Staged Liposuction with Subsequent Abdominoplasty for the Large Female Patient

Abstract

Liposuction and abdominoplasty are the 2 most common surgical techniques used to enhance the abdominal/flank area today. Because most, if not all, of the patients at our facility want the flattest tummy and smallest waist possible, we treat larger patients who desire abdominal enhancement, if they are appropriate candidates, with staged liposuction followed by subsequent full abdominoplasty at 4 to 6 months. Liposuction offers the advantages of midepigastric and flank improvement while preserving adequate vascularity in preparation for full abdominoplasty. Staging the 2 procedures minimizes the risks associated with anesthesia in a prolonged surgery. This case series is presented as an alternative technique of staging liposuction with subsequent abdominoplasty for obese patients who are seeking abdominal enhancement and for cosmetic surgeons who still prefer to perform a traditional abdominoplasty, maximizing the postoperative cosmetic results while minimizing all possible associated operative risks. To our knowledge, there is no described technique in the literature on staging liposuction with abdominoplasty in larger female patients.