This week’s Atlantic Coast Aesthetics Question of the Week is an important one, because it touches on a concern that many of our patients have: How soon is too soon to have cosmetic surgery after another procedure? The patient in question had an abdominal myomectomy and wants to know how long she should wait before having a mommy makeover. Dr. Thomas A. Pane, our Chief Medical Officer and founder, tackled this question in a recent Google Hangout to educate patients about the potential risks of taking on “too much, too fast” and also to discuss when it would be safe to undergo another medical procedure.
Dr. Pane said that in the case of an abdominal myomectomy, a common reason for the procedure is to remove fibroid tumors from the uterus. A great deal depends on upon how extensive the procedure was and how the patient recovers from it. For example, if the procedure was performed laproscopically and the patient recovered smoothly, there is typically no reason that a mommy makeover couldn’t be performed about 4-6 weeks post-op from the myomectomy. If the surgery required a larger incision or the patient did not, 2-3 months would be a more viable starting point.
A mommy makeover is not a minor procedure because of the amount of work to be done, according to Dr. Pane. A typical combination of procedures that makes up a mommy makeover includes a tummy tuck and breast lift or breast augmentation. Because of this, it is wise to be cautious about ensuring the patient has recovered from any previous procedures fully enough to not risk further insult or injury to the original surgical site(s).
One crucial factor in establishing a timeframe for undergoing cosmetic surgery after something like abdominal myomectomy involves the healing process. Each patient is a little different in how they recovery from surgery, tolerate anesthesia and so on. Some people heal faster from surgery and injury than others do. Likewise, some people have higher or lower pain thresholds than the average, longer or shorter healing spans, are more or less likely to show scars and are more or less susceptible to environmental factors such as air pollution, cigarette smoke, dust and other allergens that may retard the healing process.
Some of the factors that influence a patient’s ability to heal are genetic. For example, redheads have been shown in clinical trials to have a higher innate tolerance for painkillers and anesthesia than blondes or brunettes. However, just because a given patient has a certain blood, skin or phenotype does not automatically mean that patient will respond to a given procedure in the exact same way as someone else who “on paper” is identical to the patient. Every patient and every human body is a little bit different, which means that medical history becomes the best and often the only reliable predictor of how a patient can be expected to recover after surgery.
Another factor that can drastically affect post-operative recovery is aftercare. The patient needs to be very aware of things that don’t look or feel “right.” This could mean that the surgical area is more painful or tender to the touch, or begins to show signs of abnormal redness, drainage or infection. Following postoperative directions is important to help prevent such problems, but sometimes they can and do happen anyway. When these indicators do occur, it is important for the patient to pay attention to what their body is trying to say and arrange a follow-up visit as soon as possible to ensure everything is all right.
Before considering cosmetic surgery, it is always a good idea to review your medical history and charts with any physicians you already see. During an in-person consultation, the surgeon will ask about your previous history, and the more information you can give, the more likely it is that the option and prognosis for recovery will be accurate and in line with what you should expect as far as recovery time and overall results.
If you’d like to know more about anything concerning cosmetic surgery, Dr. Pane and the staff of Atlantic Coast Aesthetics invite you to call us at (561) 422-4116, email us at https://acplasticsurg.com or follow our Facebook page! We believe that allowing patients to ask questions facilitates a dialogue and patient education, both of which help our patients make the best possible decisions about their bodies and the care they receive. Your question might even be ACA’s next Question of the Week, so remember, the only bad question is the one you don’t ask!