Combining Cosmetic Surgery Procedures

Can you have more than one cosmetic procedure at the same time? For many people the answer is yes, and it is the reason combinations such as a mummy makeover or a facelift with eyelid surgery exist. One anaesthetic and one recovery are attractive, and some combinations give a more balanced result than treating each area months apart. For others, stacking procedures adds risk without adding much benefit, and doing them in stages is the safer plan.

This guide explains how many plastic surgery procedures can be done at once, what the research says about the safety of combined surgery, which body and facial combinations are common, which are avoided, and who is suitable. It also covers facial plastic surgery in detail, including facelift with neck lift, brow lift, blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, fat transfer and laser resurfacing. For the body side, our guides to tummy tuck and liposuction explain the individual operations.

Can You Have Multiple Cosmetic Surgery Procedures at Once?

Do plastic surgeons do multiple procedures at once? Yes, and it is routine for some combinations. Whether it is advisable depends on three things: the procedures themselves (how long they take, how much blood loss they carry, and whether the patient has to be turned during the operation), the patient (general health, weight, smoking status and medications), and the support available for recovery.

The evidence supports caution rather than a blanket yes or no. A 2015 cohort study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery ↗ analysed 25,478 tummy tucks from a large insurance database of cosmetic procedures. Major complications occurred in 4.0% of tummy tuck patients, against 1.4% across other aesthetic operations, and the rate rose as procedures were added: 3.1% for tummy tuck alone, 3.8% with liposuction, 4.3% with a breast procedure and 6.8% with another body contouring procedure. Having multiple procedures carried a relative risk of 1.5, and the authors concluded that combined procedures should be considered carefully in higher-risk patients^[1].

That does not make combining unsafe for everyone. It means each addition should earn its place. Good candidates, a sensible combination and a realistic operating time keep the extra risk small, and a consultation is where that balance is judged. Our guide to anaesthesia for cosmetic surgery explains how longer operations are managed.

How Many Plastic Surgery Procedures Can Be Done at Once?

There is no fixed number. What limits a combined operation is the total time under anaesthetic, the blood loss expected, and whether the patient has to be repositioned. Longer operations raise several risks together:

• Blood clots (deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism): risk rises with the length of surgery and the number of operative sites.
• Heat loss: it is harder to keep core body temperature up in a long operation, which can affect bleeding and infection.
• Anaesthetic exposure: a longer anaesthetic means a slower waking-up and more drug to clear.
• Pressure on the skin and nerves: staying in one position for hours can injure both.
• Fatigue: concentration and fine motor control are hardest to maintain in the last hours of a very long session.

A 2012 review of 630 facelift patients in Aesthetic Surgery Journal ↗ shows how this plays out. The average operation lasted about four hours and a quarter of patients had a concurrent procedure. Complications were more common in men, in people over 55 and in those with a BMI above 30. The risk of deep vein thrombosis increased when surgery lasted longer than five hours, both patients who developed a clot had combined their facelift with another procedure, and complications rose when a facelift was combined with two or more procedures. The authors advised care when planning multiple treatment sites^[2].

The risk can be reduced. A review of 404 tummy tuck patients ↗, 157 of whom had additional procedures, found only one clot, a calf vein thrombosis, when compression stockings, intermittent leg compression, active warming and walking within an hour of surgery were all used^[3]. At Centre for Surgery, combined operations are planned so that total time stays within what is safe for the individual patient, and a plan that would run too long is split into stages.

Is It Safer to Combine or Stage Plastic Surgery Procedures?

Neither approach is automatically safer. The trade-offs are these.

Benefits of combining procedures

• One anaesthetic instead of two or three separate exposures.
• One recovery period: a single block of time off work and of restricted activity.
• A coordinated result. Areas that relate to each other, such as the face and neck or the breasts and abdomen, can be planned together.
• Possible shared costs. Some theatre and anaesthetic costs are incurred once, although surgeon fees still apply for each procedure. Your written quote sets out exactly what is included.

Risks of combining procedures

• More complications overall, as the figures above show.
• A harder first fortnight. Pain, swelling and movement limits add up across sites. After a tummy tuck combined with breast surgery, for example, sleeping comfortably is more difficult than after either operation alone (see our tummy tuck recovery guide).
• Less room for surprises. If one operation takes longer or bleeds more than expected, the second planned procedure may need to be postponed.
• More revisions in some combinations. In a 2024 Canadian study of 738 breast reduction patients ↗, adding a tummy tuck did not significantly raise total complications but was linked to a higher chance of further surgery, and operating time roughly doubled^[4].

The research is not all one way. A small 2023 prospective study of 37 women ↗ comparing a mummy makeover with a tummy tuck alone found combined surgery not inferior for safety and higher for body image satisfaction, although the numbers are small^[5]. Together the evidence says that combinations work well when they are chosen carefully.

What Cosmetic Surgery Procedures Can Be Combined?

