The abdominoplasty operation is done under general anesthesia and requires a hospitalization of one to two nights, it lasts between one to three hours depending on the importance of the work to be done.
The operation consists of three distinct phases.
Liposuction of the abdomen
The surgeon begins by aspirating fat from the abdomen and flanks. Liposuction helps to refine the area of the abdominal wall around the stomach before removing the excess skin.
Abdominal surgery
There are two types of interventions depending on the extent of skin sagging.
- In case of minimal skin sagging, the surgeon performs a mini-abdominoplasty. He removes excess skin in the area below the navel without touching the muscles. This technique reduces the risk of bleeding and gives a moderate scar and shorter after-effects.
- In case of very important skin slackening, the surgeon performs a complete abdoplasty. He removes the excess skin on the lower part of the belly and re-drapes, by tightening it, the upper half, which is then stretched to cover an almost doubled surface. The navel then emerges at its normal height, through a hole made in the lowered skin.
A scar remains, the length of which depends on the amount of skin removed. The scar is located at the lowest possible level of the pubis and can extend from one hip to the other. Its length is predictable before the operation. It should normally be concealed by underwear of suitable size. In the case of a complete abdominal plasty, there is also a small circular scar around the umbilicus.
Tightening of the muscles
The surgeon re-tensions the abdominal wall muscles. This tightening of the rectus abdominis muscles (diastasis) helps to recreate a strong abdominal belt, flatten the stomach area and slim the waist.
At the end of the operation, the practitioner applies a shaping bandage that is regularly changed for the next 15 days.