Abdominoplasty

Abdominoplasty: For the slackening of the belly skin

Abdominoplasty is a lifting technique that removes excess sagging skin and fat. It is the most complete belly surgery, it removes all the excess skin between the navel and the pubis.

Indications for abdominoplasty

An abdominoplasty should be performed whenever there is significant slackening of the skin with excess fat and stretch marks or scars.

Abdominoplasty allows to act on three defects at the same time :

An excess of fat in the belly: It appears with age in men most often in their forties and in women after the menopause.
An excess of skin: What is visible is the classic abdominal apron following pregnancy or significant weight loss.
A separation of the abdominal muscles (diastasis of the rectus abdominis) of congenital origin or following a caesarean section.

If the excess fat is significant and the skin is moderately slackened without distension of the muscles, a liposuction of the abdomen is sufficient to cause a limited but still sufficient retraction of the skin.

If there is a significant excess of fat and skin with muscle slackening, a tummy tuck becomes necessary.

The abdominoplasty: process of the operation

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.

After the intervention

A compression bandage and drains are installed and kept for one to two days before being replaced by a compression sleeve that the patient will wear day and night for one to two months.

Sutures are removed after 15 to 20 days. The scar is often dewy for the first two to three months, then it gradually fades for one to three years without disappearing completely.

The results

The result is immediately visible. Excess fat and skin have completely disappeared, as well as stretch marks and a flat stomach. It becomes permanent after two months, when the oedema above the scar has completely diminished. The belly is then flat and taut, the waist is thinner.

The physical and psychological change is often extraordinary. The person again wears clothes closer to the body, dares to put on a swimsuit again on the beach, regains confidence in intimate relationships.