Abdominoplasty
What is it?
Abdominoplasty is a surgical technique that aims to improve the appearance of the abdomen, making it smoother, firmer and more beautiful and providing a more accentuated and well-defined body contour. How?
By eliminating excess skin and fatty tissue from the lower abdomen, it can also correct the distancing of the abdominal muscles.
With pregnancies or sharp weight fluctuations, the straight muscles of the abdominal wall tend to move apart and therefore give the abdomen a rounder look. In these situations, the skin also loses elasticity, sometimes gets stretch marks, becomes more flabby and forms folds that abdominoplasty can improve.
When abdominoplasty is combined with abdominal liposuction, it is called Lipoabdominoplasty.
Who is it for?
Candidates for abdominoplasty must be emotionally mature patients and must understand their own motivations for having the surgery.
Realistic expectations are important and it should be understood that the procedure brings improvements, but not perfection. Ideal candidates for a tummy tuck usually have the following characteristics:
- Stable weight;
- Healthy;
- Dissatisfied with the appearance of their abdomen (“apron belly”, sagging, localized fat, bulging abdomen);
- Realistic expectations;
- They’re not considering getting pregnant in the near future;
How is it done?
Depending on the underlying cause of breast hypertrophy (excess fat or hypertrophy of the mammary gland) and the excess skin/size of the areola, the surgical treatment of gynecomastia can be performed through liposuction (link) or surgical reduction (subcutaneous mastectomy).
If gynecomastia is caused essentially by an increase in fat (it can also occur in the context of obesity), it can be treated with liposuction, with minimal incisions.
In cases where there is glandular hypertrophy, or there is excess skin or areola that warrants excision, breast reduction surgery is performed through a hemi-areolar or peri-areolar incision, with surgical removal of the tissues, reduction in the size of the areola and correction of the ptosis; it can be combined with liposuction.
Scars
Abdominoplasty results in a peri-umbilical scar and a discreet horizontal one on the lower abdomen, hidden by underwear or a bikini.
It is similar in location to a caesarean scar, but longer.
The longer the scar, the more skin you have to remove. In the case of a mini-abdominoplasty, the scar is shorter.
Technical description
When combined with liposuction, it is called lipoabdominoplasty.
In mild cases, with a small skin apron, you can opt for a mini-abdominoplasty, which results in a smaller scar.
On the other hand, in cases where, in addition to the abdominal apron, there is dorsal skin excess, the best surgical option may be a circular dermolipectomy of the trunk.
Type of anesthesia
Abdominoplasty is performed using general or epidural anesthesia. Although the patient may have preferences, you should know that ultimately the type of anesthesia is defined by the anesthesiologist according to the combination of procedures to be performed and the patient’s medical history.
Benefits of male breast reduction surgery
The abdominal improvement is very noticeable. The surgery will result in a straighter, flatter abdomen. Stretch marks below the navel will also be removed with surgery. If combined with liposuction of other areas, the improvement in body contour is more noticeable and global.
The benefits of abdominoplasty go beyond aesthetics, as the weakened abdominal muscles that are repaired during surgery are often associated with back pain and posture problems, which improve after the procedure.
Perhaps just as important is the improvement in self-esteem associated with a tummy tuck. After surgery, people feel more at ease with their bodies, and it shows in the way they dress and exercise. It’s often the first step towards a complete lifestyle change.