Abdominoplasty with anchor plication and complete lipoplasty.

BACKGROUND: Combined abdominoplasty and lipoplasty is fequently performed to achieve improved body contour in a single surgical session. OBJECTIVE: We describe a procedure that combines vertical and transverse plication of the abdominal fascia with lipoplasty of the anterior abdominal wall. METHODS: Lipoplasty of the anterior abdominal wall was performed using a superwet technique. The amount of extracted fat ranged from 200 to 6000 mL. Abdominoplasty was performed using traditional methods. Plication of the abdominal fascia combined the traditional longitudinal method with a half-moon plication, located in the lower abdomen. RESULTS: Seventy-six women ranging in age from 20 to 62 years underwent combined abdominoplasty and lipoplasty between January 2002 and January 2003. Patient satisfaction was rated as excellent in 74 cases. Patient satisfaction was rated as good in the other 2 cases, in which the only patient complaint was hypertrophy of the scar, which improved over time with the use of massage. Seromas developed in 8 patients (10.52%) and were treated successfully by syringe extraction. CONCLUSIONS: Benefits of combining abdominoplasty with lipoplasty include reduction of abdominal flap volume, improvement in the final quality of the scar, and improved tissue contraction. The anchor plication reduces strain in the abdominal fascia and also diminishes the vertical abdominal diameter, facilitating the descent of the flap.

New technique of plication for miniabdominoplasty.

The authors present a new method of plication of abdominal fascia performed in 42 patients who underwent surgery for miniabdominoplasty between September of 1998 and February of 2000. The design consisted of a horizontal half-moon on the infraumbilical fascia with high lateral tension, similar to the one that is performed on the skin, achieving an improvement in the muscle-aponeurotic tension of the whole abdomen without requiring a supraumbilical dissection or undermining. All patients (n = 42) had a superficial and a deep conventional liposuction of the abdomen, flanks, and posterior trunk with the wet technique. The rate of minor complications was 59.5 percent. Twenty patients had seromas, three patients had dog-ears and one had cutaneous ischemia (epidermolysis). There were no cases of major complications such as tissue necrosis, infections, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary emboli, or fat embolus syndrome. Patients received follow-up examination between 6 months and 2 years after surgery (average, 15 months). The results were excellent, and the patients were completely satisfied.

Large-volume lipoinjection for gluteal augmentation.

BACKGROUND: Although placement of silicone implants remains the standard technique for gluteal augmentation, lipoinjection of autologous fat obtained from lipoplasty is emerging as an alternative procedure. OBJECTIVE: We report the results of large-volume lipoinjection of the gluteal region in a series of 96 patients. METHODS: Lipoplasty was performed by using the wet-technique conventional method with previous infiltration of approximately 0.5 mL of solution for each mL of fat extracted. Autologous fat was injected through incisions from 5 to 8 mm long in the intergluteal fold and infragluteal groove of each side. Lipoinjection continued until the desired aesthetic contour was achieved or until the tension of the soft tissues became evident. Most patients received between 300 and 500 mL of autologous fat. RESULTS: A durable increase of the gluteal regions was achieved in all patients; all but 2 patients were satisfied with the results. Complications included paresthesias, small irregularities or asymmetries that did not require special treatment or cause patient dissatisfaction, and 1 case of septic shock as a result of gluteal cellulitis. CONCLUSIONS: Large-volume lipoinjection is an alternative to silicone implants for augmentation of the gluteal area that can provide greater volume increase while eliminating the risk of implant rupture and the need for follow-up surgery. (Aesthetic Surg J 2002;22:33-38.).