|
Post Abdominoplasty
|
Question: Is it possible for a surgeon to make an incision, say, about 8 inches in
radius, around the belly-button, then peel the skin back, and scoop out
the fat, throw it away, and just stitch the skin back together?
I mean, if they can reduce breast size, doing basically the same thing
(and a breast is much more complicated than stomach-fat, what with
glands and milk ducts and what-have-you), why can't they do same on stomach
fat?
I am about 60 poounds over-weight, and one doctor told me it is almost
entirely concentrated on my stomach. I am skinny almost everywhere
else,but I have this giant pot-belly.Another doctor, a plastic surgeon, told
me that the fat-removal I envisioned was impractical, that, instead, I
should just follow an exercise/diet program. well, I do exercise quite a bit
(don't diet, though) and the pot doesn't get any smaller! I think he
just said that because he doesn't want his patients to take the "easy" way
out.
Is this type of surgery possible? to slice thrugh the skin and just
take out handfulls of fat?
Answer: First of all breast reduction
is
not carried out at all similar to the manner that he describes it. The
operation that he is generally referring to is known as an
abdominoplasty.
It is done primarily to remove excessive skin from the abdomen, as for
example after a lady has had a number of children and has excessive
abdominal wall skin laxity, or a male who may have lost a lot of weight
and is left with excessive skin redundancy. An abdominoplasty done
under these circumstances can give a good result pleasing to the patient.
A surgical procedure carried out to remove excessive fat as a result of
generalized obesity,is not a satisfactory procedure. The results are
less than adequate, and the patient is subject to significant possible
complications in the post-operative period.
If a generally non-obese person has a localized area of excessive fat,
the procedure of choice is known as liposuction. Liposuction however is not
suitable for the treatment of anyone with generalized excessive body
fat, nor is it a method for treating obesity. The plastic surgeon that he
has spoken to has given him good advice, and the first aqproach he should
take is to reduce his weight to normal, and then be re-evaluated as to the
proper procedure if any that may be indicated.
The procedure that he describes of making an eight inch incision around
the umbilicus and removing fat through this incision is one that I am
not aware of as being described and certainly isn't one that I have heard
any other plastic surgeon doing.
Comment:
|
|
|
|
|
