Cosmetic Surgery of the Abdomen

Boston Cosmetic Surgery Specialist - Dr. Moss

Dr. Moss frequently performs cosmetic surgery of the abdomen, including abdominoplasty surgery. He currently utilizes the "progressive tension suturing" method that eliminates the need for drains and may result in a better quality scar.

There are three different cosmetic surgery procedures that Dr. Moss performs to improve the appearance of a woman's abdomen. The choice of which surgery a women needs is based on which surgery best addresses her problem, not which surgery she happens to be most interested in. The following are the three cosmetic surgery procedures of the abdomen that Dr. Moss performs: Abdominoplasty, Mini-Abdominoplasty, and Liposuction of the Abdomen. Read more about cosmetic surgery of the abdomen with Dr. Moss.

• Your Weight and Cosmetic Surgery of the Abdomen
• What surgery is best for me?
• Abdominoplasty
• Mini-Abdominoplasty
• Liposuction of Abdomen

Your Weight and Cosmetic Surgery of the Abdomen

None of these procedures are a replacement for weight loss. In addition, the following is true concerning any of the above three surgeries: The closer the patient is to her ideal weight, the better her result.

Body Mass Index (BMI) is another measurement that is commonly used to evaluate the status of a patient's weight. To calculate BMI in adults: weight in pounds divided by height in inches. Divide once again by height in inches. Multiply by 703.
Normal BMI: 18.5-24.9
Overweight BMI: 25-29.9
Obese BMI: 30 and greater

What surgery is best for me?

Dr. Moss will need to examine you in order to determine which procedure is correct for you. However, there are some determining factors that can help predict which surgery you will need. The following are some useful questions and answers that will help you predict what surgery you will need.

Important Questions

Have you had children?

Women who have had children are more likely to need an abdominoplasty than liposuction of the abdomen. In addition, the greater the number of children a woman has had or the larger she was during her pregnancy, the greater the chance she will need an abdominoplasty, not liposuction of the abdomen.

Do you find that six months or longer after giving birth, you still have a bulge in your abdomen that resembles the early stages of pregnancy?

This is bulging of the true abdominal wall and is a common result of pregnancy. Since the baby is carried inside the true abdominal wall, often it does not go back to its original flat shape. All the diet and exercise in the world will not change this. Neither will liposuction of the abdomen. These women need an abdominoplasty that includes plication (tightening) of the true abdominal wall. Even the thinnest of mothers can be left with this problem, and it is not unusual for Dr. Moss to perform abdominoplasty surgery on thin, young mothers who had flat abdomens before being pregnant, but were left with a bulge after childbirth.

Dr. Moss in consultation with a tummy tuck patient

Do you have any skin sag?

If there is any sag in the abdominal area, you will need an abdominoplasty. If Dr. Moss were to perform liposuction to an already sagging abdomen, the effect would be to cause even greater skin to sag.

Are you overweight?

The more overweight a woman is, the greater her chance that she will need an abdominoplasty. Dr. Moss only removes a pound or less with liposuction of the abdomen, while a significant amount of tissue and fat is removed during an abdominoplasty. Although the ideal patient for either an abdominoplasty or liposuction is one at her ideal weight, an abdominoplasty is much more effective on an overweight patient.

Have you gained and lost large amounts of weight?

Gaining and loosing large amounts of weight has a detrimental effect on the elasticity of the skin. The greater the weight gain, the longer the woman has been overweight and the greater the weight loss, the greater her chances are that she will need an abdominoplasty.

What is your age?

The older you are, the more likely it is that you will need an abdominoplasty. Skin looses its elasticity as we get older. Although Dr. Moss sees an occasional woman in her 40's or 50's that is a candidate for liposuction of the abdomen, most candidates for liposuction of the abdomen are in their 20's and 30's. This does not mean that all young women can qualify for liposuction of the abdomen. It is not unusual for Dr. Moss to have women in their early twenties needing an abdominoplasty.

