ABDOMINAL LIPOSCULPTURE

This kind of liposculpture is one of the most common nowadays. Whereas legs liposuction is just related to women, abdominal liposuction is both requested by men and women. In the abdomen, we can find:

- Fat excess

- Fat and skin excess

- Muscular debility (rectum diastasis)

The surgical techniques for this liposculpture vary according to the characteristics of each abdomen. For instances, a man with fat excess in flanks is a good candidate for liposuction or a woman, without overweight and good skin and muscular tonicity, who wants to get rid of that tummy after pregnancy is also a good candidate for undertaking liposuction. However, where there is a large excess of skin and fat (the so-called "apron"), when there has been a severe slimming with subsequent flabbiness or after several pregnancies, abdominoplasty is the chosen surgical technique. This consists of an abdominal dermolipectomy and the strengthening of abdominal muscles (plicature).

Liposuction is a very suitable technique for the abdomen. We can remove fat excess satisfactorily, but the patient must know that it is not a good solution if there is abdominal distension because of muscular debility or an excess of intraabdominal fat. The patient must also know that if the skin is flabby or shows irregularities (e.g, stretchmarks), the result may no be satisfactory due to an inedaquate cutaneous retraction (i.e, there might remain folds and lines, especially around the belly button).

Several abdominal areas are distinguished (stomach, lower abdomen, pubis, flanks) and can be treated independently, although I prefer a treatment that involves all areas since the cutaneus retraction is better and more homogeneous, that is, we just perform a large internal scar that works all over the abdomen.

I usually perform this operation with epidural anaesthesia (also used in labours) since there are no pains nor troubles for the patient and the post-anaesthetic recovery is fast. I inject serum under the skin so there is less bleeding and an easier fat extraction. I spare no effort to leave the skin as soft as possible (abdominal liposculpture) and after the operation I place a bandage that must be worn for one month. The treatment is complemented with massages, exercises and in some cases, an additional diet.