Abdominoplasty: Types of Procedures

Abdominoplasty, commonly known as a tummy tuck, is a major surgical procedure for men and women generally in good shape and health but who have large fat deposits around their abdomen or have and excess of loose skin. Abdominoplasty can reduce protruding abdominal fat but it does leave a lengthy, permanent, sometimes visible scar that runs the length of the hipbones. Most people who undergo abdominoplasty are women who don't intend to bear more children and whose previous pregnancies stretched their abdominal muscles or people suffering from obesity whose skin elasticity has diminished. Depending upon the amount of excess fat and skin a patient has and the area of the excess, different types of abdominoplasty procedures can be performed.

Tummy Tuck

During a tummy tuck, an incision is made along the length between the hipbones and around the belly button, the skin is removed along the abdominal wall up to the ribs, the vertical muscles of the abdomen are tightened and the flap of excess abdominal fat is removed and the skin is pulled down, cut off and the remaining flap is sewn back into place along the initial incision.

Mini Tummy Tuck

Mini-abdominoplasty, often paired with tumescent liposuction, is a more limited procedure, but still effective for many people, including those who have only lost muscle tone and skin elasticity in the lower region of the abdomen below the belly button. This surgery can be just as effective and the incision can be smaller and recover time is less. Thus this can be the solution for people with only a slight tummy problem.

Endoscopic Tummy Tuck

Endoscopic tummy tuck is abdominoplasty aided by an endoscope, a tiny camera, and is best for people who have excess fat below the belly button alone but have not lost skin elasticity. Muscles can be tightened and fat can be removed through liposuction via tiny holes made above the pubis or through the belly button. This is a very popular procedure because it leaves little scarring unlike more traditional tummy tuck procedures. However there is a risk of infection if the incision doesn't drain properly.

Panniculectomy Surgery

Panniculectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the large/long overlap of skin on the lower abdominal area. This usually occurs in morbidly obese individuals who have lost a substantial amount of weight. Without correcting this problem, there is a risk of developing chronic and persistent local skin conditions such as intertrigo, intertriginous dermatitis, cellulites, ulcerations, necrosis, and inflammation of subcutaneous adipose tissue. Panniculectomy is unlike abdominoplasty because it does not deal at all with abdominal muscles. Panniculectomy is simply the removal of excess fat and skin from the "apron" left hanging anywhere from just barely above the mons pubis down to the knees or beyond.

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