Abdominoplasty
Abdominoplasty is the surgery of the abdominal wall necessary when there is significant skin distension, sometimes with a fold called an abdominal apron. This surgery is most often associated with liposuction, which allows for better results and treatment of adjacent areas such as the flanks.
Why undergo an abdominoplasty?
This surgery is necessary in case of:
- Significant weight loss with abdominal apron
- Skin distension and/or diastasis of the abdominal muscles after pregnancy
These two situations represent the majority of cases indicating an abdominoplasty.
In other cases, simple liposuction may be considered in the case of isolated fat overload or associated with devices allowing some skin retraction in the case of mild to moderate skin laxity.
In all cases, Dr. Amal Abid will meet with you for a consultation to assess which technique is most suitable for you.
Who can request an abdominoplasty?
Abdominoplasty can be performed in two cases:
- Moderate skin laxity
- Significant skin laxity with an abdominal apron covering the pubis, allowing coverage by social security.
How does an abdominoplasty proceed?
Abdominoplasty is a procedure performed under general anesthesia, lasting between 1 to 2.5 hours depending on the type of surgery, often requiring an overnight hospital stay.
The procedure involves tightening the skin of the abdomen by removing excess skin from the lower abdomen and repositioning the navel once the skin is pulled back into place.
There is therefore a suprapubic scar that extends to the sides and a scar around the navel. The suprapubic scar’s length varies depending on the amount of excess skin and is typically hidden beneath clothing.
Often, liposuction of the upper abdomen and flanks is also performed to enhance the results.
Different types of abdominoplasty:
- Mini abdominoplasty: for minor laxity, with a short scar and no scar around the navel.
- High-tension upper abdominoplasty: in addition to the described steps, it involves closing any diastasis (separation of the abdominal muscles) and gradually closing the skin detachment to distribute tension, improve results, and reduce complications.
- High-definition abdominoplasty: this includes liposuction of the remaining abdominal skin to sculpt abdominal contours.
Dr. Amal Abid generally does not use drains.
An abdominal garment should be worn for 6 weeks after the procedure.
Physical activity is prohibited for 1 month.
Nursing care for scars is necessary until complete healing, and anticoagulant injections are also required for 1 week after the operation to prevent thrombosis.
Contraindications for abdominoplasty
There are circumstances in which abdominoplasty poses too many risks:
- History of phlebitis or pulmonary embolism
- BMI >30 (stable weight for 6 months with a BMI below 30 is necessary for the safety of the procedure as well as to achieve aesthetically satisfactory results)
- Smoking (mandatory cessation one month before and one month after)
Expected results of abdominoplasty for abdominal fat loss
The definitive result is assessed between 3 and 6 months after the procedure.
The aim of the intervention is to eliminate excess abdominal skin and fat, which can result in a flat stomach with abdominoplasty.
With associated liposuction, the silhouette will also be refined.
An athletic appearance is possible but only in certain patients within the context of high-definition abdominoplasty.
Patients will always be asked to modify their dietary habits permanently to optimize the result.