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Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck)
Liposuction
Scar Revision
Body Contouring
 Abdominoplasty is a surgical procedure that helps to flatten and shape the abdomen and waist by removing excess fat and skin and tightening muscles.
The best candidates are in good physical condition with pockets of fat or loose skin that haven’t responded well to diet and exercise. Older, slightly obese people whose skin has lost some of its elasticity can be helped. Abdominoplasty can also be useful for women with stretched skin and muscles from pregnancy, although results from the procedure will diminish if they continue to bear children. For this reason, w omen who plan to have children again are advised to delay abdominoplasty. Patients who intend to lose a lot of weight are also encouraged to wait before undergoing the procedure, since skin in that area typically loosens after substantial weight loss.
The procedure takes approximately two to five hours and can be performed with general anesthesia or local anesthesia with a sedative. Recovery time ranges from two weeks to a few months, but with a balanced diet and regular exercise results are long-lasting.
Abdominoplasty will likely leave a permanent scar stretching between the hips, although it should be low enough for even a bikini to conceal it. Patients who have had previous abdominal surgery should know that their old scars could be raised, stretched or generally more noticeable after the procedure. Other, rare post-operative complications include infection, blood clots, and poor healing, which may require further surgery.
In most cases, Dr. Dufresne will make two incisions: one from hipbone to hipbone close to the pubic area, and one around the navel. Skin is separated from the abdominal muscles, which are then pulled together and stitched into place for a firmer abdomen and narrower waist. The skin flap is stretched down and over the newly tightened muscles, excess skin is removed, and the navel is reattached. Finally, the incisions will be stitched, dressings will be applied, and a temporary tube may be inserted to drain excess fluid from the surgical site.
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 One of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures, Liposuction is a surgical technique to remove unwanted deposits of fat from specific areas of the body, including the face and neck, upper arms, trunk, abdomen, buttocks, hips and thighs, and the knees, calves and ankles. This is not a substitute for weight reduction, but a method for removing localized deposits of fatty tissue that do not respond to diet or exercise. Liposuction may be performed as a primary procedure for body contouring or combined with other surgical techniques such as facelift, abdominoplasty, or thigh lift procedures to tighten loose skin and supporting structures.
The best candidates for liposuction are individuals of relatively normal weight who have excess fat in particular body areas. Having firm, elastic skin will result in a better final contour after liposuction. Skin that has diminished tone due to stretch marks, weight loss, or natural aging will not reshape itself to the new contours and may require additional surgical techniques to remove and tighten excess skin. Body-contour irregularities due to structures other than fat cannot be improved by this technique. Liposuction by itself will not improve areas of dimpled skin known as “cellulite.”
Suction-assisted lipectomy surgery is performed by using a hollow metal surgical instrument known as a “cannula” that is inserted through small skin incision(s) and is passed back and forth through the area of fatty deposit. The cannula is attached to a vacuum source, which provides the suction needed to remove the fatty tissue.
Risks are uncommon when the procedure is performed by a qualified surgeon but still may include infection, delays in healing, fat clots or blood clots, shock, fluid accumulation that must be drained, burns, perforation injury, lidocaine toxicity, and unfavorable drug or anesthesia reactions.
After surgery, drainage tubes, compression garments and antibiotics may be needed to facilitate the healing process. Patients are encouraged to walk as soon as they are able and many return to work within a few days, although strenuous activity should be avoided for about a month. Results are visible immediately, though improvement may continue as swelling subsides during the first three months. Scars are small and inconspicuous. Other irregularities in appearance are possible, such as asymmetric or "baggy" skin, numbness and pigmentation changes.
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 Scar revision is performed to reduce the appearance of scars caused by injury or previous surgery. Scars are by definition permanent, but surgery can narrow, fade and otherwise reduce the appearance of severe or unattractive scarring, which is especially helpful in areas of cosmetic importance such as the face and hands.
There are many surgical methods of scar revision, only some of which may be appropriate for a particular type of scar or its location. These include surgical excision, skin grafts, flap surgery and Z-plasty (repositioning a scar so that it aligns with the face and is less noticeable). The effectiveness of scar reduction depends on a number of factors, including the nature of the injury, your body’s healing mechanism, the size and depth of the wound, how much blood supplies the area and the thickness and color of your skin.
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 Dramatic weight loss, whether achieved by proper nutrition and exercise, as the result of Bariatric Surgery, or from other forms of medical treatment has many benefits. After major weight loss your skin may be loose, sagging, and your body contours may appear irregular and disharmonious.
Surgical body contouring following major weight loss improves the shape and tone of the underlying tissue that supports fat and skin, and removes excess sagging fat and skin. The result is a more normal appearance to the body, with smoother contours. This is, in essence, the final phase of your total weight loss experience.
However, before you decide to undergo body contouring following major weight loss, it is important to understand that your weight loss must have stabilized. If you continue to lose weight, sagging pockets will redevelop. If you rapidly regain the weight you have lost, you will traumatically stress your already weakened and thinned skin and could cause visible stretch marks and wide scars.
Your body contouring will be individualized to your specific conditions and regions to be treated. The procedures necessary to achieve your goals will be defined along with a plan for the timing of these procedures:
- Facelift : to reduce sagging of the mid-face, jowls, and neck
- Breast Lift : to correct sagging, flattened breasts
- Tummy Tuck : to correct the apron of excess skin hanging over your abdomen
- Lower Body Lift : to correct sagging of the abdomen, buttocks, groin, and outer thighs
- Medial Thigh Lift : to correct sagging of the inner, outer, and mid thigh
- Brachioplasty : to correct sagging of the upper arms
Please note that all body contouring requires incisions to remove excess skin. In many cases, these incisions may be extensive and will leave a scar. Incision length and pattern depend on the amount and location of excess skin to be removed, as well as personal preferences and surgical judgment. Advanced techniques usually allow incisions to be placed in the strategic locations where they can be hidden by most types of clothing and swimsuits, but this is not always the case.
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