eMedicine Specialties > Plastic Surgery > Body Contouring

Body Contouring, Abdominoplasty: Follow-up

Author: Allen Gabriel, MD, Staff Physician, Clinical Research Director, Department of Plastic Surgery, Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Coauthor(s): Subhas C Gupta, MD, PhD, CM, FRCS(C), FACS, Professor of Surgery, Chair, Department of Plastic Surgery, Director of Plastic Surgery Residency, Director of Comprehensive Wound Service, Department of Plastic Surgery, Loma Linda University School of Medicine; Bruce G Freeman, MD, PhD, Chief, Section of Plastic Surgery, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Section of Plastic Surgery, West Virginia University School of Medicine
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Sep 27, 2007

Future and Controversies

Without question, the development of SAL/ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL) has changed the face of excisional body contouring surgery. Almost all plastic surgeons use SAL/UAL as an adjunct to excisional abdominoplasty. In 1999, Shestak reported the so-called marriage abdominoplasty that combined "aggressive super wet liposculpture with standard open surgical techniques" to treat the "majority" of patients with abdominal deformities.48  
 
Abdominoplasty has undergone significant evolution over the past several decades, and the era of liposuction alone is becoming more obsolete as plastic surgeons evaluate the 3-dimensional aesthetic features of the trunk. The art of trunk body contouring is continuously evolving and will continue to evolve, as Matos et al have proposed a new classification for candidacy of lipoabdominoplasty and its variations.49
 
The Department of Plastic Surgery at Loma Linda University recently completed a detailed analysis of the lifestyle outcomes of massive weight loss (MWL) patients undergoing body contouring.50 Their assessment of 25 patients showed that the vast majority of these patients experienced positive lifestyle outcomes as a result of having undergone the procedure. Body contouring in patients with MWL represents the final stage in the surgical transformation and health restoration of obese patients. Little doubt exists that these procedures are invaluable to the patients and, as plastic surgeons, the authors will continuously be involved in this transformation.

Endoscopic techniques will probably be more involved in abdominoplasty. Numerous authors now use endoscopes for abdominoplasty.51,52

Combined procedures appear to be increasingly performed in the same setting by an array of physicians. The authors’ patient population has developed considerable interest in such combined procedures to reduce operative time, anesthesia, recovery time, and overall cost.  As stated above, combining abdominoplasty with additional surgical procedures does not lead to increased complication rates and is safe with carefully selected patients, appropriate DVT prophylaxis, and an operative/general anesthesia time of 6 hours or less.

Clearly, a primary focus for the future is to minimize the amount of surgery necessary to maximize the surgical result.

 


More on Body Contouring, Abdominoplasty

Overview: Body Contouring, Abdominoplasty
Workup: Body Contouring, Abdominoplasty
Treatment: Body Contouring, Abdominoplasty
Follow-up: Body Contouring, Abdominoplasty
References
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Further Reading

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Keywords

tummy tuck, abdominal wall contouring, mini-abdominoplasty, high-lateral-tension abdominoplasty, HLT abdominoplasty, suction-assisted lipectomy, SAL, abdominal deformity, W technique, abdominal lipectomy, abdominoplastic surgery, abdominal plastic surgery, abdominal liposuction, abdominal deformity, deformed abdomen, pregnancy recovery, pregnancy effects, suction-assisted abdominoplasty, reverse abdominoplasty, excisional body contouring surgery, excisional body contouring, marriage abdominoplasty, abdominal liposculpture

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Allen Gabriel, MD, Staff Physician, Clinical Research Director, Department of Plastic Surgery, Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Allen Gabriel, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Subhas C Gupta, MD, PhD, CM, FRCS(C), FACS, Professor of Surgery, Chair, Department of Plastic Surgery, Director of Plastic Surgery Residency, Director of Comprehensive Wound Service, Department of Plastic Surgery, Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Subhas C Gupta, MD, PhD, CM, FRCS(C), FACS is a member of the following medical societies: American Burn Association, American College of Phlebology, American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association, American Medical Informatics Association, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, California Society of Plastic Surgeons, Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons, Plastic Surgery Research Council, Quebec Medical Association, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and Wound Healing Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Bruce G Freeman, MD, PhD, Chief, Section of Plastic Surgery, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Section of Plastic Surgery, West Virginia University School of Medicine
Bruce G Freeman, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: American Medical Association, American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Lipoplasty Society of North America, Southeastern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Gregory Caputy, MD, PhD, Chief, Department of Plastic Surgery, Aesthetica Plastic and Laser Surgery Center of Honolulu
Gregory Caputy, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: Alberta Medical Association, American Medical Association, American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Canadian Medical Association, Hawaii Medical Association, International College of Surgeons, International College of Surgeons US Section, Minnesota Medical Association, and Pan-Pacific Surgical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Alan Matarasso, MD, FACS, PC, Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Immed Past President of New York Regional Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Alan Matarasso, MD, FACS, PC is a member of the following medical societies: American Association of Plastic Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association, International College of Surgeons US Section, New York Academy of Medicine, New York County Medical Society, Pan American Medical Association, and Pan-Pacific Surgical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Nicolas (Nick) G Slenkovich, MD, Practice Director, Colorado Plastic Surgery Center at Swedish Medical Center
Nicolas (Nick) G Slenkovich, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, American Medical Association, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and Colorado Medical Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Jorge I de la Torre, MD, FACS, Associate Professor of Surgery and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Residency Program Director, Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Director, Center for Advanced Surgical Aesthetics
Jorge I de la Torre, MD, FACS is a member of the following medical societies: American Association of Plastic Surgeons, American Burn Association, American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association, American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery, Association for Academic Surgery, and Medical Association of the State of Alabama
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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