If a woman needs abdominoplasty surgery, she can still have liposuction of other areas such as hips and thighs. Dr. Moss can perform liposuction at the time of the abdominoplasty to some areas. In addition, it is not unusual for a woman to have a breast augmentation, breast lift, or a breast reduction at the same time.

 

Why does Dr. Moss have his office staff discuss abdominoplasty surgery when I am interested in liposuction of the abdomen or a mini abdominoplasty?

There are a number of reasons why Dr. Moss' staff takes the time to discuss this during your initial phone call:

• Dr. Moss' office is experienced in this area. Over 80% of patients calling for liposuction of the abdomen or a mini-abdominoplasty learn that they are only a candidate for an abdominoplasty.

• There are different considerations that a patient needs to be aware of between the three procedures. Dr. Moss feels that the more prepared a patient is for her consultation, the more productive it will be. If a patient comes in with one set of expectations and she is told that what she needs is totally different, she may find this upsetting or be distracted from the consultation. The following are a few of the differences that a patient should be aware of:

  • Although Dr. Moss recommends that patients take two weeks off for all three surgeries, abdominoplasty surgery is a larger surgery than either a mini-abdominoplasty or liposuction of the abdomen.

  • There is a scar with an abdominoplasty, a smaller scar with a mini-abdominoplasty, but there is virtually no scar with liposuction of the abdomen.

  • An abdominoplasty patient is required to spend 1 overnight in the hospital. There are usually no overnights required for either a mini-abdominoplasty surgery or liposuction of the abdomen.

  • An abdominoplasty costs approximately twice what liposuction of the abdomen costs. A mini abdominoplasty costs approximately 2/3 of what a full abdominoplasty costs. Dr. Moss finds that most patients appreciate knowing approximate pricing before coming in for a consultation.

• Dr. Moss provides all initial cosmetic surgery consultations at a nominal price with no obligation. However, he does require that a patient have the monies for the surgery that he is discussing with the patient. Dr. Moss accepts cash, checks or all major credit cards for payment of surgery. He also offers a finance plan through Capital One for any qualified patient who is interested in paying for her surgery this way. His office has discovered that while many women can afford the lesser procedure, they can't afford the more expensive one, which is the only one they are a candidate for. Therefore, Dr. Moss requires all patients interested in discussing cosmetic surgery of the abdomen have the means to pay for an abdominoplasty or be qualified through Capital One for a loan. There is no charge to apply for the financing, nor do you need to activate the loan unless you want to. There is also absolutely no obligation to sign up for surgery.

Is Dr. Moss going to push me into a larger more expensive surgery if I don't need it?

Absolutely not! If you are a surgical candidate for a lesser surgery such as a mini-abdominoplasty or liposuction of the abdomen, then Dr. Moss will gladly consult you on those surgeries.

Abdominoplasty

This is considered the gold standard of all the cosmetic surgery procedures of the abdomen. It is by far the surgery that accomplishes the most; however, it is also a longer and more involved surgery. Patients stay overnight in the hospital for one night. Dr. Moss usually recommends two weeks off from work.

An abdominoplasty removes sagging abdominal skin and fat. In addition, Dr. Moss plicates or tightens the true abdominal wall (muscle). This muscle often gets stretched out during pregnancy and does not go back to its original shape.

Another consideration that all women need to be aware of is that an abdominoplasty leaves a scar on the abdomen. In order to remove the excess skin, there needs to be a long incision. All incisions will leave a scar, though it will fade with time.

Dr. Moss will place the scar as low as possible. In addition, Dr. Moss utilizes the "progressive tension suturing method," which distributes the tension over the entire abdomen, rather than just at the incision site. This often results in an improved quality of the scar. In addition, the "progressive tension suturing method" eliminates the need for drains, which are still commonly used by other surgeons in abdominoplasty surgery.

This patient lost a lot of weight before having the abdominoplasty

Although this patient was overweight, she got an excellent result
with an abdominoplasty. This patient was satisfied with her weight.
However, it was her sagging abdomen that bothered her.

This patient was at appropriate weight. Note the bulge of
true abdominal wall from pregnancy that was corrected.

