Possible Mommy Makeover Complications

Abdominoplasty and Breast Augmentation / Breast Lift together

Performing these two procedures together requires longer operative time and a longer recovery period. Therefore, it is important to make sure that you are healthy enough to combine these two procedures. Of particular concern with combined procedures are:

• Blood clot - Longer operative times increase the risk of blood clot. The reason for this is that you are immobile during the procedure and it is difficult to walk afterwards. This slows your blood circulation, making clots more likely. Therefore it is critical to walk every hour for a few minutes, while awake, after surgery to get your blood moving.
• Pulmonary embolism - This is related to the blood clot issue. If a blood clot forms in your leg, it may dislodge and then travel to your lungs. This can make it difficult for you to breathe. Therefore, it is critical to let your surgeon know if you have one sided leg swelling or shortness of breath after surgery.
• Prolonged recovery - Having these two procedures together will certainly cause you to fatigue very easily. Do not get frustrated with this. See recovery section for details.

Abdominoplasty

• Poor scarring - All people heal differently. It is possible that a poor scar can form even if the incisions are sutured together properly
• Blood clot formation after abdominoplasty is more common than with other cosmetic surgery procedures. This can be minimized by wearing compressive stockings and making sure the patient walks around immediately after the operation
• Infection and wound healing problems
• Fluid or blood collection within the wound
• Asymmetry and/or contour irregularities

Breast Augmentation

• Wrong choice of implant size. Sometimes it is too big but more commonly too small. This can be markedly reduced by a proper preoperative evaluation as well as experience. This is always discussed with Joseph T Cruise, MD during preoperative evaluation. During your consultation you will try on specially designed bras filled with various volumes that imitate what the implants will look like. This helps tremendously to determine what size is best for you.
• Asymmetry and/or implant malposition.
• Capsular contracture. This is where thick scar tissue forms over the implant making the breast feel hard.
• Nipple sensory changes. This is common right after surgery but usually goes away. Often, the nipple is hypersensitive for the first 6 weeks after the procedure and may be quite erect. This will go away with time.
• Infection. Because an implant is a foreign body, infection is always a consideration. To avoid this, most plastic surgeons use antibiotics during and after the operation as well as meticulously sterile technique. If it does occur it is possible that the implant may need to be removed.
• Implant rupture.
• Implant rippling. This is markedly reduced when the implant is placed under the muscle. It occurs more commonly along the lateral margin where complete sub-muscular coverage is not always possible. See FAQ for more information as this is explained in great detail.

Breast Lift

• Breast Asymmetry. The most common complication after breast lifting is asymmetry. It must be pointed out, however, that all breasts have some asymmetry. A breast lift, in fact, can do much to correct asymmetry but it is unreasonable to expect both breasts to be exactly identical.
• Inadequate volume. This is not the fault of the procedure, but rather, is the result of lack of breast tissue because of either childbirth or aging or simply because it was never there even during youth. This must be discussed preoperatively. This can be remedied by the addition of an implant.
• Incisional scarring is not a complication but is a necessary part of the procedure and must be accepted. Over time the scar will fade but will never go away completely. Some people, however, scar very poorly and the scar never fades away or may even keloid. A keloid is a very poor scar and is more common in Afro-Americans. A good indication as to how your breast may scar is to look at other scars or incisions on your body. If they have healed well it is unlikely that you will scar poorly during the breast lift.