The combinations most often planned together address adjacent areas and avoid turning the patient during the operation.

Mummy makeover: tummy tuck with breast surgery

A tummy tuck with a breast lift, breast augmentation, reduction or implant exchange is the most common body combination. Both operations are on the front of the body, the recoveries overlap, and the goal is a coordinated result after pregnancy. Our mummy makeover page explains the process, and the mum tum guide covers why the tummy changes after pregnancy. Families who are not finished having children are usually advised to wait.

Lipoabdominoplasty: tummy tuck with liposuction

Combining a tummy tuck with liposuction of the flanks and hips gives a more complete contour than either alone. In a 2023 study of 213 patients after massive weight loss ↗, liposuction of the flanks and sides of the upper abdomen alongside abdominoplasty was linked to fewer wound problems, and most other combined body contouring procedures did not worsen outcomes apart from scarring. Smoking, higher BMI and anaemia were linked to complications^[6]. Our comparison of liposuction vs tummy tuck explains how to choose between them.

Breast augmentation with breast lift

When a breast has lost volume and sags, a breast lift with an implant treats both. It is more technical than either operation alone, because the incisions meet where wound healing can be slower.

Body contouring after weight loss

After major weight loss, excess skin often affects several areas. The usual approach is staged: for example a tummy tuck with a breast lift first, and arm and thigh work in a second operation some months later. Our guide to excess skin removal surgery covers the options.

Can You Combine Facial Plastic Surgery Procedures?

Yes. Facial combinations are among the most established in cosmetic surgery, because the face ages in layers and in several areas at once. A mini facelift or full facelift is often paired with eyelid surgery, a brow lift or even hairline lowering, so that the upper, mid and lower face are treated in a single plan. Treating only one area can leave the untouched area looking more tired by comparison.

Can you have a facelift and neck lift together?

Usually, yes. The jawline and neck age alongside the cheeks, and the neck lift is commonly done with the facelift through connected incisions, adding only modest time. Adding chin and neck liposuction treats a persistent fat pad under the chin. Patients whose skin laxity followed weight loss may also find our guide to face and neck lift surgery after weight loss helpful.

Can you have a facelift and eyelid surgery at the same time?

Yes, and it is one of the commonest pairings. A facelift does not lift the upper face or correct the skin of the eyelids, so blepharoplasty covers the area the facelift leaves. The eyelid element usually settles sooner than the facelift element, so the recovery is mainly that of the facelift. Our guide to what to expect from a facelift describes the weeks after surgery.

Brow lift with blepharoplasty

The position of the brow affects how much eyelid skin looks excessive. A brow lift can reduce the amount of upper eyelid skin that needs to be removed, and in some people it makes eyelid surgery unnecessary, so the two are assessed together.

Rhinoplasty with chin augmentation

The nose and chin shape the profile together, and a small chin can make a nose look larger. Rhinoplasty is sometimes planned with chin augmentation so the profile is balanced. Combining nose surgery with a facelift is less common, as the recoveries differ and swelling from the nose can last for months.

Facelift with fat transfer

A facelift repositions tissue, while fat transfer restores lost volume. A 2021 systematic review of 15 studies in Aesthetic Surgery Journal ↗ found that adding fat grafting to a facelift improved facial volume and aesthetic assessments and concluded that the combination was safe and effective, while noting that techniques vary widely between surgeons^[7].

Facelift with laser or plasma skin resurfacing

A facelift moves tissue but does not treat sun-damaged skin or deep lines, which is why resurfacing is sometimes added. In a single-surgeon series of 96 patients published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery ↗, face and neck lifts with fat grafting and full-face plasma resurfacing in one session had complications in 4.1% (three hypertrophic scars and one transient cellulitis) with no skin necrosis. It is one surgeon’s experience rather than a comparison trial^[8]. Resurfacing on its own is covered on our laser resurfacing page.

How many facial procedures can be done at once?

A 2019 retrospective study of 25 patients in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery ↗ looked at one of the most extensive facial combinations: facelift, brow lift, cheek implants, rhinoplasty and jaw contouring in a single setting. None had problems with blood supply to the skin; there were four infections and one pulmonary embolism two months after surgery in a patient on hormone replacement therapy. The authors concluded that complications were those known for each individual procedure^[9]. That is reassuring but limited, as it describes a small group of carefully selected patients, and it is not a promise for everyone. In practice, three or four procedures on the face can be combined when the surgeon expects the operation to remain at a safe length. Some combinations, such as facial feminisation surgery, may draw on more than one surgeon’s specialism in the same operation.

Facial surgery: operating time, safety and recovery

Facial combinations take longer than a single operation, which adds to anaesthetic time. Recovery is one block of bruising and swelling rather than several, but it is a heavier first fortnight than a single procedure. Staging is the alternative: for instance the facelift and neck lift first, with eyelid surgery or resurfacing later once swelling has settled. The facelift guide, four things worth knowing before a facelift, and the overview of facial cosmetic procedures help when deciding what to include.

