ABDOMINOPLASTY
Make sure your doctor will tighten the muscles (I do this almost always) Look at the pre/post photos. The abdomen should be flat, the scar hidden below the bikini line, and there should be no dog ears (bulges at the sides). Look for natural-looking belly-buttons.
- Dr. Reagan
| Procedure: | Raise and reshape sagging breasts by removing excess skin and repositioning remaining tissue and nipples. |
| Length: | 1 to 3 hours or more. |
| Anesthesia: | Local with sedation, or general. |
| In/Outpatient: | Usually outpatient. Sometimes inpatient. |
| Side Effects: | Temporary bruising, selling, discomfort, numbness, dry breast skin. Permanent scars. |
| Risks: | Thick, wide scars; skin loss; infection. Unevenly positioned niples. Permanent losss of feeling in nipples or breast. |
| Recovery: | Back to work: 1 week or more. Strenuous activities: 1 month. Fading of scars: several months to a year. |
| Results: | Variable; gravity, pregnancy, aging, and weight changes may cause new sagging. Results may last longer or be enhanced when breast implants are inserted as part of the procedure. |
LIPOSUCTION
Best results in Liposuction are seen in patients with good diets and exercise regimens who have those “stubborn areas” such as flanks and saddle bags.
- Dr. Reagan
| Procedure: | Improve body shape by removing exercise-resistant fat deposits with a tube and vacuum device. Can be performed using the tumescent technique, in which targeted fat cells are infused with saline containing solution with a local anesthetic before liposuction to reduce post-operative bruising and swelling. Common locations for liposuction include chin, cheeks, neck, upper arms, above breasts, abdomen, buttocks, hips, thighs, knees, calves, ankles. For larger volumes of fat or for fibrous body areas, ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty (UAL) may be used. UAL is a new technique in which an ultrasound probe is inserted beneath the skin to “liquify” the fat before it is suctioned. |
| Length: | 1 to 2 hours or more. UAL: 20-40 percent longer than traditional liposuction. |
| Anesthesia: | Local, epidural, or general. |
| In/Outpatient: | Usually outpatient. Extensive procedures may require short inpatient stay. |
| Side Effects: | Temporary bruising, swelling, numbness, soreness, burning sensation. Tumescent: Temporary fluid drainage from incision sites. UAL: Larger incisions for cannula. |
| Risks: | Asymmetry. Rippling or bagginess of skin. Pigmentation changes. Skin injury. Fluid retention. Excessive fluid loss leading to shock. Infection. UAL: thermal burn injury caused by the heat from the ultrasound device. |
| Recovery: | Back to work: 1 to 2 weeks. More strenuous activity: 2 to 4 weeks. Full recovery from swelling and bruising: 1 to 6 months or more. Use of tumescent technique or UAL may decrease post-operative bruising and swelling. |
| Duration of Results: | Permanent, with sensible diet and exercise. |
THIGH LIFT
Often performed on gastric-bypass patients. The art is excising enough, but not too much.
- Dr. Reagan
| Procedure: | Removal of excessive skin/fat of the inner thigh. Incisions created either in groin crease, or down the inner thigh to the knee in cases of significant skin/fat excess. |
| Length: | 3 hours. |
| Anesthesia: | General. |
| In/Outpatient: | Outpatient, sometimes inpatient if combined with other procedures. |
| Side Effects: | Swelling, bruising, numbness. |
| Risks: | Dehiscence (opening) of incision, bad scarring. |
| Recovery: | Walking at 2 weeks, exercise at 6-8 weeks. |
BODY LIFT
In cases of severe laxity, either a midline or lateral incision will be necessary. Look at photos and examine scar placement.
- Dr. Reagan
| Procedure: | Excision of skin/fat circumferentially around lower trunk. |
| Length: | 5 hours. |
| Anesthesia: | General. |
| In/Outpatient: | Usually inpatient. |
| Side Effects: | Swelling, bruising, numbness. |
| Risks: | Permanent numbness, asymmetry, residual laxity, seroma or hematoma. |
| Recovery: | 3-4 weeks, exercise 6-8 weeks. |
BRACHIOPLASTY
Incision should be well concealed, dog ears should be avoided, excessive tension of closure can lead to opening of incision.
- Dr. Reagan
| Procedure: | Removal of excessive arm skin. |
| Length: | 2 hours. |
| Anesthesia: | General. |
| In/Outpatient: | Outpatient, unless combined with other procedures. |
| Side Effects: | Swelling, blistering, temporary numbness, scar. |
| Risks: | Infection, delayed healing, poor scarring. |
| Recovery: | 2-3 weeks. |
