Marla Riley Levine of Pelham, New York asked me the other day: “What is a Reverse Abdominoplasty?” Well Mar, a reverse abdominoplasty is a surgical procedure specifically designed to flatten the upper portion of the abdomen and is generally (but not always) used in conjunction with either liposuction alone or liposuction in combination with either a mini or standard abdominoplasty procedure.
In select patients, the upper abdomen (referred to as the epigastrium) demonstrates excessive laxity on physical examination which can be corrected by pulling the tissue upwards, in contradistinction to a formal abdominoplasty in which the excessive skin of the abdominal wall tissue is tightened by a downward pull.
In patients who undergo a simultaneous abdominplasty with breast augmentation, this can provide the ultimate in abdominal contouring while minimizing visible abdominal post operative scarring. The incisional scars of a reverse abdominoplasty are well hidden within the inframammary crease beneath the breasts and are just slightly longer than the standard incisional scars used to perform a silicone implant breast augmentation .
In many individuals, the epigastric area of the abdominal wall is too lax to allow for consistent and reliable skin retraction following a standard abdominoplasty or liposuction procedure. By performing a reverse abdominoplasty, these types of patients have the best potential to avoid the dreaded “epigastric bulge” following standard abdominoplasty or liposuction procedures.
The reverse component of the abdominoplasty procedure does not substitute for lower abdominal scar all together in those individuals who require more extensive surgery to address abdominal wall contour deformities. If the abdominal wall muscles are lax or there is excessive skin and fat in the lower abdomen, the surgeon still has to tighten the abdominal muscles and/or remove this excessive tissue through a lower abominal incision.
So how do you know if you would benefit from a reverse abdominoplasty procedure? A thorough consultation by a plastic surgeon who has the specific training and experience in this specific type of body contouring surgery can decide the optimal surgical intervention required to address each patient’s unique needs.
Thanks Mar for the question. I hope this sheds some light on the topic of “Reverse Abdominoplasty” for hugh. Au revoir.