Abdomen Liposuction

Liposuction of the abdomen and flanks in Los Angeles is the most popular type of liposuction in Southern California. Beverly Hills plastic surgeons who specialize in liposculpture and liposuction believe that the suctioning of the abdominal fat is the number one priority for most women after pregnancy.

While most people can easy lose their tummy fat with diet and exercise, some keep their abdominal pouch or fullness despite having lost weight. Why is this? Tummy or abdominal fullness or girth can be due to several things. In some, there is excess subcutaneous fat which accumulates under the skin. In these people the excess fat can be identified by pinching the abdominal skin in order to determine the thickness of the fat layer under the skin. Usually, if you can pinch an inch, you have enough fat to be a candidate for abdominal liposuction. On the other hand, if you have a large belly and cannot pinch an inch, then your girth is either due to excess intra-abdominal fat and/ or abdominal wall weakness. Intra-abdominal fat refers to the fat that accumulates inside the abdominal cavity and around the intestines. This fat cannot be liposuctioned and usually gives the appearance of a barrel-like abdomen or a “bear belly”. Liposuction is futile for these people, and for them the only answer is to lose weight by diet and exercises.

The third groups of people with large abdominal girth are those who have looseness and weakness of their abdominal wall. These are usually women who have had large babies with their pregnancy, or had twins, or had rapid weight gain during pregnancy. In these women the Rectus Abdomens Muscle gets stretched out to a point that they don’t have adequate abdominal wall support in the front of their tummy. That is why most of these women complain of having a tummy pouch despite being very thin and fit.

Men can also develop abdominal wall weakness as a result of massive weight gain and loose. Plus size people who have lost at least 75 lbs., either by dieting or with gastric bypass surgery, often develop weakness of the abdominal wall. Finally, those who lift very heavy weights, either for work or with weight training, can also stretch out their abdominal wall to a point that they develop a Ventral hernia.

The most common technique for abdominal or tummy liposuction is the Tumescent Liposuction. With this technique the fatty areas are first infiltrated with tumescent fluid which makes fat extraction easier and safer. Some of the newer techniques of liposuction, such as ultrasonic or laser liposuction, do not offer any significant advantage but introduce more risk and potential for complications.

Liposuction of the abdomen and flanks can be either performed under local or general anesthesia depending on the amount to be suctioned. Usually very small amounts of fat, up to 1000 ccs, can be suctioned under local anesthesia, as long as the tumescent technique is used. Larger amount of fat extraction by large volume liposuction is better performed under general anesthesia with monitoring by a Board Certified Anesthesiologist.

Before and After Photos

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Recovery from liposuction of abdomen and flanks in Los Angeles is not difficult. Compared to liposuction of the thighs and the back, recuperation from abdominal liposuction is fairly easy. After abdominal liposuction in Los Angeles most women return to work in less than a week. They wear an abdominal binder or girdle for the first six weeks and have to massage their abdomen in order to get a smoother result.

Results of abdominal liposuction are usually dramatic. Most women get a defined waistline with an hourglass figure. You can review many before-and-after pictures of abdominal liposuction at the photo gallery of the California Center for Plastic Surgery.