Usually 2–3 procedures can be safely combined.
A Mummy Makeover is a dream come true for countless mothers – the idea of a one-stop surgery that uncovers the secret to your pre-pregnancy body! And why not? One surgery, one anesthesia, and one recovery period to transform your belly, breasts, and figure are certainly convenient. But, the reality is that the physical trauma inflicted needs to be within the body’s capacity to recover. At Lin Europe Clinic, we are often compelled to tell patients that a transformation from head to toe cannot be done in a single day. We value your survival and healthy recovery over the convenience of a ‘mega-session.’
The question, “how many surgeries at once?” is ultimately answered by the amount of operating time and surface area and not the number of procedures. The typical “sweet spot” for medical safety in elective cosmetic surgery is four to six hours. Passing the six-hour mark, surgery comes with an increased statistical risk of complications like infection, blood clots, and fluid shifts. We help you identify the lineup that would yield maximum results without being unsafe.
The “Time on Table” Rule
The longest time under general anesthesia is the greatest risk to your safety. Anesthesia today is very safe; however, being still for long periods is still risky. The more time the body spends asleep on an operating table, the worse the blood circulation becomes, and thus the risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE) increases. Moreover, prolonged exposure to the operating room lowers the body temperature (hypothermia), which in turn diminishes the blood’s clotting capacity and the immune system’s infection-fighting ability.
This is why we set the length of your Mummy Makeover operation strictly within a safe limit. A combination of Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) and Breast Lift with Implants takes about four to five hours on average. This is good enough to be comfortably within the safety window. On the other hand, you would be looking at an eight to nine-hour operation if you decided to add a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL), 360-degree liposuction, and an arm lift to the same session. This is a risk we will not be willing to take for you.
Blood Loss and Hemoglobin Levels
Every cut in surgery results in a certain amount of bleeding. Although the surgeon cauterizes the area to stop the bleeding straight away, if you get a bunch of large-surface-area procedures, for instance, liposuction and tummy tuck, this could lead to your hemoglobin level dropping drastically. Should the level of your blood cells become dangerously low, then you may require a blood transfusion, which will bring about its own problems and delays in your recovery.
Liposuction especially has to be restricted when open surgeries co-exist because there are very few inches of skin from which both fat and fluid can be safely removed while your body is simultaneously operating to heal a large abdominal incision. To make sure that you will not lose control of your fluid balance during the time of operation and recovery, we figure out the maximum quantity of aspirate (fat taken away) relative to your weight and thereby only let you aspirate the level which keeps your fluid balance intact.
The Mobility Paradox
How you are going to function in recovery is something you need to think about as well. You will have to move and walk during recovery so that blood clots can be prevented. Should you combine so many procedures that you make it impossible for yourself to move, you would have become an extremely helpless person. For example, a tummy tuck (you won’t be able to stand up straight), a BBL (you won’t be able to sit), and an arm lift (you won’t be able to use your arms to do things) result in a totally helpless person.
This level of disablement isn’t just inconvenient; it’s dangerous. The risk of pneumonia and blood clots increases dramatically when you’re bedbound. We limit the combination of surgeries for the sake of your mobility, so you’ll still be able to do simple things such as going to the bathroom on your own, feeding yourself, and walking around the room. By staging the transformation, you will maintain your independence and dignity during the period of healing.
The Benefits of Staging
In case your aesthetic goals go beyond what can be safely achieved within six hours, we advise that you break down your surgeries or “stage” them. The result would be that your transformation is in two separate trips of at least three to six months apart. Thus, you could carry out your first “trunk” (tummy and breasts) and your second trip would be for “extremities” (arms, thighs, and liposuction).
Staging permits each area to heal separately and therefore better scars and fewer complications are the usual results. It also makes it possible for the surgeon to intensify the treatment in each operation. When doing everything at once, we often have to be conservative to save time. When surgeries are carried out separately, more work and full attention can be given to each area.
Mummy Makeover in Turkey
The decision to go with Lin Europe Clinic for your Mummy Makeover in Turkey comes from knowing that our surgeons place safety above profits. We have a reputation for honesty and if a request is unsafe, we will not perform it. With us, combined procedures are not something to be scared of because of our careful preoperative evaluation that includes cardiac and blood testing, as well as our use of sequential compression devices (leg pumps) and prophylactic blood thinners.
We plan your Mummy Makeover in such a way that even a complicated recovery is doable. During your initial hospital stay, you will have access to 24/7 nursing care for pain management and help with safe mobilization. You only have to focus on your surgery and recovery because we have thought about all the logistical aspects by providing you with VIP transfers and comfortable accommodation. Lin Europe Clinic is a place where you can realize your dream transformation but at the same time, follow a strategy that makes sure you get to return to your kids healthy and strong.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mummy Makeover Safety
The most common and safest combination is usually a tummy tuck along with some form of breast surgery either augmentation or a lift. This combination generally results in an operating time of fewer than five hours and therefore less exposure to anesthesia.
A BBL and tummy tuck combination is dangerous because it greatly limits the positions in which you can recover; you cannot sit on your buttocks or lie on your stomach at all. This lack of movement leads to a much higher risk of blood clots and wound infection.
Most surgeons agree that six hours is about the maximum time frame for elective plastic surgery to prevent complications such as hypothermia and deep vein thrombosis. When surgeries are longer than this, there is a statistically increased rate of surgical complications.
A thigh lift together with a tummy tuck is not only doable but also quite problematic since it over-stretches the body’s lymphatic system resulting in an increased risk of seroma and wound separation.
It is advisable to have a gap of about three to six months between major surgeries for one’s blood levels and protein levels to come back to normal. Your body would have replenished its metabolic reserves three to six months after one major surgery and hence it is ready for the next round of healing.
Sieber, D. A., et al. (2017). Safety of the Mommy Makeover: A Review of the Literature. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Haeck, P. C., et al. (2009). Evidence-based patient safety advisory: Patient selection and procedures in ambulatory surgery. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Winocour, J., et al. (2016). Venous Thromboembolism in the “Mommy Makeover”: A Systematic Review. Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
