesthesiologist and postop care. I am very comfortable with both at my institution, and will therefore do a 7 hour case (usually T-tuck, lipo, and breast lift/reduction) ...my reasoning is that a second procedure means a second anesthetic, second chance for infection, a second recovery and immobiliation with blood clot risk, a separate time off work, and more out-of-pockete expense. But each doc will work within his own comfort zone.
   — DrL