Abdominal Procedures – Miami Plastic Surgery

Abdominal Procedures

Pregnancy has multiple effects on the abdominal wall. To begin with, the abdominal skin stretches significantly resulting in thinning and expansion, and after childbirth, the skin then contracts to some degree. Often some amount of skin excess and redundancy remains, usually at the lower part of the abdomen and in the area immediately around the umbilicus, and in some cases at the upper part of the abdomen as well. The quality of the skin may also be affected, with loss of elasticity, thinning of dermis and possibly development of striae (stretch marks). Similar changes to those seen in the skin occur in the abdominal wall fascia (muscle tissue) as well. Like the skin, fascia also becomes weakened and redundant and then loses elasticity and strength. The end result is loose, sagging inelastic excess skin and bulging of the central abdomen with widening and loss of the hourglass curvature of the waist. Hormonal effects of pregnancy may also have an effect on abdominal contour.

Dr. Polo has 17 years of experience in private practice specializing in breast and body contouring surgery. For each Mommy makeover patient, he will assess all of these factors and prescribe a customized abdominal contouring surgery to best meet that patient’s needs and goals.

Full Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck)

There are a variety of different types of abdominal contouring procedures. The classic procedure performed with the Mommy makeover is a full abdominoplasty (tummy tuck). The full abdominoplasty includes all of these components: liposuction, excision of excess skin, tightening of fascia and repositioning of the umbilicus. With a full abdominoplasty, any areas of contour bulging caused by excess fat at the sides of the abdominal wall can be treated with liposuction which helps to narrow the waist and enhance the hourglass curves. It also may help to limit the length of the incision at the lower abdomen by improving contour in the area of the anterior and lateral hips.

Excess skin is addressed during a tummy tuck with removal of tissue that includes all of the skin from just above the belly button down to the site of the lower abdominal incision within the pubic hairline. The remaining skin of the abdominal wall is separated from the muscle layer then stretched down to the incision site and closed. The length of the incision and resulting scar typically extends between the anterior prominences of each hip bone.

The next component of a full abdominoplasty involves tightening of fascia (muscle tissue). In most cases the fascia spreads and thins resulting in bulging between the muscles in the center of the abdomen from the rib margin to the pubic bone. This rectus diastasis is repaired by suturing the separated edges of muscle/fascia back together. Other areas of fascia laxity and bulging may be similarly tightened as well, particularly at the lower abdomen. Finally, after freeing and stretching the upper abdominal skin down to the level of the lower abdominal incision, a new location for the belly button is created and the umbilicus, which has remained attached to the fascia is retrieved and stitched at this new site.

Dr. Polo utilizes some of the most advanced techniques in abdominoplasty surgery including:

• high lateral tension,
• progressive tension sutures,
• Marcaine infusion pumps,
• drainless procedures.

With these and other methods he will help to assure that each patient achieves their ideal abdominoplasty result while having the best possible surgical experience.

Liposuction

For other patients interested in a Mommy Makeover, they may have retained good skin and fascia tone while accumulating excess subcutaneous fat. For these patients, the ideal procedure for abdominal contouring would most likely be liposuction. Liposuction allows minimally invasive contouring without long incisions and scars and with minimal recovery time. Dr. Polo utilizes advanced liposuction technology and techniques to create the ideal abdominal contour for every patient. These include Ultrasound Assisted Liposuction (UAL) which optimizes skin contraction, Power Assisted Liposuction (PAL) which facilitates treatment of larger or more fibrous areas, and SAFE liposuction which helps to prevent superficial contour irregularities.

Lipo-Abdominoplasty

For other patients a combination of liposuction and a mini-abdominoplasty is ideal for abdominal contouring. These patients primarily have accumulation of excess fat with good fascia tone. However, their skin quality is not quite good enough to allow adequate contraction to maintain a flat contour. For these patients, tightening of the skin below the belly button is required for an ideal result.

Dr. Polo’s many years of experience performing thousands of body contouring procedures allows him to expertly assess each Mommy Makeover candidate and to formulate the ideal treatment plan to meet their individual needs.