Same patient from front. Typical abdominoplasty scar.
Scar should fade with time.

Mini-Abdominoplasty

A mini-abdominoplasty is not an abdominoplasty at a bargain price. While it is a lesser procedure, it provides fewer benefits or results. Therefore, patients need to be chosen carefully to ensure that patients are happy afterwards. The following describes the ideal candidate:

• Patient relatively thin
• Vast majority of problem (sag) is below the umbilicus
• Little or no bulging of the true abdominal wall

A mini-abdominoplasty does remove sagging skin; however, there is no plication of the true abdominal wall. If the sagging skin is low on the abdomen and not excessive, then a mini-abdominoplasty might be a good choice.

There is usually less discomfort post-operatively with a mini-abdominoplasty than with a full abdominoplasty. However, Dr. Moss does provide the same narcotics post-operatively for all mini-abdominoplasty patients as he does for the full abdominoplasty patients. The full abdominoplasty patients also receive a state of the art pain suppression pump to minimize their discomfort. Mini-abdominoplasty patients neither need this pain suppression pump or an overnight hospital stay.

Sometimes a patient is a candidate for either a mini-abdominoplasty or a full abdominoplasty, and Dr. Moss will ask the patient whether she wants the best possible result (full abdominoplasty) or whether she is willing to accept a lesser result (mini-abdominoplasty) in return for a smaller surgery. Dr. Moss always provides options if he feels he can provide a reasonable result with either choice.

Dr. Moss requires all mini-abdominoplasty patients to take two weeks off for recovery.

This patient was an excellent patient for a mini
abdominoplasty. Her weight was appropriate.

Liposuction of the Abdomen

Liposuction of the Abdomen is a very different procedure when compared to an abdominoplasty. Liposuction is the surgical removal of localized fat deposits in the abdomen. It does not remove any excess skin at all.

Traditional liposuction involves suctioning out localized fat deposits through a cannulae (narrow hollowed out metal shaft). These fat deposits should be disproportionately large in an otherwise balanced figure. It is important that the patient have firm abdominal skin and good muscle tone.

Liposuction of the abdomen does not reduce or eliminate stretch marks on the abdomen. If an abdominoplasty patient has stretch marks on her abdomen and they happen to be in the area that Dr. Moss removes, then the patient receives a secondary benefit from the abdominoplasty.

Liposuction of the abdomen surgery does not usually result in much post-operative discomfort, although Dr. Moss will still provide these patients with a strong narcotic post-operatively.

Dr. Moss requires that all liposuction of the abdomen patients take two weeks week off from work.

This patient who was an excellent candidate had liposuction
of the abdomen and back.

These pictures depict an ideal candidate for liposuction
of the abdomen. Please note that this patient is at her ideal
body weight and had localized deposits of fat on her abdominal area.

Tummy Tuck Photos

Click on the photos below to see additional or larger photos for each patient.

Tummy Tuck Patient 1 See more views by clicking	Tummy Tuck Patient 2 See more views by clicking
Tummy Tuck Patient 3 See more views by clicking	Tummy Tuck Patient 4 See more views by clicking
Tummy Tuck Patient 5 See more views by clicking	Tummy Tuck Patient 6 See more views by clicking
Tummy Tuck Patient 7

Liposuction Photos

Click on the photos below to see additional or larger photos for each patient.

Liposuction Patient 1 See more views by clicking	Liposuction Patient 2 See more views by clicking
Liposuction Patient 3 See more views by clicking	Liposuction Patient 4 See more views by clicking

---

More Tummy Tuck Information:

Read abdominoplasty articles written by Carla and Dr. Moss in our tummy tuck blog.

---

Or, learn more about Body Contouring:

Return to main Procedures page or click on a link below to learn about other Body Contouring plastic surgery procedures:

• Abdominoplasty Surgery & Your Weight
• Tummy Tuck
• Liposuction
• Thigh Lift
• Arm Lift

Call us at 508.747.1322 or 781.337.2421