Can You Have a Facelift and Tummy Tuck at the Same Time?

In general this is not advised. A facelift and a tummy tuck together would mean a long anaesthetic, a major operation at both ends of the body and a difficult recovery. In practice major facial work and major body work are staged. The 2012 facelift data above, which linked longer operating time and multiple concurrent procedures with clots, is a reason for that caution^[2].

Can You Have a BBL and Tummy Tuck at the Same Time?

Not at Centre for Surgery. A Brazilian butt lift (BBL) is never combined with a tummy tuck in our practice, even though a so-called BBL tummy tuck is often requested. The reasons are:

• Fat grafting to the buttocks carries a rare but serious risk of fat embolism, and a review of deaths in South Florida described fat injected into the gluteal muscle as a common factor^[10].
• Adding a tummy tuck extends the operation and means turning the patient.
• The recoveries conflict: after a BBL you avoid pressure on the buttocks, while after a tummy tuck you rest in a flexed position.

If you want both, they are done as separate operations several months apart. Our full guide, can you get a tummy tuck and BBL at the same time, explains the order.

How Close Together Can You Have Two Different Surgeries?

When a plan is staged, the usual gap is several months, long enough for swelling to settle, scars to mature and your strength to return. For most staged cosmetic plans we advise around three to six months, but the right interval depends on the operations and on how you heal. The first procedure also lets you judge the result before deciding on the second.

Who Is Suitable for Combined Cosmetic Surgery?

Not everyone is a candidate for a combined operation. At consultation we look at:

• BMI and weight stability: a higher BMI was linked to more complications in the studies above.
• Smoking: nicotine is stopped for at least four weeks before and after surgery. See smoking and cosmetic surgery.
• General health: blood pressure, diabetes, anaemia, heart and lung conditions, and the medicines you take, including blood thinners.
• Age and previous clots: both change the clot risk and the precautions planned.
• Support at home and time off work: a combined recovery asks more of the first weeks.
• Expectations: what the combined result will, and will not, change.

If you do not meet these criteria yet, staging, or working on the barrier first (for example stopping smoking or correcting anaemia), is usually the better route.

Frequently Asked Questions

Planning a Combined Procedure in London

If you are weighing up two or more procedures, a consultation is where it is decided what can safely be done together and what is better staged. Find out more about body combinations such as the mummy makeover or the options for your face above.

Phone: 020 7993 4849 | Address: 95–97 Baker Street, Marylebone, London W1U 6RN
Contact us to schedule a consultation

References

1. Winocour J, Gupta V, Ramirez JR, Shack RB, Grotting JC, Higdon KK. Abdominoplasty: risk factors, complication rates, and safety of combined procedures. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 2015;136(5):597e–606e. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000001700 ↗
2. Abboushi N, Yezhelyev M, Symbas J, Nahai F. Facelift complications and the risk of venous thromboembolism: a single center’s experience. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2012;32(4):413–420. doi:10.1177/1090820X12442213 ↗
3. Somogyi RB, Ahmad J, Shih JG, et al. Venous thromboembolism in abdominoplasty: a comprehensive approach to lower procedural risk. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2012;32(3):322–329. doi:10.1177/1090820X12438896 ↗
4. Pouramin P, Dow T, Williams J. Exploring complication rates: a comparative study of breast reduction and combined breast reduction with abdominoplasty. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2024;48(22):4660–4666. doi:10.1007/s00266-024-04040-y ↗
5. Toto V, Scarabosio A, Alessandri-Bonetti M, Albanese R, Persichetti P. Combined surgery (mommy-makeover) compared to single procedure (abdominoplasty) in after-pregnancy women: a prospective study on risks and benefits. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2023;47(6):2533–2542. doi:10.1007/s00266-023-03579-6 ↗
6. Marchica P, Costa AL, Brambullo T, et al. Retrospective analysis of predictive factors for complications in abdominoplasty in massive weight loss patients. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2023;47(4):1447–1458. doi:10.1007/s00266-022-03235-5 ↗
7. Molina-Burbano F, Smith JM, Ingargiola MJ, et al. Fat grafting to improve results of facelift: systematic review of safety and effectiveness of current treatment paradigms. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2021;41(1):1–12. doi:10.1093/asj/sjaa002 ↗
8. Lacerna Kimbrell M. Taking face lifts to the next level: case series reflecting the safety and efficacy of plasma resurfacing with face and neck lifts. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 2026;158(1):41–54. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000012596 ↗
9. Gupta N, Wulu J, Spiegel JH. Safety of combined facial plastic procedures affecting multiple planes in a single setting in facial feminization for transgender patients. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2019;43(4):993–999. doi:10.1007/s00266-019-01395-5 ↗
10. Pazmiño P, Garcia O. Brazilian butt lift-associated mortality: the South Florida experience. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2023;43(2):162–178. doi:10.1093/asj/sjac224 ↗