“There
is no doubt that the
total body
makeover is the
future of
cosmetic surgery”
Despite the
current hype surrounding “extreme makeovers”, plastic surgeon,
Dr. Grant Stevens has been
combining multiple
procedures in one session for
over a decade. He tells Sophie
Gordon why the total body
makeover is the future of
cosmetic surgery.
Because of the advances
in anesthesia, intraoperative
and postoperative
monitoring,
plastic surgeons are now
able to combine surgeries that required
two or three separate sessions just a
few years ago. Dr. Grant Stevens, has
performed over 300 combined
surgeries.
He explains, “These
complete makeovers have been
studied and proven to have no more
complications than any individual
procedure on its own. In the combined
surgeries I have performed, I have
never had a patient require a
transfusion or hospitalization.”
The most common combined
procedures of body work are tummy
tucks (adominoplasty), liposuction and
breast augmentation, breast lift or
breast reduction. “Some patients wish
to have breast augmentation along with
abdominoplasty. Occasionally, patients
undergo abdominoplasty, breast
surgery and facelift procedures at
once,” says Dr. Stevens. “This type of
surgery takes approximately five to six
hours to perform and requires around
ten days of recovery time.”
By combining surgery, patients
benefit by only one recovery period,
and can usually enjoy a reduction in
fees. “This means they are only away
from their jobs, their commitments and
their home for one stretch at a time,”
explains Dr. Stevens. “Additionally, they
can save at least thirty percent of what
they would have paid had they
undergone separate procedures.”
Dr. Stevens has reviewed his
experiences of combined surgery and has
found no cases that exceeded six hours. “There is some evidence that suggests
procedures exceeding six hours may have
more complications,” he warns.
It is, of course, extremely important to
be in excellent physical health before
committing to five or six hours under an
anesthesia. “The medical contraindications
are the same as with any
elective cosmetic procedure. No smokers,
heart disease, auto-immune disorders, or
uncontrolled diabetes,” says Dr. Stevens.
He is adamant, however, that if the
patient is in good shape physically, he can
perform combined surgery on any healthy
person regardless of age. “There are very
healthy seventy-year-old patients and there
are forty-year-old patients who smoke. I’d
prefer to operate on an older person in
near perfect health than the latter.”
Do you find yourself short on time but
have high demands? Combined surgery
can satisfy this desire for efficiency. “If
anyone is considering multiple
procedures, doing them at once can
minimize costs and save a lot of time,”
Dr. Stevens reiterates. “There is no doubt
that the total body makeover is the
future of cosmetic surgery.”
AA&CSM
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