Body

Tummy Lift

From lipostructure to abdominoplasty and body lift, aesthetic surgery offers a number of solutions to achieve a flat and tight stomach. In accordance with the patient’s skin condition, its elasticity, fitness and muscle tone, as well as the distribution of the fatty tissue, a decision is made as to what the best method is to achieve great results.

Abdominoplasty or stomach lift is employed when we wish to remove an excess of skin and subcutaneous tissue which usually form after weight gain, pregnancy and when the stomach has changed visibly and it appears pushed out or has noticeable folds. Other indications for abdominoplasty are noticeable stretch marks on the lower part of the stomach, as well as relaxed and separated muscles of the frontal stomach wall. The incision is a horizontal one and is made on the pubic region. The cut is made sideways towards the pelvic bone. The length of the incision depends on the degree of flaccidity and amount of excess skin. Most commonly the incision is hidden and takes on the contours of a swimming costume. If the problem area is located only in the central or lower part of the abdomen, mini-abdominoplasty is performed. During the recuperation period the patient is advised to take short walks adopting a hunched posture (upper body pointing towards the legs) so as to ensure good blood circulation. Straining, sudden upright movements and physical activities are to be avoided for the first seven to ten days, after which period the sutures are removed. Most patients return to work after two weeks. However, the full recuperation period lasts a full six weeks. After a tummy tuck operation a special corset needs to be worn for a month. Complications after abdominoplasty are rare. What can sometimes occur is the swelling of the stomach wall accompanied by the leakage of serous fluid (simpler complications) or at other times impairment of the blood supply to the skin due to the overtightening effect which happens after excess skin has been removed.

Upper Arm Lift (Brachioplasty)

More and more patients wish to have tighter upper arms and younger looking arms. Arms betray our age, much like our face. Due to significant weight fluctuations, as well as decreased skin elasticity occurring as part of the ageing process, hanging folds of skin are formed in the upper arm area. The upper arm region stretching from the underarm area to the elbow can most commonly be corrected surgically – the area is lifted or liposuction performed on younger patients whose skin has more elasticity.

Surgical treatment successfully removes excess skin and fat tissue leaving a scar on the inside of the upper arm, which over time fades and disappears. Hand rejuvenation is performed by replacing the loss of volume through use of fillers, such as hyaluronic acid or the patient’s own fat tissue.

Inner Thigh Lift

The inner thigh area is often where skin inelasticity and skin folds appear. This physical problem can be corrected by removing excess skin in the shape of letter L, Y or a crescent shape cut horizontally in a semicircle from the groin to the gluteal line, depending on the amount of skin which needs to be removed.

The inner thigh lift is performed under general anaesthetic, while the upper arm lift can be done either as an inpatient or an outpatient. In both cases weight reduction is recommended before the operation.

Liposuction/ Liposculpture of Different Regions (Stomach, Thighs, Knees etc.)

Liposuction/ liposculpture and lipoaspiration is a surgical technique used to aspirate excess fatty tissue on various parts of the body. Liposuction is administered when it is not possible to remove fatty deposits through other approaches such as dieting or exercise. Thin cannulae are used to treat the desired area (incision measuring 3 millimetres) while prior to that a standard solution is injected into the fat so as to make the aspiration process easier. Liposuction is used to remove fatty deposits from areas where they are aesthetically unappealing: stomach, hips, bum, thighs, knees, upper arms, double chin, back… And the body is thus reshaped.

Liposuction is recommended for patients who are in good physical shape, and whose skin remains firm and elastic. It cannot be performed in patients with chronic illnesses and in pregnant women. It is also not recommended to patients under eighteen. It is used to treat cellulite (disease of fat tissue). The operation is performed under epidural anaesthetic or local anaesthetic together with sedation. Depending on the scale of the procedure, the operation lasts between one and five hours. The patient can leave the hospital after several hours for smaller scale interventions or between two to three days in larger scale interventions. Following liposuction treatment, patients are required to wear a corset for one month and massages are recommended.

Potential complications are: pain, haemorrhaging, infection, persistent swelling (less serious complications) or more serious complications such as cardio-respiratory insufficiency, thrombosis, pulmonary embolism.