#PANNICULECTOMY FLEUR DE LIS TUMMY TUCK VS REGULAR SKIN#
For most of my weight loss patients, a light bulb goes off when they figure out the difference between horizontal and vertical laxity.Ī fleur de lis can address horizontal laxity because an incision is made down the middle of the abdomen, allowing plastic surgeons to remove excess skin and tighten the abdomen from side to side, along with top to bottom.įor ease, here are the key differences summed up: If you then grab the lower abdomen and pull it tight, you’ll see a standard tummy tuck does not address horizontal laxity. If there is a big roll of skin in the middle where you pushed in, you are demonstrating horizontal laxity. If you think you may be one of those people, put your hands on your flanks and push toward the middle. Such patients not only have a lower roll of excess skin and fat (the vertical laxity), but they are also loose from side to side (around the flanks). The issue is that neither properly addresses the needs of massive weight loss patients. That’s a standard tummy tuck, which tightens vertical laxity.įor reference, a mini tummy tuck is very similar, but the procedure only removes skin from below the belly button, making it more suitable for those requiring minor adjustments. If you remove that roll from hip to hip, the remaining skin on the upper tummy can be pulled down like a window shade – tight and flat. Sit in a chair, grab your lower belly and if you’re like me, you may feel a roll of excess skin and fat that you’d prefer not to have. The average tummy tuck patient, often a postpartum mother or someone who has lost 30-40 pounds, has a vertical laxity of the tummy. So how does a fleur de lis tummy tuck compare to a traditional tummy tuck? The name, fleur de lis, comes from the pattern drawn on the abdomen before surgery, which is similar to a French decorative symbol. The two incisions result in a vertical and horizontal scar in the shape of an upside-down “T”. This allows the surgeon to remove excess, sagging skin in both directions – creating a tighter, flatter abdomen both top to bottom and side to side. Here, the incision connects with a second, horizontal incision from hip to hip. In a fleur de lis tummy tuck, a central, vertical incision is made from the upper abdomen downwards. She looked at me as though I were crazy, not because she didn’t want the tummy tuck, but because she had never even heard of the procedure. Another doctor recommended liposuction and a standard tummy tuck procedure, but because of the significant skin laxity around her entire lower torso, I asked if she had considered a fleur de lis tummy tuck. She was, without a doubt, ready to get rid of all the loose skin hanging from her lower belly. A few years ago, I saw a woman who had lost over 100 pounds through diet and exercise. This is where fleur de lis tummy tucks can help.
As such, patients with significant weight loss have loose skin from side to side as well. When weight fluctuates up and down, it is a 360-degree event around the body – not just top to bottom. This is fine for the average postpartum mom who has gone up and down in weight with pregnancy.īut we are lucky that this works for most patients because it is not how weight loss works. The usual tummy tuck pulls lax abdominal skin downwards. It may be something you will never need, but for a large percentage of my patients, particularly patients who have lost a great deal of weight, it is at least something that they should be made aware of. Fleur De Lis Tummy Tuck: Anatomy of a ProcedureĪ fleur de lis tummy tuck is a type of plastic surgery you may never have heard of.
0 kommentar(er)
