A combined plastic surgery case is when multiple procedures occur during one surgical operation. That means one trip to the operating room and multiple cosmetic or non-cosmetic procedures done at once! Combination cases in plastic surgery can occur in conjunction with other plastic surgery procedures or alongside other scopes of surgery such as general surgery or OB/GYN. Common combination cases are breast reductions with lifts, face lifts with brow lifts and/or blepharoplasty, face lift with neck lift, arm lift with breast surgery (augmentation/reduction/lift/liposuction), mastectomy with biopsy, mastectomy and reconstruction, abdominoplasty with breast surgery (augmentation/reduction/lift/liposuction), abdominoplasty with hysterectomy, and abdominoplasty with hernia repair. One major benefit of combining these procedures is the reduction of patient risk. Any time a patient is undergoing anesthesia, there is a risk involved, but by combining procedures and only having the patient undergo anesthesia once, the risk is minimized. A major plus side of combination cases is the potential for financial benefits such as reduced overall surgery costs due to undergoing all procedures in one trip to the hospital instead of two or three separate trips. Another benefit is the single recovery period as opposed to multiple recovery periods had the cases not been combined. Although one recovery time is beneficial, it may be prolonged depending on the cases combined and the patients’ healing process. Another disadvantage to combination cases would be the duration the patient is under anesthesia. Again, undergoing anesthesia poses a risk to the patient and a prolonged period of anesthesia may exaggerate those risks depending on the health of the patient. When a patient combines their cases they get to target multiple concerns at one time leading to a happier patient! Ultimately, deciding if a combination case should happen is a discussion between you and your board certified plastic surgeon. If you’re considering plastic surgery contact our clinic at 312-694-0879 or through the request form in the header to request a consultation with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. John Kim. He can help you decide if combination plastic surgery is right for you and your aesthetic goals.