Abdominoplasty can resolve excess skin and tissue and loose musculature that so often remain following pregnancy or rapid weight loss.* Traditional abdominoplasty techniques have been effective for hundreds of thousands of patients over the years, but some patients’ results look too obviously surgically altered, presenting with a very flat look that lacks the soft, graceful contouring that should be present in a natural abdomen.* Modifications to traditional techniques based on experience and research can achieve superior results for more patients.*
Aesthetic Considerations in Abdominoplasty
There are a number of factors that contribute to the subtle contour variations that define a natural tummy. The best plastic surgeons take steps to ensure that these aesthetic goals are not only met but exceeded during tummy tuck surgery:*
- Realistic Curves: Healthy men and women who are at or near their target weight have some natural softness to the abdomen, unless they’re deeply committed to achieving the ever-elusive “six-pack abs.” While many tummy tuck surgeries focus on flatter and tighter as the end goal, it is also important to recreate the anatomical nuances of a beautiful belly.
- Smooth Transitions: It’s not uncommon for patients to see a clear and awkward transition right at their incision line. This is most often due to an imprecise incision repair combined with uneven tissue depth. The transition should be level instead; this can be achieved through a gradual transition from thicker tissue to thinner.*
- Consistent Skin Tone: Equal attention must be given to lax skin through both the upper and the lower abdomen. Some tummy tuck procedures focus solely on the lower abdomen, leaving the appearance of a too-taut area below the navel with visibly loose skin and tissue above.
- Scar Placement: A too-high or uneven abdominoplasty scar is a common reason why patients seek out abdominoplasty revision. Thoughtful incision planning and execution results in a smooth, flat and inconspicuous scar that’s placed low enough to be easily hidden by everyday clothing (and ideally is hidden even by more revealing clothing and swimsuits as well).*
Achieving Beautiful Final Results
A higher level of refinement during abdominoplasty is possible through the incorporation of liposuction.* Some surgeons may schedule lipo after healing from the tummy tuck has completed, but recent studies reveal that performing both procedures simultaneously delivers a superior outcome with low complication rates.
Liposuction allows for greater contouring capability than tissue dissection alone.* Lipo can also be used to gradually taper the waist and flanks toward the midline in order to better accentuate the now-firmer belly.*
The focus of an abdominoplasty procedure needs to be on correction of all cosmetic concerns in the abdominal area while re-creating natural contours. Making simple, specific adaptations to the traditional abdominoplasty technique can immediately take surgical results from dull to dynamic.*
*This information is for education only, and is not meant as a guarantee of results. Your results may vary.
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Author: Dr. Francesco Campanile
Board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Francesco Campanile is a cosmetic surgeon in Denver who is focused on body contouring and breast enhancement. Time and time again, the women and men who choose Dr. Campanile say that they’ve found “the whole package” – a doctor who cares deeply about the quality of their results and has the skill to achieve excellence.
