Tummy tuck surgery remains as one of the most sought after elective plastic surgery procedures. To the person struggling with a loose or unsightly stomach area that has not changed with diet and exercise (and it almost never does), tummy tuck surgery offers a result that is otherwise unobtainable. But tummy tuck surgery has evolved over the years into an increasingly more sophisticated operation. No longer is it just the simple removal of some loose skin and fat. Recognizing that this area is aesthetically more complex than just be a flatter surface, newer techniques are being incorporated into the old traditional tummy tuck.
Lipoabdominoplasty is an advanced technique bringing significant change to the old-style tummy tuck. This procedure, which incorporates liposuction into the skin and fat cut out, has allowed plastic surgeons to transform patients’ tummies after child birth and/ or significant weight loss into improved shapes. Liposuction has historically been shunned at the same time as a tummy tuck due to blood supply concerns and the risk of creating wound healing problems and skin loss.
In my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice, I now use liposuction to help shape the upper portion of the abdomen. This is an area that often remains full after a standard tummy tuck because the fat in this area is not thinned out. With the skin pull down at the time of skin closure, this area does get a little thinner I(as the fat is stretched out like an accordion) but often the upper abdomen pouches out more than the lower part after surgery in some patients. Liposuction, particularly laser-assisted liposuction, selectively melts fatty tissue and helps remove some of this fat without a lot of additional trauma. This enables better sculpting and definition to be achieved in the upper portion of the abdomen.
To shape the waistline better, liposuction is also carried out around the sides into the back area. If this area is not addressed as well, many patients will develop what I call the ‘muffin-top’ deformity, where the stomach area is flat but the tissue over the hips now sticks out. Performing liposuction beyond the ends of the tummy tuck incision into the back helps create a better waistline appearance, creating a near 270 degree waistline improvement.
Many tummy tuck patients are sometimes surprised to learn that removing the excess skin and fat on the lower abdomen is just one step or level of the procedure. In this more contemporary lipoabdominoplasty procedure, an improved abdominal appearance can be obtained due to the concomitant use of liposuction and muscle tightening.
Indianapolis