Abdominoplasty
Tumescent liposuction with microcannulas has proved to be so effective that abdominoplasty is now rarely indicated. After an abdominal liposuction, very few patients require or desire abdominoplasty, even those who have had 2 L or more of supranatant fat suctioned from the abdomen. In the vast majority of patients who have a pendulous lower abdominal panniculus, tumescent liposuction provides a better and more natural cosmetic result than an abdominoplasty.
Indications for abdominoplasty are subjective. A surgeon might recommend an abdominoplasty for the following three reasons:
- Extensive diastasis or spreading of the abdominal rectus muscles as a result of pregnancy
- Excessive striae or stretch marks
- Surgeon’s unawareness of the excellent results from liposuction without abdominoplasty
Liposuction alone will not always provide complete satisfaction. Ultimately the patient’s opinion of the cosmetic results depends on multiple factors, including (1) the patient’s expectations, (2) the patient’s preoperative cosmetic deficiencies, and (3) the surgeon’s technical skills and technique. Thus the results are never completely predictable.
