Andean Body: Plastic Surgery With a Cultural Perspective

The authors of this study propose the identification and description of the physical characteristics of the Andean body. A person with an Andean body is considered to come from the Andes and areas with higher altitude, which cross areas of Peru, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, and western Venezuela. The objective of the authors of this study is to define the physical characteristics of the Andean body identified in a sample of 1500 female patients. The authors analyzed the physical characteristics of 1500 female patients from southern Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Colombia, and Venezuela. The altitude range in the Andes area where the patients come from is between 2060 and 6960 m above sea level. Information was collected from the 1500 patients which showed the average waist circumference measurement of 87.11 cm, the average chest measurement of 107.17 cm, the distance between the last palpable rib and the iliac crest averaged 7.8 cm, and in all cases was <10 cm, and finally, the average distance between the iliac crest and the trochanter, which we define as "high crest," was 14.3 cm. Based on the results we attained from our 1500 patients, when similar studies are performed on other non-Andean groups, comparisons can be made which could help plastic surgeons in determining the appropriate abdominal contouring procedure.