There’s one physical appeal that both men and women are equally keen to achieve: a flat stomach! As soon as the warm weather returns, it even becomes an obsession. So, yes, there are many ways to reshape your tummy, but one technique remains infallible: cosmetic surgery. And by cosmetic surgery, we mean abdominoplasty or tummy liposuction.
Belly liposuction is one of the most common cosmetic surgery procedures in the world, which explains its notoriety. Often, thinking they are a good candidate for tummy liposuction, our patients realize after consultation with our surgeons that they need an abdominoplasty instead.
Although these two cosmetic surgery procedures involve the same area, the abdomen, they are nonetheless two different aesthetic operations.
So, tummy liposuction or abdominoplasty ?
Liposuction of the abdomen is a cosmetic surgery procedure widely performed by our surgeons to permanently remove excess fat from the abdomen. The operation is intended for patients with excess fat localized in the thickness of the abdominal wall, without excess skin and with good quality underlying tissue.
Liposuction only removes fat, and does not treat any other alterations.
In contrast, abdominoplasty, not only removes fat through liposuction, but also tightens the skin and strengthens the abdominal muscles.
The operation is therefore aimed at patients who have lost skin elasticity, need their abdominal muscles tightened or suffer from diastasis (separation of the superficial part of the abdominal muscles).
Abdominoplasty therefore treats excess fat as well as muscular and skin alterations.
How are these operations performed?
Liposuction of the abdomen is a relatively quick cosmetic surgery procedure lasting between 30 minutes and 2 hours, performed under general anaesthetic.
During the procedure, the surgeon makes small incisions of just a few millimeters in size, into which he introduces micro-cannulas to suction out fatty deposits.
Once liposuction has been performed, he sutures the incisions and protects them with dressings.
These incisions are often located in the natural folds of the skin, so there are no noticeable scars.
Abdominoplasty is an extensive cosmetic surgery procedure, lasting around 2 hours and performed under general anesthesia.
During the procedure, begins by removing excess fat through liposuction.
Next, he removes a wide strip of skin between the navel and the pubis.
The healthy skin above the navel is then stretched downwards, to reconstitute the new abdominal wall.
Finally, the abdominal muscles are tightened and, in the case of diastasis, tightened.
The scar varies according to the extent of the operation, but is generally located at the level of the pubic hair and remains inconspicuous.
The post-operative period consists essentially of wearing a girdle for at least 4 weeks after the operation and taking anticoagulants for 8 days.
