Abdominoplasty is a large-scale surgery that removes excess skin in the upper and lower abdomen.
As the name suggests, miniabdominoplasty is abdominal plastic surgery of a small extent. Sagging skin on the abdomen, which can develop e.g. after a significant weight reduction and conservative or surgical treatment of obesity is taken care of. Loose skin cannot be removed by regular exercise, diet, or liposuction, which is used to successfully remove excess fat in other cases. Therefore, a general abdominal reconstruction or only upper and lower miniabdominoplasty is indicated.
The difference between general and miniabdominoplasty
Abdominoplasty is a large-scale surgery that removes excess skin in the upper and lower abdomen. On the other hand, miniabdominoplasty is a simpler variant of the surgery where the skin is corrected either in the lower abdomen below the navel or, vice versa, in the upper abdomen above the navel and under the breasts.
When to chose miniabdominoplasty
A loose abdominal wall and sagging skin may be develop due to radical weight loss, pregnancy, etc. The sagging skin cannot be corrected in a conservative way, i.e. adherence to diet regimen and regular exercise. For women and men who suffer from sagging skin on the abdomen, we therefore recommend the general plastic surgery of the abdomen, or its simpler and smaller variant - miniabdominoplasty. You will only find out whether you are a candidate for this procedure after an individual consultation and an initial examination. Based on a personal meeting we can also recommend abdominal liposuction, which is often combined with this procedure.
How miniabdominoplasty works
LOWER ABDOMINOPLASTY
The border between the upper and lower plastic surgery is the navel area. In lower abdominoplasty, we remove the skin and subcutaneous tissue from the lower abdomen and leave the area above the navel unchanged. We do not perform the so-called transposition or shifting of the navel, which is normally performed in classical abdominal plastic surgery. The entire surgery takes approximately 1 hour.
In the lower abdominoplasty, we perform a bikini cut, visually low below the edge of underwear or swimwear. Afterwards, we release the skin towards the navel, move it down and remove its excess together with the subcutaneous tissue. In certain cases, we can also strengthen your abdominal muscles. This procedure creates approximately a 20 cm long scar, which cannot be completely avoided unfortunately. However, the scar can be covered with underwear very well, and its visibility can be reduced by timely care e.g. with a biostimulation laser.
UPPER ABDOMINOPLASTY
In the upper abdominoplasty, we remove the loose skin in the upper abdomen, from the navel to the sternum. The incision is made in the line under breast, where the subsequent scar is least noticeable. The plastic surgeon cuts and loosens the skin from the top area to the navel. This skin is then pushed upwards and its excess is removed.
Recovery after the procedure
Miniabdominoplasty is performed under general anaesthesia. Therefore, you will be hospitalised after the surgery. In the pleasant environment of the OB CARE centre, we will take care of you for about 1 to 2 days. Afterwards, you will be discharged for home care.
Recovery after miniabdominoplasty is less demanding than after total abdominal surgery. However, it is still necessary to follow principles such as avoiding major physical activities for 3 months, wearing special compression garments for several weeks, etc. We will explain all the essentials of postoperative care during the initial personal consultation. They are very important and your adherence will help improve the results of the procedure.