Abdominoplasty techniques [Abdominoplasty]
Today, I will explain the different methods of abdominoplasty.
If you are concerned about a sagging abdomen
Or a bulging belly when you look in the mirror,
This is for you.
Abdominoplasty (also called a tummy tuck)
Is a procedure worth understanding
If you want to know whether this surgery
Can address your concerns.
Abdominoplasty is not simply a surgery
That removes belly fat.
It is a comprehensive body-contouring procedure
That corrects loose abdominal skin,
Separated rectus muscles,
And excess accumulated fat
All at the same time
To restore the natural body line.
How can you determine
Whether abdominoplasty
Is a surgery you truly need?
The presence of loose skin
And separated rectus muscles
(Rectus diastasis)
Are the two key factors
That determine whether abdominal contouring
Can be done with liposuction alone
Or whether abdominoplasty
Needs to be combined.
And even if these two conditions are present,
Each person’s childbirth history,
Changes in weight,
Skin elasticity,
And degree of sagging
Are all different,
So the surgical approach
Also varies.
In this session,
I will introduce several
Representative surgical methods.
1. Full abdominoplasty
This is the most representative method
Of abdominoplasty,
And at Lesarts,
It is guided as the M-type technique.
It is chosen when there is overall skin laxity
From the upper abdomen down to the pubic area,
Along with rectus diastasis.
You can think of M-type abdominoplasty
As the right choice when the sagging
Above the belly button,
Especially in the upper abdomen,
Is severe,
And when you want to correct a belly button
That appears horizontally stretched
Like a “ㅡ” shape due to sagging.
After correcting the overall laxity
Of both the upper and lower abdomen
And repairing the rectus diastasis,
A new navel is created,
Designed in a vertical shape for an aesthetic result,
Which means that navel reconstruction
Is performed together as part of the procedure.
2. Mini abdominoplasty
This is the method most commonly preferred
By patients who visit the clinic,
And at Lesarts,
It is guided as the S-type technique.
The “mini” in mini abdominoplasty
Does not necessarily mean
That the scar is short,
But rather that only the lower abdomen
Is corrected—
Which is why it is called “mini.”
If the lower abdominal sagging is significant,
The incision length may sometimes
Be as long as that of a full abdominoplasty.
In other words,
It is selected when the sagging
Above the belly button or upper abdomen
Is not severe,
And when upper-abdominal rectus diastasis
Is not significant.
It is most suitable
For those whose lower abdomen
Protrudes more prominently,
And if the sagging is not severe,
The surgery can be performed
With a relatively shorter incision scar.
3. Umbilical float method mini abdominoplasty
It is a procedure that compensates for the shortcomings of mini abdominoplasty.
It is effective for correcting laxity that falls between the m-type and s-type.
The biggest drawback of mini abdominoplasty is
That the rectus muscle separation of the upper abdomen
Cannot be corrected.
To correct this area,
The base of the navel is separated from the abdominal wall,
And dissection is performed to correct the upper abdominal separation.
After that, the navel must be fixed again,
And for those who want partial correction of upper abdominal laxity,
The navel is fixed after lowering it by about 1–2 cm.
As much as the position of the navel is lowered,
Some upper abdominal laxity can be corrected,
But it is difficult to achieve correction equal to a full abdominoplasty.
Also, if the original navel position
Is low, it is difficult to perform,
And if someone does not want the navel to be lowered,
It is fixed back to its original position without altering it.
4. Extended abdominoplasty
Extended abdominoplasty is performed
When skin laxity extends beyond the front abdomen
To the flanks,
And at lesarts, it is guided as the l-type.
The basic surgical principle
Is the same as a full abdominoplasty,
But when laxity is extensive across the flanks
And love-handle area,
The incision is extended to correct
The additional sagging.
5. Fleur-de-lis abdominoplasty
This technique can be performed
When a patient with severe obesity
Loses weight and is left with excess skin
Not only vertically but also horizontally.
When the abdomen enlarges due to obesity,
The skin stretches not only up and down
But also side to side.
Because the conventional method
Cannot correct this horizontal excess,
This procedure was developed.
“Fleur-de-lis” is French for “lily,”
And the name comes from the incision pattern
Which resembles the shape of a lily.
It is a method that can correct
Both vertical and horizontal laxity,
But because it leaves a horizontal scar
Along with a vertical scar in the midline,
It is not recommended
For those who are sensitive about scars.
6. Reverse abdominoplasty
This method is performed
When the lower abdomen has minimal laxity
But the upper abdomen shows noticeable sagging,
Although it is not a commonly used technique.
Unlike the standard abdominoplasty,
Where the incision is placed along the bikini line
And dissection proceeds upward,
This technique places the incision
Along the inframammary fold,
Then dissection proceeds downward
To lift and tighten the upper abdominal skin.
The scar remains along the inframammary fold,
But due to relatively high tension on the scar,
There is a higher risk of hypertrophic scarring,
And downward migration of the scar may occur,
So careful consideration is required.
7. Circumferential abdominoplasty
(belt lipectomy)
This procedure is performed
When there is significant laxity
In the front, sides, and back of the torso.
An incision is made 360 degrees around the body,
Allowing a large amount of excess skin to be corrected.
However, because the incision and dissection area are extensive,
The surgery time becomes longer,
Recovery is slower,
And scar management can be more challenging.
It is typically performed
To correct circumferential laxity
That occurs after major weight loss
In cases of extreme obesity.
This method improves not only abdominal sagging
But also sagging of the waist and buttock areas.
Abdominoplasty offers various techniques
Depending on the degree of abdominal laxity
And the presence of rectus diastasis
Caused by changes in body shape.
Knowing the basic information—
“Ah, these types of procedures exist”—
Can be very helpful
When you move on to an actual consultation
And try to find the method that suits you best.
Abdominoplasty is the only procedure
That can fundamentally correct abdominal sagging,
But it inevitably leaves a long scar.
It is important to review as much information as possible beforehand,
But it is even more crucial
To consult with the surgeon who will perform the procedure
To understand the advantages and disadvantages of each method
And determine which one is best for you.
In short,
The key is “customized selection.”
Since everyone develops abdominal issues
For completely different reasons,
The most important steps are:
Accurate diagnosis → Choosing the tailored surgical method.
Please keep this in mind.
