This operation is one of the commonest in the field of cosmetic surgery. It is done in order to remove redundant tissue which is a composite of fat and skin and is located in the middle and lower abdomen. This problem is caused most often by a combination of factors such as obesity followed by weight loss and multiple pregnancies. The tissues of the abdominal wall, including the muscles, become stretched and weakened. It must be stressed that exercises, diets, special belts never have any beneficial effect on this kind of problem. The only solution is surgical and has two corrective components. The first, is the removal of excess skin and fat located mainly in the lower abdomen and the second is the tightening of the loosened abdominal muscles with special sutures. The surgical incision is located at the “bikini-line”, that is just above the pubic hair and stretching outwards into the crease created by the abdomen and the thigh on either side. The navel is freed and a new opening is made on the abdominal skin that will be drawn downwards so that it can be sutured to its new position.
Sometimes abdominoplasty offers an extra benefit since old scars from previous operations such as appendicectomy will be removed. The scar from this operation gradually improves and within a year is quite acceptable. It continues to fade during the next couple of years. The patient is kept in the clinic for 48 hours. She should expect to remain off work for 2-3 weeks and to wear a corset for about a month. Abtominoplasty is not designed to remove large amounts of weight from an obese patient. It rather aims at correcting the abdominal contour of a patient which has been lost through weight loss and or pregnancies. Quite often abdominoplasty is combined with liposuction in those patients who have localised fat deposits in their hips or waist. The quality of life of the patient improves tremendously in terms of being able to dress better, becoming more nimble and present a finer figure. Patients who lost a very large amount of weight end up with an apron hanging in front of their abdomen. This causes skin problems such as chafing and rashes. Such patients also benefit greatly from an abdominoplasty.
