Standards and Trends in Lipoabdominoplasty

Lipoabdominoplasty has evolved over the last 6 decades through contributions from numerous luminaries in plastic and reconstructive surgery.

The authors review historical perspective and provide a contemporary examination of trends in lipoabdominoplasty.

In 1967, Pitanguy popularized abdominoplasty (without liposuction) as a technique for augmenting ventral hernias repairs and subsequently for aesthetic improvement of the abdomen. After the introduction of suction assisted lipectomy by Illouz in 1983, abdominoplasty became a central tool in a diverse armamentarium of anterior and lateral abdominal wall contouring procedures. Liposuction was initially utilized with mini-abdominoplasty in order to improve contour. Subsequently, Matarasso advanced the safe combination of liposuction with full abdominoplasty. Additionally, he systematized the variety of cutaneous undermining, excision, and liposuction procedures utilized in abdominal contouring as indicated by the degree of skin laxity and musculofascial diastasis. Lockwood advocated high lateral tension closure of the superficial fascial system of the abdomen to improve the contour of the hips and flanks. Saldanha advanced selective undermining and anterior abdominal wall perforator preservation to minimize wound healing and seroma complications associated with lipoabdominoplasty procedures.

In abdominal contour surgery, surgeons can rely on classic techniques and algorithms that have withstood the test of time while modifying their approaches with advances backed by compelling and rigorously obtained evidence.