Abdominoplasty Gallery

A mother of 3 in her early to mid-60s is bothered by bulging and laxity of her stomach as well as bulging of her mons.  She is shown before and again, 4 months after lipoabdominoplasty.  The “diver’s view” demonstrates the tightening of the skin.  The side view shows the dramatic tightening of the abdominal muscles and improvement of the mons.

A mother of 2 in her early 60’s who is shown before and again, 4 years after an abdominoplasty. The diver’s view shows the dramatic tightening of the skin.  The oblique views show the beautiful sculpting of the abdomen with a periumbilical hollow and a “champagne groove” created at the time of surgery.  The muscles have been restored after the stretching from pregnancy.  Wow.  Exparel was used to limit the need for narcotics after surgery.

A mother of 3 in her mid to later 30s is bothered by the appearance of her abdomen in a bathing suit and fitted clothing.  She is shown before and again, 2 years after an abdominoplasty combined with liposuction of her flanks.  Because we treat all of the way around this can be called “360” liposuction with abdominoplasty.  Liposuction alone of the abdomen would not tighten the loose skin and loss of muscles of pregnancy and would not give the same improvement. His posterior view shows that we have reshaped the buttock and flank area with our “sculpting” to change her from a “square shape” to a “pear shape.”

A mother of 3 in her early 70s who was bothered by rolls and bulges of her abdominal skin in fitted clothing.  She had had a lower midline scar from previous ovarian surgery 50 years before and an upper mid-line scar from gallbladder surgery.  She is physically active and walks 3 miles, 4 days a week.  She is also active in Zumba dancing.  She is shown before and again, 13 months after a Fleur de Lis abdominoplasty with the creation of a new umbilicus.  Surgery was performed under general anesthesia as an outpatient.  She is thrilled with her result and can now wear fitted clothing.

Discussion:

Abdominoplasty is a significant recovery but a dramatic result.  Patients in their 60s and early 70s can be candidates if they are physically active, in good health, and maintain a BMI of 28 or below.  The risk of having a blood clot with surgery increases with age but she was able to be managed with venodyne boots during surgery ( boots that massage the legs) and then getting up to perform light walking each hour after her procedure. She already had a vertical scar in her midline so the  Fleur de Lis does not add additional scarring but the vertical component helps to tighten the horizontal laxity of the upper stomach and gives a better result for patients with “roll” above the umbilicus.

A mother of 3 in her mid-40s who is bothered by the bulging of her abdomen and extra skin, especially in fitted clothing.  She is 5’ 3” and 160 lbs. She has had 3 c-sections.  Her weight is up 4 lbs since surgery   At the time of surgery her BMI was 28- I prefer to see the BMI at 28 or below for optimal recovery and results.  She is shown just before and again, 8 ½ months after abdominoplasty. Surgery was performed as an outpatient.  Exparel was used during the surgery.  This is a long-lasting local anesthetic that typically lasts 72 hours and decreases the need for narcotics by 70%.

She is thrilled with her improvement and the scar is placed in the “thong” position, where it is hidden by most clothing styles.

A mother of 3 in her late 30s who is bothered by “belly flab: and fullness of her hips.  She had a breast reduction with us when she was in her early 20s, and before having children.  She is 5’ 9” and 142 lbs and is shown before and again, nearly 6 months after a floating lipo-abdominoplasty combined with liposuction of the hips and back rolls.

Discussion:  her abdominal wall fat was slightly thicker than desirable with a caliper pinch of 4 cm.  Her umbilicus is a little high and we can “float: it down and reattach it at a lower level along with tightening of the abdominal muscles and perform liposuction of the abdomen.  This works when the umbilicus is a little high and the upper abdominal skin is not too loose.

Another option when the umbilicus is high is to detach it from the skin, pull the skin down like a window shade, and bring it back out in the normal location through a new opening.  The old opening can be closed as a small vertical scar in the lower abdomen.  However, the blood supply to the skin around that vertical scar area is not sufficient to safely allow liposuction at the same time. So this was a useful combination in her unique case but would not work for everyone.

Liposuction was also performed on the “muffin tops” and “back rolls” to improve her contour.

A mother of 3 in her mid-40s is bothered by the bulging of her abdomen in fitted clothing. She is 5 ‘ 3” and 160 lbs and is shown before and again, 5 months after an abdominoplasty as an outpatient.  Exparel was placed during the surgery to limit her pain and need for narcotics afterward.  Progressive tension sutures were used to decrease the risk of seroma.  She is thrilled by her improvement and loves being able to reach into her closet now and not worry if the clothing is going to hide her abdomen.

A woman in her later 50s who is bothered by bulging and excess skin of her abdomen.  She has had 3 children and has also lost 60 lbs following a gastric sleeve.  She’s shown before and again 4 months after an extended lipo-abdominoplasty.  She happily reports that she wore a 2 piece bathing suit on a recent cruise, which is the first time she has worn a bikini since she was a pre-teenager! Scars will typically continue to fade and improve for 2 years after surgery and there is typically some swelling of the abdomen that takes 6 months to go away.

Details: A mother of 1 in her mid 40’s who is bothered by the bulging of her abdomen, especially in fitted clothing.   She has always been bothered by the fullness of her abdomen, even when younger and before pregnancy, but especially now after her pregnancy. She is shown before and again, 18 months after lipo-abdominoplasty.  Her fatty layer of the abdomen was too thick and was reduced with liposuction at the time of her abdominoplasty to give a better contour.

Details: An Asian mother of 2 in her early 40s who is bothered by the bulging of her abdomen in fitted clothing and in a bathing suit.  She is also bothered by back rolls and “muffin tops”.  She is shown before and again, 5 ½ months after abdominoplasty with liposuction of the flanks and back rolls as an outpatient.  Exparel was used to limit postoperative pain.