Abdominoplasty

Abstract

The evolution of abdominal contouring began with excision of skin and subcutaneous tissue more than 100 years ago. This evolved into proper lower abdominal horizontal incision placement and fascial repair along with dermo-lipectomy. The introduction of liposuction was a sentinel event in body contouring, applicable as well to the entire abdomen. Taken further, abdominoplasty matured with targeted fat removal, fat grafting, and high-definition lipo-contouring. Limited undermining combined with targeted liposuction created an aesthetically pleasing abdominal contour while safely preserving the blood supply to the undermined flap. The introduction of barbed sutures for fascial repair and for wound closure, the use of basting sutures, and lateral to medial flap advancement moved modern abdominoplasty to a safer procedure with impressive aesthetic results. While producing an impressive aesthetic improvement was always the primary goal, increasing attention that focused on decreasing the risks of adverse events and sequelae was an important goal.