Breast lift and breast augmentation are popular cosmetic surgery procedures. Augmentation cannot correct breast sag, and plastic surgeons usually recommend that a lift is also performed to enhance the results. One question that is frequently discussed is whether it is safe to perform both procedures simultaneously and whether the complication and revision rates would be increased by doing so. These fears were put to rest by research published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
According to the ASPS press release on the study, breast lift surgery and breast augmentation with implants can safely be performed in a single procedure. The researchers reported that with appropriate patient selection and a carefully planned operative approach, the one-stage procedure can be safely performed with acceptable complication and reoperation rates.
The study was based on a review of 430 breast lift surgeries performed between 2005 and 2009, with 332 procedures being lift/breast implant surgery done simultaneously. The mean age of the women was 47 years and about one-third of them were having a repeat operation after previous cosmetic breast surgery.
The researchers evaluated the complication rates and the need for revision or additional surgery so as to determine the safety of these two procedures. Their findings were as follows:
- The overall complication rate for women undergoing concurrent breast lift/augmentation treatments was about 23 percent
- Women who had both procedures together underwent reoperation for tissue-related problems as well as for implant-related issues
- The re-operation rate was about 10 percent for women undergoing breast lift surgery only, which was not significantly lower compared to 13 percent rate of re-operation for tissue-related problems in those who had a combination procedure
- There is no increase in complications with simultaneous compared to staged procedures
In addition, there are many patient benefits when both procedures are combined
- Decreased overall surgical costs
- Avoids risks of two surgeries
- No need to live with disappointing results between surgeries
- Involves recovery from a single procedure
However, the technical challenges of performing a combined surgery are quite significant. Only a skilled breast surgeon with experience in performing both augmentation and mastopexy can combine both procedures for the best results.