Body shape
Tummy tuck / classic abdominoplasty
A firm, flat stomach and a slim waist make the body shape attractive. When the stomach bulges forward over the waistband, women and increasingly men want to improve the shape of their midsection.
Age, overstretching of the skin after pregnancy or weight loss can cause the abdominal wall to sag. This sagging of the skin and connective tissue can only be improved to a moderate extent by exercise. Unfortunately, in many cases stretch marks cannot be satisfactorily reduced by exercise, massages or creams. Abdominoplasty involves removing the sagging skin and underlying fatty tissue from the lower abdomen. This can help to correct and fix a separation of the straight abdominal muscles (rectus diastasis), which often occurs after pregnancy. In classic abdominoplasty, the navel is moved. Its shape can be changed if desired. If a narrowing of the lateral abdomen or a flatter upper abdomen is also desired, abdominoplasty can be supplemented by liposuction.
Abdominoplasty should only be performed once the target weight has been reached. It is not a method for losing weight, but for tightening the abdominal wall after weight reduction. In exceptional cases, however, abdominoplasty can also accompany and promote the weight loss process if, for example, exercise is possible again after the fat apron has been removed.
The scar after the operation runs along the deep lower abdomen, in women at the pubic hairline, up to approximately the lateral pelvic bones. If you already have scars from a caesarean section, these will be extended to the sides and incorporated into the new scar.
Stay: 2-3 nights
Duration: 2-3 hours
Drains: 2 soft drains for 1-2 days
Stitches: self-dissolving and partially removable after approx. 2 weeks
Postoperative: compression girdle for 4-6 weeks, able to work after 2-3 weeks, no heavy physical activity and no sport for 4-6 weeks
Scars: fade after 6-12 months
Tummy tuck / mini-abdominoplasty
If you only have a small amount of excess skin in the middle of the lower abdomen below the navel, a mini abdominoplasty is an option. The incision is considerably shorter than in a classic abdominoplasty because the lateral parts of the abdomen are not tightened.
Stay: outpatient
Duration: 1 hour
Anesthesia: tumescent anesthesia or general anesthesia
Stitches: self-dissolving
Drains: none or a soft drain for 1 day
Postoperative: compression garment for 4-6 weeks, fit for work after 2 weeks, sports after 4-6 weeks
Scars: fade after 6-12 months
Bodylift
After major weight loss, e.g. through gastric banding or gastric bypass, there is often a considerable excess of skin on the abdomen, thighs and buttocks. However, the decisive step for health is weight reduction. Once this has been achieved, a so-called body lift can be performed to further improve the body silhouette. Patients often find the changes to the skin caused by the greater weight reduction to be just as or even more psychologically stressful than the previous excess weight.
Extreme excess skin on the abdomen, buttocks and thighs can be tightened in one operation during a body lift. The incision is made once around the body and can be extended into the groin. This makes it possible to tighten the entire lower half of the body and adapt the "skin envelope" to the slimmer body. If the excess skin is too large to operate on all areas in one session, the inner thighs, for example, can also be tightened at a later date.
Stay: 3 to 6 nights
Duration: 4-6 hours
Anesthesia: general anesthesia
Stitches: self-dissolving and can be removed after approx. 2 weeks
Postoperative: Compression girdle and compression pants for 4-6 weeks, fit for work after 2-4 weeks, sports after 4-5 weeks
Upper arm lift / brachioplasty
The upper arm lift is requested by slim patients who have experienced sagging of the upper arm skin due to ageing, or by patients who have managed to lose a lot of weight and now notice excess skin on their arms.
The incision for an upper arm lift runs along the lower edge of the upper arm from the armpit to above the elbow. In most cases, the length of the scar can be chosen so that it is not noticeable when wearing a T-shirt.
Stay: outpatient or one night
Duration: 2 hours
Anesthesia: General anesthesia
Stitches: Self-dissolving
Drains: none or two soft drains for 1-2 days
Postoperative: compression sleeves for 4-6 weeks, able to work after 2-3 weeks depending on activity, sports after 4-6 weeks
Scars: fade after 6-12 months
Thigh lift
Age or weight loss can lead to a loss of elasticity and excess skin on the thighs. The sagging skin on the thighs can be removed by tightening. The incision can vary depending on the location of the desired silhouette improvement. If a correction is primarily desired on the inside, the incision starts at the groin and extends over the inside of the thighs to the knees. If the thighs are also to be tightened in the lateral part, the incisions can be extended in the lateral direction. A combination procedure together with an abdominoplasty, a buttock lift or an upper arm lift as a so-called body lift is possible.
Stay: 1 to 4 nights, depending on the extent of the procedure
Duration: 2-4 hours
Drains: none or soft drains for 1-2 days
Stitches: self-dissolving and partially removable after approx. 2 weeks
Postoperative: compression pants for 4-6 weeks, able to work after 2-3 weeks, sports after 4 weeks
Scars: fade after 6-18 months