Liposuction of the abdomen can be a very effective tool to contour the body. It is commonly used in those areas of the body where people are unable to lose weight with diet and exercise. These areas can often be the “love handle” regions of the body, the upper abdomen, and the bra fat area of the back. Q: What…
Liposuction procedures are very common. There are different thicknesses of the skin and subcutaneous tissue in various parts of the body. The medial thigh region is an area of the body where the skin is relatively thin. It is not uncommon when liposuction is performed in these areas for the region to be overly resected of the subcutaneous fat. The…
Abdominoplasty, commonly referred to as a Tummy Tuck, involves plication of the rectus abdominis muscles, which in turn restores the external obliques, internal obliques, and transverse abdominis muscles to the midline of the abdomen. It is quite common for patients to observe an improvement not only the their abdominal contour, but also in their posture post-operatively. When breast augmentation is…
Typically after an abdominoplasty or “Tummy Tuck” operation, I tell my patients to ensure that their diet is high in protein. The abdominoplasty operation requires a significant amount of protein and nutritional calories to heal all the wounds well and without complications. Patients are instructed to eat 1mg/kg of body weight of protein per day. If a patient is 135…
An abdominoplasty or “tummy tuck” operation to get rid of stretch marks usually involves three components: 1. Skin Excision 2. Myofascial Plication 3. Liposuction It is quite common after pregnancy for the muscles, fascia, and skin of the lower abdomen to stretch. Despite numerous hours of sit-ups, cruches, or time on the stair master the muscles cannot be restored to…
Abdominoplasty is ideal for patients who have been exercising for quite some time, but who have difficulty tightening their lower abdomen. After childbirth, the lower abdomen can become significantly loose and distended. Often times, the lower abdomen will not “tighten-up” despite sit-ups or crunches. It is quite common to see patients in our Newport Beach office who present with a…
The photograph above demonstrates before and after photographs of a patient after a “mini-tummy tuck” and liposuction of the abdomen, flanks, lower back, and bra fat. It is quite common for women to present in our Newport Beach office who have lower abdominal laxity as well as localized deposits of fat around the abdomen. Often these women do not wish…
Managing Supra-Umbilical Scars in Abdominoplasty Q: I’ve heard that supra-umbilical scars or “scars above the belly-button” can impair healing in abdominoplasty incisions. Can you do anything to avoid this? A: I have found that often this problem can be circumvented by excising the abdominal scar completely. Often the midline scar can be revised and/or excised and closed, which is a…
Q: Can an Abdominoplasty and Hernia Repair be done at the same time? A: Yes, Tummy tucks and Hernia Repairs are commonly performed simultaneously. For example, some women experience an umbilical hernia after giving birth. In this case, a plastic surgeon would be able to perform a abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) to tighten the fibrous support and muscles in the midline…
Abdominoplasty procedures are common in women over 50 who have a loss of skin elasticity due to age or weight fluctuations. The abdominoplasty procedure requires an incision from hip to hip. During the procedure, the skin is elevated from the abdominal wall and the borders of the rectus abdominis muscles are identified. The umbilical stalk remains on the body wall.…
