Abdominoplasty Vancouver
Abdominoplasty or “tummy tuck” is one of the most commonly performed procedures today. It is not a substitute for diet and exercise. However, often diet and exercise alone cannot lead to the most elegant abdomen. On occasion, in very young patients with a normal BMI, liposuction alone will suffice. The vast majority of patients, especially women, benefit from some form of surgery. This can entail a modified abdominoplasty which addresses mostly the lower abdomen, or a full abdominoplasty with or without concomitant liposuction.
The surgery is performed under a general anesthetic, and the patient is kept overnight for safety purposes. A garment is worn for 3 weeks, and a gradual return to exercise starts at three weeks. There are no restrictions after 6 weeks. The office provides a complete instruction guide about when to resume activities and we are a telephone call away if there are questions not covered by our instruction sheets.
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This 21-year-old woman was unable to obtain her ideal shape despite diet and a vigorous exercise program. Consequently, she had liposuction to her abdomen and flanks. This technique is only useful for younger patients with excellent skin tone.
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This young women was unable to get rid of the bulge in her lower abdomen. Her upper abdomen was in excellent shape, so she had a modified abdominoplasty leaving the naval unaltered, but with tightening of the abdominal muscles.
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This 42 year old woman has had three children and requested a “mommy makeover”. Part of the treatment plan included a liposuction assisted abdominoplasty as well as flank liposuction.
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This 21 year old competitive body builder had never been able to flatten her lower abdomen. A modified abdominoplasty with tightening of the lower abdominal muscles gave her the profile she sought.
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This young woman with excellent skin tone had targeted liposuction alone to her abdomen. This worked nicely as her skin was able to redrape smoothly with no need for skin resection.
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This mother of three complained of loose skin and “pooching” of the abdomen. A standard abdominoplasty without liposuction was performed. Note the improvement of the hooding of the naval.
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This patient had finished her child bearing years. The muscle tightening has converted the “( )” configuration to a “) (“ configuration. The new naval has a more distinct configuration.
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This woman’s procedure shows the power of muscle tightening. No fat was removed, but significant muscle tightening has helped to flatten her profile. The vertical scar in her lower abdomen is no longer visible as all this skin from the pubis to the naval has been removed.
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This 38 year old woman had excess fat, skin, a significant relaxation of her abdominal muscle. A liposuction assisted abdominoplasty was performed with all the tissues from the pubis to the naval being removed.
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This 30-year-old woman did not require a full abdominoplasty. She has had a modified abdominoplasty with muscle tightening, skin resection and liposuction, but the naval has been left in place. Note the waist has also been modified.
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This mother of 3 had very wrinkled skin across her entire abdomen. A standard abdominoplasty was performed. Note the vertical orientation of her new naval.
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This heavier set woman had plateaued out with her weight loss. A combination of abdominoplasty and liposuction has smoothed out her fullness. The post operative oblique view reveals a small area of redundant skin at the end of the incision called a dog ear. This is by far the most common problem we see, and can be easily corrected under local anesthesia.
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This middle-aged lady had problems with her clothing, as well as some skin irritation. A standard abdominoplasty with liposuction was carried out.
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This is a case of an unusual fat distribution in which the majority of the excess fat was located in the upper abdomen. Aside from the abdominoplasty, an advanced sculpting of this area has allowed for a more slender and flatter profile.
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This mother of three requested a “mommy makeover”; a combination of abdominal surgery as well as breast surgery. These procedures are frequently performed together.
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Part of the price a mother pays for bringing little humans into the world is loose abdominal muscles as well as fat and skin. The stretch marks of the lower abdomen are gone as this area is removed. Stretch marks on the upper abdomen are not.
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This woman unfortunately had an attempt to improve her abdomen by liposuction alone. This led to significant contour deformities which could only be corrected by an abdominoplasty and site specific fat sculpting.
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This patient had sustained a large weight loss leaving her with a large abdominal pannus. Scar management has utilized a taping technique which can be seen on the post operative views. Dr Brown studied 100 abdominoplasty patients comparing silicone sheeting on one side, and tape on the other. The tape performs equally and is much easier to manage.
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This patient demonstrates a double panniculus or fold. Aside from the abdominoplasty she has had highly selective liposuction to gain a smoother profile.
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This patient had an abdominoplasty combined with a second operation … flank liposuction in which the flanks are resculpted right around the torso to the midback.