The Blog

A tummy tuck is a useful tool for removing extra skin from the abdomen, and tightening the underlying muscle and fascia that inevitably can’t bounce all the way back after weight loss or pregnancy. Liposuction can be done at the same time to further reduce the thickness of the subcutaneous fat on the OUTSIDE of the abdominal muscles. (Deep to … Read More

A tummy tuck can help reduce rashes and discomfort, particularly in the hotter months and with exercise. The skin and fat removed is all outside of the abdominal wall muscles and fascia. The fascia is usually cinched, and any diastasis recti repaired, but the intraabdominal volume can’t be changed. The contour depends on: The volume and pressure pushing outwards The … Read More

When do I offer a fleur-de-lis style tummy tuck? When a person has significant skin stretch and laxity in a horizontal (side-to-side) direction, in addition to vertical (up-and-down), then we begin the discussion. This does add an additional scar that can be good quality but still be visible. The tradeoff is more narrowing and contouring of the waist, with maximum … Read More

She lost 120 pounds after a weight loss surgery, and had been stable for at least 6 months – the minimum required to be covered by most insurance companies for panniculectomy. Here, we additionally repaired a diastasis recti, and also redraped skin from above the belly button down below. A common question is what happens to the belly button? It … Read More

He lost over 100 pounds and was ready for some contouring. His main goals were improving his gynecomastia (overdevelopment of breast/chest tissue in men) and the extra skin of his abdomen. For the gyencomastia, when there is a greater amount of skin to remove, I favor an incision hidden along the natural inferior fold of the pectoralis. The nipple/areola remain … Read More

A tummy tuck and liposuction is a commonly performed procedure to improve a patient’s body contour. This woman in her 20’s had loose skin and stubborn weight from a hormone imbalance that was now stable. I offered an abdominoplasty to remove redundant skin, and liposuction of her abdomen and flanks to improve her contour. For women who have had children, … Read More

Yes! I have patients every week asking whether I do breast and body contouring, too, as my website and social media is being updated. Here is a sneak peek at a recent patient 4 weeks after a fleur-de-lis tummy tuck and mastopexy. She was interested in increasing her cup size to go with her lift, without use of an implant. … Read More

A tummy tuck and liposuction together are a powerful way to contour the trunk. This beautiful woman in her 40’s had over 80lbs of weight loss and 5 previous children. She had loose skin after her weight loss. She also had moderate diastasis recti, or widening of the fascia between the six pack muscles. Panniculectomy involves just the removal of … Read More

This mother of 4 had extra skin and a diastasis – or separation – of the rectus muscles that make up the six-pack. Tummy tuck with excision of 2.5 pounds of extra skin, repair of the diastasis, and some targeted liposuction, helped to improve her contour and confidence. She is seen at just 4 weeks, with swelling set to improve … Read More

2 months after fleur-de-lis tummy tuck. Re: Recovery — I keep tummy tuck patients for observation overnight. This helps with pain control, care of drains as needed, early walking, and receiving a blood thinner shot 8 hours after surgery. The biggest risk I worry about is a blood clot (DVT) that can travel from the legs up to the lungs … Read More

An augmentation/mastopexy is offered when goals include both breast lift surgery and breast volume maintenance or augmentation. The further the nipple/areola needs to be raised to reach the goal position, the higher chance of wanting a revision (~30% in some series), or even planning a 2-stage surgery from the outset. Here, a modest 250cc implant placed under the muscle added … Read More

Early post-op results after a cleft rhinoplasty. Bringing the alar base forward is especially challenging if not released and augmented at the time of the primary lip repair. Volume can be added with a rib cartilage graft (self vs MTF), but the lining required release and some recruitment from the surrounding tissue. The asymmetry in the lower lateral cartilages can … Read More