Abdominoplasty or abdominal plastic surgery is a surgical operation consisting in helping the patient to get rid of the distortion of the necessary proportions of the trunk and anterior abdominal wall that result from excessive stretching of the muscles, as well as a noticeable thickening of the skin-fat fold on the abdomen. Although this operation is a long-liver among other plastic surgeries, abdominoplasty has been and remains extremely difficult in all aspects. However, to date, abdominoplasty has become extremely popular.
Indications for abdominoplasty
Abdominoplasty is indicated in such cases:
- Contraindications to liposuction, caused by a sharp decline in the collagen-elastic functions of the skin, that is, the risk of a "baked apple" effect on the abdomen after liposuction.
- The presence of surplus subcutaneous tissue, as well as skin of the anterior abdominal wall, the removal of which by other methods and techniques (such as liposuction, diet, exercise and combinations of these methods) is impossible.
- Presence of postoperative gross scars in the lower abdomen.
- The emergence of divergence and general stretching of the abdominal muscles.
- Appearance of severe pale striae (stretch marks) due to excess skin on the abdomen.
- Omit (ptosis) of the anterior abdominal wall and the appearance of a skin-fat apron.
If the patient is diagnosed with a hernia (inguinal, umbilical, postoperative) of the anterior abdominal wall, it can and should be eliminated simultaneously with abdominoplasty. In addition, to better emphasize the waist, it is possible to remove the lower ribs.
It is undesirable to combine abdominoplasty with any other cavitary operations.
Contraindications to abdominoplasty
Plastic surgery of the stomach is contraindicated in such cases:
- the presence of severe obesity;
- the presence of decompensated diabetes mellitus;
- presence above the navel line of postoperative scars;
- presence of uncompensated pulmonary and cardiac failure;
- planning of pregnancy within the next year.
Abdominoplasty is not performed for the therapy of obesity or weight loss. Before deciding on abdominoplasty, you need to determine the causes of obesity, apply all possible methods in order to reduce weight. If the operation is performed at maximum weight, after losing weight, the results will deteriorate, because excess skin may appear again.
Features abdominoplasty - abdominal plastic
During abdominoplasty, the navel is moved, because without this action there is no way to pull up the upper abdomen. In addition, the plastic muscles located in the anterior abdominal wall, necessary to change the profile of the abdomen. After abdominoplasty, there is a scar (it is almost invisible) near the displaced navel and a long enough (35-40 cm) scar above the pubis.
Features of the postoperative period with abdominoplasty
- After the operation, blood or tissue fluid may accumulate under the skin of the abdomen. To remove them, use syringes or install drains.
- In certain areas of the abdominal wall, sensitivity may be temporarily impaired, rarely - permanently.
- Bruises and swelling of the tissues stay for about 3-4 weeks.
- The horizontal and possibly vertical scarring will remain on the anterior abdominal wall. It is impossible to clearly define their exact description before the operation is performed, since the peculiarities of the scarring process in each person are strictly individual.
- Field abdominoplasty around the navel will remain a circular scar. In addition, the shape of the navel can change.
- If there is a lot of subcutaneous fat in the upper abdominal region, as a result of their movement and application of the joints, a thickening can be formed above the seam line, the removal of which requires additional surgical intervention.
- If earlier operations on the anterior abdominal wall and there are scars, sometimes there is a risk of malnutrition of the edges of the wound, so it may be necessary to perform additional skin plastic surgery or another operation.