ABSTRACT
This article outlines the author's technique, and the concepts of Bidirectional, Absorbable, No-Drain Abdominoplasty (BAND-Abdominoplasty). The attendant advantages and disadvantages are reviewed in the context of a retrospective, 5-year, single surgeon series. Level of Evidence IV This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these evidence-based medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
Subject(s)
Abdominal Fat/surgery , Abdominoplasty/methods , Body Contouring/methods , Catgut/statistics & numerical data , Wound Healing/physiology , Adult , Body Mass Index , Cohort Studies , Drainage , Elective Surgical Procedures/methods , Esthetics , Female , Humans , Lipectomy/methods , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Risk AssessmentABSTRACT
This article outlines a new rhytidectomy technique, developed by the author, that utilizes bidirectional self-retaining (barbed) sutures for superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) plication and, in some instances, skin closures. Short-scar and traditional versions of the procedure are presented, and the history of purse-string SMAS plication and the advantages for using self-retaining sutures in this application are discussed.
